Responsible Business

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Responsible Business1

Intro to Responsible Business

Governance

clients

Gemma Wren

Responsible Investing

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Team

community

Environment

Impact Report

5 key areas
Governance
Clients
Team
Community
Environment

Responsible business is not just a veneer

We've been talking about building a sustainable business for a long time. We don't mean one that plants trees, although looking after our environment is important to us too. We mean a business that is still here in another 30 years because we consider the needs of all our stakeholders.

We have built a strong foundation for the future providing excellent client value, developing a superbly skilled and happy team and making community relationships. That way we can continue to serve our customers for many years to come. FMB became a certified B Corp in 2024, you can read about it here.

35 years of doing the right thing

FMB was originally family-owned and still has a connection with the founder Les Beavis through his daughters Liz and Ruth who are directors and shareholders of the firm alongside Roger Jackson.

FMB has always been rooted in the local community, with a focus on client care, staff development and charitable giving. First and foremost, we are here to deliver value and a great service for our clients, but we also want to create good local jobs, support local businesses, be a supportive partner in our community and tread lightly on the planet.

Good Governance

Good governance ensures fair business practices and compliance with any laws and rules. What difference does this make? It ensures consumers have protection under the law and redress if anything should go wrong.

However, complying with UK law and the Financial Conduct Authority rules is the bare minimum you should expect from a financial services firm.

FMB looks for other benchmarks of excellence we can measure ourselves against. This includes following guidance from the Personal Finance Society Vulnerability Task Force and The Consumer Duty Alliance. We seek guidance from external experts to measure our performance and look for areas of improvement to ensure we always keep up to date with changes and implement best practice.

Clients, the most important people in our business

Responsible business means doing the best job we can for our clients and ensuring value for money and absolute satisfaction.

Our greatest source of new clients are our existing families and the professionals we work with to support them. We've been in business for a long time and built up a trusted reputation which is crucial in a community like Cumbria.

Our thorough financial planning approach means we can be sure we have covered every angle. We create a road map of how to achieve financial objectives, pointing out any potential pitfalls and exploring every opportunity for our clients

Knowing the money in my pension is invested in companies that are minimising their detrimental impact on the planet and actively working towards a greener future is really important to me.

Gemma Wren of Natures Gem Tours

Gemma's eco-tourism business uses her many years experience in conservation to educate visitors to Morecambe Bay

Responsible Investing

When we are getting to know you, we will have a conversation about what is important to you as an investor. An increasing number of our clients are thinking about how they can use their portfolio to be part of the solution to the world's problems.

It's no surprise that clients who choose FMB because they like our values, want to find investment solutions that match those values too. So if you are interested in switching your investments to a responsible approach, give us a call.

Find out more

The quality of our service depends on the quality of our people

It takes a lot of work and planning to make sure we always have the right people in the right roles, with the necessary skills and knowledge.

There are many factors to take into account; recruitment and sucession planning, training and development, health and wellbing and communication and team building. Not to mention just making sure coming to work is enjoyable and rewarding for every single member of our organisation.

FMB have been winners of the Professional Adviser "Best Advisers To Work For" award for 6 years in a row!

Being active in our community

Our charity committee chooses a local charity each year to focus on. In addition to fundraising, we look for other ways to help. We have done pro bono work for charity clients, workshops for 3rd sector staff members and used our office to host meetings.

We have a strong educational focus, delivering money skills workshops to young people as well as careers advice. We also work with universities on projects and research.

We also have a responsibilty in the financial services community in order to share best practice and set a great example. We are active members of our local professional organisation the Chartered Institute of Insurers and the Personal Finance Society.

Treading lightly on the planet

Although we are a service business with a light carbon footprint, there are several areas on which we can improve.

We are focusing on key areas such as paper reduction, waste reduction, recycling and reducing mileage.

None of these are easy, and it's always a balance when we aspire to a highly personalised client service where many people enjoy a face-to-face meeting. However, you will see more use of our online portal to transfer documents and where appropriate online meetings are a great way to save time and reduce our carbon footprint.

As well as the big things, small things make a difference too. We have wild areas in our garden and our own composter. We are home to stoats, gold crests and occasionally deer!

You can read our impact report to find our more

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FMB Impact Report December 2023

Give us a call

Kendal: 01539 725855 Cockermouth: 01900 510179

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Get in Touch

Kendal Shenstone House, Helsington, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 8AA. Telephone: 01539 725855 Email: info@finman.co.uk

Get in Touch

Cockermouth 5 Old Kings Arms Lane, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 9LS. Telephone: 01900 510179 Email: info@finman.co.uk

Financial Management Bureau Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Financial Management Bureau Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Shenstone House, Helsington, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 8AA. Registered number: 02089786
The Financial Ombudsman Service is available to sort out individual complaints that clients and financial services businesses aren't able to resolve themselves. To contact the Financial Ombudsman Service please visit www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

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Certified B Corporation

Best Financial Advisers To Work For 2024

Vulnerable Customer Awards Company of the Year

Consumer Duty Alliance Member

Financial Vulnerability Taskforce

Personal Finance Society – Associate Firm