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    Taking that first step to tackle your finances can be daunting; it’s hard to know where to start sometimes. So why not start here?

    Ask us a question about your finances and we’ll provide you with an answer sent directly to your email inbox.

    And (if you grant us permission) we’ll share your question below, too, so that other people can benefit from the answer.

    Your questions answered

    Q.

    How do I get to your offices?

    Clare
    A.

    From the M1 – Junction 11 (signposted for Luton)

    1. Take the A505 to Hitchin. At Hitchin (junction with A602), take the first exit off the roundabout onto the A505 (signposted for Letchworth / Baldock). Stay in the left-hand lane.
    2. At the roundabout (junction with A600), take the second exit onto the A505 Fishponds Rd (signposted Letchworth / Baldock / swimming centre). You will pass the swimming centre on your right.
    3. At the next roundabout take the second exit onto the A505 Nightingale Road.
    4. At the roundabout take the first exit onto Grove Road. Turn left onto Bury Mead Road at the next set of traffic lights

    From the A1 – Junction 8 (signposted for Stevenage)

    1.  Take the A602 to Hitchin. At Hitchin, take the fourth exit at the roundabout signposted ‘Town Centre’. At the mini-roundabout, bear right.
    2. At the next traffic lights, go straight over, signposted ‘Letchworth / Baldock’. At the roundabout take the first exit onto Verulam Road
    3. At the next roundabout take the first exit onto Nightingale Road. At the next roundabout take the second exit onto Grove Road. Turn left onto Bury Mead Road at the next set of traffic lights
    Q.

    How have you coped through the pandemic?

    Anonymous
    A.

    Thanks to our fantastic support team; we have been able to remain fully functional since March 23rd.

    The office has been manned throughout, and thanks to technology, everyone in the team has been able to work from home and deal with everything that’s been thrown at them very efficiently. Though am not sure about the balance of “home schooling” with work, they have been required to do – they all deserve a medal!

    Video calls have replaced face to face meetings and have become the new “normal”. So many of our clients are “vulnerable” or regarded as “at risk”, we want to protect them and for that matter, all our clients. Therefore, unless it is unavoidable, we will continue not to hold face to face meetings.

    We are so grateful to our clients who have been so understanding, through these uncertain times. Not only dealing with the pandemic restrictions but also the volatility within the stock market too and how this has affected their investments.

    Providers have really tried their best to react to the difficulties of “lockdown”; many of their services being offered from home-based operatives. This has presented challenges surrounding turnaround times in dealing with queries. Thanks to our clients who have been understanding of the situation, delays have been manageable. The challenge of providing signatures on documents is something where advances in technology have also helped – an increased acceptance of electronic or scanned signatures has helped us. It is still a requirement on many legal documents that the signature is an original. This has presented it’s own challenges – standing on a client’s driveway, under an umbrella, passing a document through a kitchen window to obtain a signature and trying to ensure the document didn’t get smudged in the rain!!!

    It will be very interesting to see how the current situation evolves; though we are confident that with regular communication, support from clients, our team and providers, we are well equipped to cope.

    Smith & Wardle Financial Planning is a trading name of Smith & Wardle Financial Consultants LLP (OC398850). Registered in England and Wales, our registered office address is Suite B, Gloverside, 23-25 Bury Mead Road, Hitchin SG5 1RT.

    We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under registration number 912090.

    The content of this website is meant for information purposes only, and does not constitute advice. The value of investments can fall as well as rise, utilising investment products places capital at risk.

    Click here to read our complaints policy.

    theteam@smithandwardle.co.uk

    01462 420544

    Suite B, Gloverside
    23-25 Bury Mead Road
    Hitchin
    Herts
    SG5 1RT