I have specialised in helping British expats in Hong Kong, manage their financial planning since 2013.
During that time, I have found that I have developed a particular specialism for, and worked well with, members of the legal profession.
This has inspired me to launch a new service for such professionals based in Hong Kong.
Read on to find out more about that service, and why our understanding of the challenges you face in your work means we are ideally placed to help you to secure your financial future.
As a legal professional, you face a range of challenges
As a British legal professional working in Hong Kong, you’ll be only too aware that alongside the opportunities come challenges, both from a work and financial perspective.
While the legal systems are similar, if you are new to Hong Kong you’ll need to get to grips with an entirely new tax system.
Additionally, you may well still have income from assets in the UK as well as in other regions such as Singapore or the Middle East, which will entail managing finances in different jurisdictions.
Then there are all the financial planning issues related to working as an expat, such as planning for your retirement, and building an investment portfolio.
There may be additional uncertainties around your financial planning such as where you may settle down after you stop working, and the future cost of living in that jurisdiction.
You may become subject to a higher-tax regime, which will necessitate protecting what you have earned at a low rate of tax while in Hong Kong if you do move back to a higher-tax jurisdiction like the UK or in Europe.
Given all that, and the fact that you’ll be balancing business demands alongside spending time with your family and taking advantage of the opportunities of working abroad, it’s important to ensure that you’re getting the best possible financial advice.
You will likely be expending enough time and energy on your legal work to have the bandwidth available to plan your finances and manage your investment portfolio with the diligence this deserves as well.
It’s important for you to receive expert advice that you can rely on
I’m very much aware that, as a busy professional, your time is precious.
Because of this, it’s understandable that you might find the idea of managing the complexities of your financial planning and investment strategy daunting.
So, there’s little doubt that you will benefit from having someone you trust helping you make the important financial decisions, either by advising you or acting as a sounding board, that can secure your long-term financial security. This will not only save you time but also give you one less thing to worry about, leaving you to focus on your own work.
It’s important to appreciate that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all financial plan.
Your financial situation will be unique, and furthermore, your circumstances and priorities will change over time.
That’s why I only offer a bespoke service throughout a long-term relationship which involves regular reviews of your plan to ensure you stay on track.
We aim to reduce the stress of financial planning in Hong Kong
If you’ve lived and worked overseas for any length of time, you’ll be aware that there is a lack of trust in the offshore financial advice profession, and Hong Kong unfortunately is no exception.
Along with other members of the expat community, legal professionals in Hong Kong are frequently targeted by salespeople who are incentivised by large upfront commissions on investment products, and I’ve lost count of the number of unfortunate people I’ve met who have lost out.
Indeed, I wrote an article about one particular financial fraudster I became aware of, and a further piece about the importance of due diligence when it comes to managing your finances.
It’s my recognition of how crucial due diligence and an eye for detail can be, both of which are common traits among legal professionals, that I believe aligns with my own personal approach to what most legal professionals would expect when it comes to helping you plan your financial future.
I understand your challenges and the pressure on your shoulders, I’m very conscious of the importance of instilling trust and giving you the peace of mind that you have an adviser you can rely on to help you make the right decisions.
My aim is to alleviate the stress of your financial planning and investment management, enabling you to lead a balanced life while attaining greater control over your time, health, and relationships.
Our new Lawyer Panel can provide you with valuable reassurance about our services
I’m well aware that, as a high-net-worth legal professional based in Hong Kong, you will need to place a great deal of trust in your chosen financial planning firm.
At the same time, we also know that our profession is second only to legal recruitment companies in terms of bombarding you with unsolicited emails and phone calls.
To make your life easier when it comes to choosing an adviser to work with, we have set up a Lawyer Panel to give you the confidence to choose Charlton House.
Our existing legal professional clients are all very happy with our work and a number have offered to recommend us to their fellow lawyers.
As panel members, they will give an honest appraisal of their experience working with us and answer any questions you may have about our services.
While, understandably, they don’t want their names to be published in a public forum, at the right time in our process we will be happy to introduce you to one or two of these clients so you can have a discussion over the phone or email, should you wish.
Our testimonial videos will provide you with further insight on how we can help you
You may also want to take a look at some testimonial videos we have very kindly recently recorded with two senior legal professionals who are both Charlton House clients:
- Richard was a Partner at Stevenson Harwood, and is now working at Tanner De Witt
- Rory was Head of the Financial Services Group at Deacons.
Hopefully, the experiences they relate in terms of dealing with Charlton House will give you the reassurance that, as a fellow legal professional, you will be in good hands working with us.
Working with Charlton House will provide you with some key financial planning benefits
We understand first-hand the challenges of living abroad, from issues arising from leaving the UK, securing your financial future in Hong Kong, and then helping you plan the financial transition if and when you return to the UK.
As a company, we are authorised to provide advice in both the UK and Hong Kong and have a permanent presence in both.
As a legal professional, there are four major benefits of working with us:
- We will help you understand your financial goals and uncover what is truly important to you.
- We appreciate your work is challenging and time-consuming, so we act as a concierge service, ensuring you only deal with what is important.
- We can help you appreciate how much is enough and when you can retire.
- You will benefit from having a financial confidant who can act as a sounding board on financial issues and ideas you may have.
For these reasons, we believe it’s truly valuable to have us in your corner.
Get in touch
You can read more about our Lawyer Panel on our website.
If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this article please contact us by email or, if you prefer to speak to us, you can reach us in the UK on +44 (0) 208 0044900 or in Hong Kong on +852 39039004.
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