We have just signed up to something called the Financial Vulnerability Charter. It means we can add a logo to our website and to our social media. But it means so much more to me!

The Charter, which is backed by the Personal Finance Society, is about how we treat people. It is not just a logo, it is how we do business. We treat all our clients with the utmost respect. We put their interests above those of our company and always have.

We know that sometimes when we talk to clients we are talking about very technical matters. We are specialists in the field, but most of our clients are not. They may be specialists in other fields that I would struggle to understand, from medicine to criminal law to sport.

Our knowledge and experience mean that some clients can be in a position of dependency on us. They trust us to act in their best interests. And that is what we must do -  and is what we do.

Our job is to be a safe pair of hands. And that moral duty is never more so than with people who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances. It may be a temporary or long term situation, it may be for a variety of reasons and it may be that the person is not aware of their vulnerability. Whatever the details, we will have their interests at the centre of what we do.

We treat all our clients with compassion and empathy, and professionally. And I instil that approach into all my staff. We have had ‘dementia friendly’ training because I want my staff to understand how that condition can affect people. I want my staff to see that we deal with a wide range of people with different needs, but all with the same need from us, that we treat them fairly and professionally.

The Personal Finance Society is the professional body for the financial advisory profession in the UK, whose role is to promote ethical behaviour, the highest standards of professionalism for technical knowledge and client service for the ultimate benefit of the profession and consumers alike. We have been members for some time. When I heard about the Financial Vulnerability Charter I immediately signed us up. I have an elderly mother, I have clients I have worked with for years, I mean it when I say I put their interests first, and so do my staff.

I know trust must be the bedrock on which our company operates and not just an add on. Which is why we are proud to be able to display the logo on  our website.