Fernleigh Wearden & Company Ltd
Independent Financial Advisers
Four fields. That’s it.
One of our advisers will ring you back by the end of the next working day, at the time you asked for.
In a hurry? Call us on 01772 864314, 9am–5pm Monday to Friday.
About us
FPFS, CFP, APFS, DipPFS. Adviser qualifications are rarely explained to the people they’re meant to reassure. Here is the ladder, highest first, in plain English.
The letters after an adviser's name are not decoration. They tell you how far that person has studied and in some cases how long they have practised. Almost nobody explains what they mean, so here is the ladder — highest first.
The Personal Finance Society is one of the main awarding bodies in financial services, known internationally for the quality and breadth of its exams. Where a qualification requires experience as well as study, we've said so.
Highest first
Regarded as the highest achievable qualification for a financial adviser. Requires five years’ experience alongside the highest qualification level.
Fellowship confirms a commitment to developing specialist financial planning skills over many years of study and workplace training. It sits at the equivalent level to a bachelor’s honours degree.
✓ Mark Wearden holds thisFive years’ experience and the second-highest qualification level.
✓ Mark Wearden holds thisThe second-highest qualification level. No minimum experience is required to hold it.
Diploma-level qualification. No minimum experience is required to hold it.
✓ Paul Wearden holds thisA diploma-level qualification awarded by the London Institute of Banking & Finance, meeting the same regulatory benchmark for giving advice.
✓ Daniel Wearden holds thisHeld by members who have completed a certificate-level qualification.
The other question
Qualifications tell you how well trained an adviser is. They tell you nothing about how free that adviser is to recommend the right thing. Those are two separate questions, and the second one is the one that tends to cost people money.
Can recommend products from across the entire market, from any provider. Not owned by or tied to a product company. This is what we are.
Can only recommend from a limited range — sometimes one provider's own products, sometimes a panel. Perfectly legitimate and fully regulated, but a narrower set of options.
Common questions
Not automatically. Qualifications tell you what someone has studied and, in some cases, how long they’ve practised. They don’t tell you whether that person listens well, explains clearly, or is free to recommend the right product. Ask about all four.
No and it matters that we say so. Mark Wearden is a Chartered Financial Planner, so Chartered-level advice is available to you here. The firm cannot call itself Chartered until at least half its advisers hold the status and Daniel is still working towards his.
So the accurate description is access to Chartered financial advice, rather than a Chartered firm. Plenty of firms blur that line. We would rather be straight with you about which is which — it is exactly the sort of question we suggest you ask any adviser you meet.
Chartered Financial Planner status requires five years’ experience alongside advanced qualifications. Fellowship of the PFS is regarded as the highest achievable qualification for an adviser. They are both at the top of the ladder and are awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute.
An additional qualification and FCA permission required to advise on transferring certain pensions — particularly defined benefit, or final salary, schemes. Not every adviser holds it. Both Paul and Mark do.
Ask them directly — any adviser should be happy to tell you. You can also confirm the firm and the individual on the FCA register and check membership with the Chartered Insurance Institute.
You can read about Paul, Mark and Daniel and ask for any of them by name. We will always endeavour to keep you with whoever you first meet.
Mark is our Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society — the most qualified of the three — so more complex situations generally sit with him.
Our services
Between us there’s a Fellowship of the PFS, two pension transfer specialists and over 80 years of experience.
Tell us when suits and one of us will ring you back by the end of the next working day.
