Lowes Magazine Issue 120

50TH YEAR CELEBRATION

Lowes: A ‘family’ firm providing personal service

WE ARE EXCEPTIONALLY PROUD AT LOWES TO HAVE reached our 50-year anniversary – a rare achievement for an Independent Financial Advice firm. In our view there are two fundamentals to our success and longevity: providing the best advice and care when looking after our clients’ financial interests by adhering to our philosophy of being a firm where ‘personal finances are cared for personally’; and being a company that people want to work for, where they feel part of a team that is making a difference to people’s lives. These were the goals of our founder Ken Lowes when establishing the company in 1971 and they have been our ethos for the past 50 years. When Ken set up Lowes Financial Management he was looking to support his family but also to find a way to give investors and savers access to better advice. The advice models of the day did not sit well with him and he felt there could be a far better model than the ones clients were being offered by the market at the time. This is why he established Lowes as an Independent Financial Advice firm, as it meant he could offer investments and products drawn from across the whole market, rather than being restricted to a limited number of funds, pensions and savings products. This has benefitted tens of thousands of Lowes clients over the years and it is a principle we still hold to today as we believe it delivers the best results for our clients. Alongside this, Ken knew that to build the company he needed a great team around him, people who thought the same way that he did and wanted to do their best for the firm’s clients. Over the years we have applied the same approach as we have recruited and grown as a company. 50 years on from those early days when the company comprised of just Ken and his PA, Lowes now consists of around 100 people – our Consultants, technicians, support staff, pensions, investment, administration, operations, marketing, accounting, IT and structured products teams, not to forget our receptionists and our board members. Whether their roles are client facing or behind the scenes, they are part of the bigger picture and the overall service we provide for our clients. It is their enthusiasm and dedication to delivering the very best service for our clients that has helped make Lowes the company it is today.

If you know anyone who you think could benefit from our investment management or other financial planning services, please put them in touch. They can call 0191 281 8811 and we will arrange a no obligation consultation at our cost. We pride ourselves on our client service, depth of knowledge, professionalism, integrity and approachability. In our latest biennial client survey, in which we ask our clients to rate us over a range of key areas, over 97% of clients said they would recommend us to family, friends and colleagues. For us that is the greatest recognition of our performance and our success as a company. Family feel We have been lucky also to create a family feel to the company even as we have expanded over the years. Some of our staff have been with us for 25 years and more, which we think says a lot in this day and age. Some of our clients have been with us for the same length of time – and longer! Our Consultants say they have known some clients so long – and their children and their grandchildren – that they seem more like friends than clients. And over the years clients have shared their stories with us – from bearing the Olympic torch when Great Britain hosted the 2012 Olympics, training dogs for people with disabilities, publishing a first novel, to sailing across the Atlantic ocean. As Lowes has grown over the years, increasing the number of our clients we serve, so the investment and savings market has become more complex and sophisticated and the amount of regulation has increased. This has seen us bring in the necessary personnel to ensure we provide the level of professional service on which Lowes has built its reputation. We have also been building a name in the structured product market and Lowes is now recognised as a leading authority on this market, with our opinion and data being sought by national and industry publications. It is a specialism that has benefitted Lowes clients too, with many taking advantage of our insight to invest in the ‘Preferred’ Plans as well as the 10:10 and 8:8 plans which Lowes had a hand in designing, and which have helped develop the structured product market. We have also picked up our fair share of awards for investment, pension and client service in our 50 years as an IFA firm. Ultimately, of course, it is our work with clients, helping to grow and maintain their wealth for their personal goals, family and retirement that is at the core of what we do. There have been numerous instances over the years where we have helped people through both happy and difficult times.

7 Lowes.co.uk