Our Regulator and Independence
We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, otherwise known as the FCA. Our Firm Reference Number is 419666 and you can check our regulatory permissions, status and other relevant details by searching the FCA’s register.
There are now only two types of authorised and regulated firm:
We are Independent.
We care about the quality of advice we provide. We care about our clients. We care about offering the best value, lowest costs and best service we are able. Above all, we care and strive to do all that we possibly can so that our clients continue with us for decades, not just months or a year or two.
Independence
This means we provide truly impartial, unbiased advice from across the whole market, without any material restriction. We, and indeed other unrestricted professionals in our industry believe this is the best type of advice for obvious reasons. We do not recommend that you take merely restricted advice.
Other than this crucial distinction in status and genuine impartiality, you also need to know that many firms, independent or restricted, are not directly regulated by the FCA. Many are known as ‘Appointed Representatives’ of a larger organisation which itself is owned by and controlled by others, often distant from you, the client.
Tip
You can easily check another firm’s status, first by reading their disclosure on their letter heading or website, and then by checking with the FCA register. If the regulated firm name is different to the name of the company you know, there’s a good chance they’re an Appointed Representative.
Appointed Reps and Restricted Advice
In some ways, you can think of an Appointed Representative as a form of franchise. The oversight, control and ultimate responsibility for advice being given to you lies with the ‘parent’ FCA regulated firm, not the Appointed Representative that you may be dealing with.
In stark contrast, Arc Eden has always been and intends to remain independent, directly authorised and regulated by the FCA as we believe this is the only way for us to ensure total impartiality to you. It is admittedly significantly more onerous for us to be regulated in this manner for reasons we will happily explain, but commercial considerations should never come before client interests which is why we insist on our current approach.
Our future
In the approximately 3 decades or more that both Geoff Adamson and Mike Couzens have worked within the sector, when working as regulated advisers, both have always been directly authorised and independent. Neither Geoff nor Mike have ever compromised the advice they have ever provided by becoming restricted or tied in any way, even though there may well have been short term commercial reasons for others to choose to do so.
Both Geoff and Mike have longstanding experience of being wholly independent, having also been authorised and regulated by predecessors of the FCA, including FIMBRA, the Personal Investment Authority (PIA) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). These regulators are now succeeded by the FCA.
This commitment to total impartiality is how it will always remain.
Not everybody can say this.
