I feel extremely fortunate to be launching a new business in the financial advice sector. I have always felt this industry was greatly misunderstood and deserving of much greater praise than it has historically garnered. Financial advisers master a wealth of skills which they put to good use steering the diverse financial needs of people across the UK – a financial adviser can be as important to someone’s wellbeing as their doctor.
Given this strong belief in the importance of good financial advice, it is perhaps unsurprising that the leadership team at Liberate Wealth gave serious thought to the investors we would partner with to launch this business.
The past five years has seen a shift in the financial advice landscape, with institutional investors recognising the clear opportunity within the market to generate returns through acquiring established, regional firms looking for a long-term home and helping them to grow further. Whilst we appreciated the benefits that many PE backers offer, we felt an alternative partner was needed who reflected our values and culture more closely.
Our patient capital investors, the founders of VAR Capital (a multi-family office), share our depth of experience in financial services – something that is not always guaranteed when seeking a backer. They have built and grown wealth advisory businesses from scratch which has given them a deep understanding of the market we operate in. Their patient capital ethos was key for us - we are in this for the long run, not for a quick turnaround and sale, so it was vital our backers shared our expectations for the pace of how Liberate Wealth would progress and I for one hope to still be doing this ten years from now.
Our B Corp values were also strongly supported by our investors. If we are to create the advice firm of the future we must prioritise doing business ‘the right way’ from the very start, bringing the kind of change we want to see in the advice market which will help Liberate stand the test of time many years from now.
The strategic and cultural alignment with the founders of VAR Capital provides us with a strong foundation from which to build. If you are interested in joining us on this journey and securing your legacy, contact our team for a personal introduction.
