A new national money advice service has been launched, offering 1-to-1 face-to-face financial advice sessions across the UK. It is a free, face-to-face financial advice service that offers independent, sales and jargon-free information on all matters relating to personal finance and provides clear, unbiased money advice to help people make informed choices.
What we do?
The service is being delivered by fully trained staff providing information around the following subject matters:
- Personal Budgeting
- Savings and Investments
- Protection
- Credit and Borrowing
- Retirement Planning
- Taxation
- Benefits
What is the aim of the service?
Overall, the service is designed around five key principles:
1. "On my side": the service is impartial from the Government and the Financial Services Industry.
2. Supportive
: the service provides information and guidance that enables users to make better decisions and take positive steps towards improving their finances.
3. Preventative: Money Advice Service is not a symptom-focused, crisis response service like debt advice. Rather the aim is to help prevent financial difficulties and address the underlying route causes of poor financial decision making, including knowledge, financial literacy and money management skills.
4. Universal: the service is free and available to all.
5. Sales free: the service does not sell or make recommendations about specific products or types of product.
To help people be better informed about money, so they can be aware of their situation, and their options for action. This will help them to make more informed financial decisions.
What does it cost?
The service is provided free of charge to the customer, and free of charge to the organisation booking the sessions.
Who uses the service?
It is suitable for people over age 16 ( with an adult or over 18), it has been used for some time in other areas, by local authorities, employers advice, CAB offices, NHS, welfare to work organisations, colleges, housing associations and many other commercial and voluntary sector organisations.
The advice given to the customer is confidential to them at all times. We will therefore need a suitable private area to discuss the person’s situation. We find a 30 to 45 minutes interview is usually ideal. We aim to conduct a minimum of six interviews a day. Interviews are preferably to be booked on an appointment basis.
What we don’t do
We don’t sell anything, or specifically recommend providers or products. We are totally independent, impartial, and non judgemental. We don’t use Jargon or complex technical terms. We also have professional resources available if customers are found to need more complex specialist advice.
Website
More about the scope of information available – www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk and ability to access and download free leaflets.
If you would like to find out more about the service and how it can help people make the right informed financial decisions, please contact Steve Hughes at sphughes@a4e.co.uk