The company currently operates under the following regulatory regimes.
In The United Kingdom
Alexander Beard Ltd. an international expat advisory firm, alexander beard ltd. … an international employee benefits consultancy and alexander beard ltd. … home of the Alexander Beard International Retirement Plan are trading names of alexander beard ltd. …an international financial services company (FCA No. 765002, registered in England, No. 4873038), which is an appointed representative of Alexander Beard Investment Management Limited (FCA No. 225566, registered in England, No. 4216659), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
In the United States of America
Advisory services offered through Alexander Beard (USA) Inc. The firm is registered as an investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission and only transacts business in states where it is properly notice filed, or is excluded or exempted from registration and/or notice filing requirements. Registration is not an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators and does not mean the advisor has achieved a specific level of skill or ability.
We are a member of Alexander Beard Group of Companies Limited. Registered in England No. 2144184.
In Australia
Alexander Beard (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN: 68 117 524 580 is a Corporate Authorised Representative 297995 of PFP Financial Services Pty Ltd ABN 45 653 557 405 | AFSL 535484. General financial advice and information provided by PFP Financial Services Pty Ltd AFSL 535484 and its authorised representatives and employees should not be relied upon without first obtaining specific professional advice from your financial adviser before taking any action. Please click here for our Privacy Policy and other Important Information.
In South Africa
Alexander Beard RSA (Pty) Ltd trading as Alexander Beard. A registered Financial Services provider by the Financial Services Conduct Authority FSP 11599.
To view our registration, please click here.
You should then insert the following FSP number: 11599
Please click here to view our Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
In Ireland
Incorporated in the Republic of Ireland CRO No. 403202
Registered Office: 8 Sandford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6
Alexander Beard (Ireland) Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Our Principle for Treating Customers Fairly
The Alexander Beard Group’s principle is to balance the client’s needs with that of the firm’s, to be clear about what the firm and its products and services offer and to be unambiguous about our fees and levels of service.
Specifically this requires that:
- Our clients should clearly understand the nature of the services we provide, including our terms, conditions and charges.
- Our clients must clearly understand the risks inherent in the markets in which they invest through us.
- We must communicate to our clients in an open, clear and understandable manner.
- We must have a thorough understanding of our clients’ investment objectives, investment experience, attitude to risk, financial standing and resources.
- We must be clear about the suitability of the recommendations we make to our clients.
- We will not promise to provide services we are not able or equipped to deliver.
- We will embed the concept of “Treating Customers Fairly” within our company culture.
- Our complaint procedures must be clear, unambiguous and impartial.
- We will regularly assess the effectiveness of our policies in respect of Treating Customers Fairly.
Consumer Duty
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced the Consumer Duty on 31 July 2023. It sets a new standard for consumer protection.
All companies within the Alexander Beard Group have always operated to put our customers first with the objectives of giving our clients the highest standards of advice, administration and service.
Given the above, we welcomed the FCA introducing the new consumer duty rules which look to achieve the following 4 outcomes for our clients:
- Products and services
A firm should only sell products and services that meet the needs and characteristics of its customers, and support their objective. - Price and value
The price of a product or service should be reasonable in comparison to the overall benefits it provides. - Consumer understanding
Firms must give customers the information they need – at the right time and in a way they can understand – so that they can make informed financial decisions. - Consumer support
Firms should support their customers to use the products and services they’ve bought.
In practice what this means for you when you deal with Alexander Beard is that:
- We will only offer you financial products and services that offer good value without any hidden costs
- We will only offer you services and products that are right for you after firstly identifying your needs and objectives.
- All correspondence and marketing materials from financial companies or us – including brochures, letters, emails, and terms and conditions – will be understandable.
- In the unlikely event that problems occur, it will be easier to sort them out, and if necessary to switch or cancel financial products and services
- If you’re in a vulnerable situation – for example, because of ill health or financial difficulty – we will identify this and take this into account when we deal with you.
Obviously, it’s important that we review our obligations under the Consumer duty rules and you can be assured that we do this regularly putting our responsibilities to you at the top of our agenda.
If at any time you feel we are not meeting our consumer duty requirements to you, please let us know by contacting our Head of Compliance at our Ellesmere Port address.
Complaints (UK)
As a Financial Adviser you expect first class service from us and that is what we aim to provide.
If there is a problem or if you are not happy about the service you have received from us then please tell us and we will try to put things right.
If you don’t understand something or you think that there is a problem, ask us for an explanation.
We need to know and understand what the problem is. If we do, we can often resolve matters quickly and easily. If you wish to complain please contact the Compliance Manager at:
The Alexander Beard Group of Companies
14-15 Rossmore Business Village
Inward Way
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire, CH65 3EY.
Telephone 0151 346 5460.
All complaints are dealt with in line with the regulations and procedures laid down by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Ombudsman Service and can include any expression of dissatisfaction, whether oral or written, from or on behalf of a client.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an agency for arbitrating on unresolved complaints between regulated firms and their clients. Full details of the FOS can be found on the following website – http://financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
Please note that the Financial Ombudsman Service only has jurisdiction on advice and business carried on from the United Kingdom.
Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
London
E14 9SR
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 023 4567 or 0300 123 9123 (from a mobile)
Our firms first point of contact for resolving any disputes is info@abg.net
Alexander Beard Investment Management Limited – Conflict of interest Statement
Alexander Beard is privately owned with no allegiance to any insurance company.
Although we’ll always try to act in your best interests there may be situations where we or one of our other clients has some form of interest in the business being transacted for you. If this happens or we become aware that our interests or those of one of our other clients conflict with your own interests, we’ll write to you and ask for your consent to proceed before we carry out any business for you. We’ll also let you know the steps we’ll take to make sure you are treated fairly.
There may also be circumstances where a potential conflict arises due to a strategic business decision, or to the ownership of the business. We therefore feel it important to disclose the following potential areas of conflict:
1. Alexander Beard is part of Alexander Beard Group of Companies Limited which has several other financial services businesses worldwide. Details of all companies can be found at:
https://www.abg.net/our-locations
On occasion we may either refer a client to, or receive a client referral from, a business within the Group. Where appropriate, Alexander Beard may work in conjunction with another Group business for a client that has financial assets in more than one country or may engage with an overseas entity for professional guidance, for example regarding an overseas tax regime that is pertinent to any advice that we may give a client. However, the following will apply in all circumstances:
- Alexander Beard will be acting on its own behalf and not on behalf of the Group or any other Group entity.
- Alexander Beard will be acting in the interests of the client and not those of the Group or an individual Group entity (unless those interests are aligned).
- As a UK regulated entity, Alexander Beard’s activities will be fully insured in the UK
2. We have appointed Albemarle Street Partners Investment Management Ltd (ASPIM) as Discretionary Fund Managers to run our Model Portfolio Service on a discretionary basis. Albemarle Street Partners is a trading name of Atlantic House Investments Limited (AHI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic House Group Limited.
Atlantic House Group Limited has a commercial arrangement with Alexander Beard, from which a potential conflict of interest may arise.
However, these two arrangements do not depend on each other. Alexander Beard retains the right to end the appointment of ASPIM with no implications for the commercial arrangement noted above.
- Alexander Beard has outlined the following circumstances under which the appointment of ASPIM may be terminated, amongst others:
- Failing to perform as per the agreement,
- Prolonged underperformance of the investment funds,
- Failing to communicate key information, and
- An unreasonable or significant increase in costs.
Please ask if you would like to see a copy of our conflicts of interest policy.