Huddersfield and Leeds financial advice firm, Simpson Wood Financial Services Ltd, has been named as one of the top financial advice firms in the UK by the Financial Times for the second year running.

The FT Adviser Top 100, an annual list of the UK’s best financial advice firms, compares them based on a specialist, data-led set of criteria. Simpson Wood Financial Services has been ranked 25th on the list, sitting alongside and out-ranking many competitors.

Shaun Wood, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Simpson Wood Financial Services, said he's delighted to have received the accolade for the second year in a row, calling it further recognition of the firm’s ongoing growth and a ringing endorsement of its forward-thinking approach.

“We’re really pleased to have again received this recognition from the FT. We see it as a direct consequence of our responsive and agile approach and the ongoing brilliant results we get for our clients,” said Shaun. “The discretionary asset management model we use means we’re able to be more reactive to change and can make quick decisions if we need to, making the most of the money that’s invested. It’s a more dynamic approach than is taken by the majority of firms and it underpins our commitment to consistently providing exceptional results for our clients.”

In conjunction with international asset management firm, LGT Wealth, Simpson Wood Financial Services launched its discretionary managed bespoke model portfolio service in June 2023. This service allows greater reactivity in managing client assets and enables asset managers to be more reactive to markets and outside forces on a more consistent basis.

The FT Adviser Top 100 was announced as part of the FT Live Financial Advice Forum, which took place in London on 25th September. Shaun Wood was also invited to speak on one of the panels at the event, "Model portfolios under pressure — are multi-asset solutions still worth it?" The discussion covered how advisers and fund managers are assessing model portfolio values, the impact of Consumer Duty, and the role of platform-choice in delivering consistent outcomes.

“It was a really interesting and lively discussion,” says Shaun, “with lots of engagement from the audience, many of whom approached us afterwards to say how much they’d got from it, which is great news.”

Simpson Wood has been a part of Huddersfield since 1880, operating from its premises in Bank Chambers, Market Street, which was once the site of the old Huddersfield Stock Exchange. Shaun Wood says he is proud of the part the firm has played in the town’s history and how it has supported Yorkshire businesses for more than 140 years. He says gaining this accolade again shows that generations of knowledge and expertise combined with a dynamic, fresh approach is a winning combination.

“You don’t have to be a global household name to achieve a consistently high performance,” says Shaun. “We’re committed to being continually proactive in a responsible way with our clients’ investments so they can gain the maximum potential from their portfolios. Getting this recognition from the FT for a second time is a great way to head towards the last quarter of the year and celebrate our continued levels of strong growth. We’re looking forward to seeing what the year ahead brings!”