Andrew Hains

Previous Experience

Andrew has been working in the financial services profession since January 2000 having started his career with Legal & General Assurance Society. 

He then moved to a small bespoke IFA and qualified as a financial adviser in the UK, providing UK and international financial planning, including pension transfers and QROPS.

Andrew is passionate about finding the right pension transfer and retirement planning solutions for his clientele as well as having that ongoing relationship with his clients when required.

Areas of Expertise

• UK and Overseas pension transfers
• Retirement planning advice
• Lump sum and regular investment savings
• Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS)
• Qualifying Non UK Pension Schemes (QNUPS)
• International protection arrangements

Qualifications/Accreditations

• Kingston University – Business & Finance
• Kingston University – Business Administration
• Pensions Management Institute – Retirement Provision Certificate
• Chartered Insurance Institute – Certificate in Financial Planning
• Chartered Insurance Institute – Diploma in Financial Planning

Testimonials

‘I am financially stable but was getting poor returns on my savings. I wanted to look at potential improvements to this. I also wanted to assess the current state of my pensions and make any changes necessary. I had already consolidated several smaller pensions beforehand. Andrew recommended moving to a new supplier for pensions, investments and savings. He highlighted some advantageous options including ways to claim back tax overpaid on pension contributions.’ – Surrey, UK-based client.

‘I had a 2 pensions in a UK based private pension scheme and I required that the money in these 2 pensions was easily accessible from by home based in Spain. I also moved the money into a more lucrative investment fund. Andrew assessed my requirement at the current time in my life and advised me on the best way to do the above.’ Spain-based client.

‘Because I am an expat living in Spain, I considered it important to have a financial advisor for advice on the best investment for my pension pot. Andrew did a thorough review of my circumstances and financial needs. Based on the information provided he proposed an income drawdown scheme that had the advantage of withdrawal payments in euros, thereby eliminating the need to use currency brokers for transferring sterling to euros.’ – Spain-based client.

‘I inherited some money and didn’t know where to invest it. Andrew explained how investments worked and talked me through my risk profile until we found something that I was comfortable with. He has also made me think long term and making sure how we invest now is helping me work towards my long term financial goals. Despite the events of 2020, I have seen some positive outcomes’ Manchester UK-based client.

‘The world of asset management was unchartered territory for me and Andrew took the time to navigate me through these waters with his knowledge and warm enthusiasm. I’ve no doubt he will give others the confidence to make wise choices for their finances.’ – Netherlands-based client.

‘A friend of mine told me to contact Blacktower in order to change my DB and DC plan to a SIPP (since there is no possibility to transfer my UK pension plans to Spain). And this is how I ended up meeting Andrew. Andrew has been (and is) a very valuable person for me since he has helped me A LOT when transferring DB and DC plan to a SIPP, and especially in the last two months when he has helped me change the SIPP as I was kicked out from the previous SIPP. He has been extremely diligent, always keeping me in the loop in how things were evolving and always with a positive and very polite behaviour. One of the things I really appreciate is that the financial adviser is easily reachable and that he/she answers emails quickly and provides solutions and they make it happen. Andrew has done all of them.’ Spain-based client.

‘I was recently divorced and felt that I needed some financial advice, specifically on my pension as the situation at the time was quite complex. Andrew is clearly very knowledgeable in this area and importantly explained the more complex issues surrounding the management of my pension concisely and continues to do so, so I feel I have a good understanding of how it works. He takes concerns on board and finds solutions while also being very pro-active. Together with his colleague, Andrew has proposed an even better solution for my pension which was quite a challenge given the complexities involved.’ – Berkshire UK-based client.

‘Significant issues with my previous ‘financial adviser’ – which caused a significant amount of stress and inconvenience – led me to search for a more reliable and trustworthy FCA-accredited international financial adviser. Andrew took the time to get to know me – both as a person, and in terms of properly understanding my financial situation and short, medium and long-term financial planning requirements. He then prepared a comprehensive and detailed, but low-jargon report on what changes were being recommended setting out clearly the advantages and any risk factors involved, which provided a clear pathway in terms of next steps to follow. So far, the outcomes have been positive though clearly given I am approximately 20 years or so away from my expected planned retirement period commencing (in all probability), the eventual retirement income scenario won’t become clearer until much nearer this time frame has been reached. Some of the broader success factors will clearly be dependent on the performance of the global financial markets; however, the transformation steps which Andrew Hains has helped me implement in recent years mean I have much greater level of confidence/reassurance that my financial planning has been put firmly on the right footing to best ensure positive returns over the long-term.’ – UK-based client.