Our Contract With You – Why It’s No Ordinary Contract

If you’re a client of Metis Ireland, you’ll be well aware of how seriously we take our commitment to great service. And if you’ve ever visited our office, you may have seen this pledge displayed loud and proud on our wall. It’s what we call ‘our contract with you’.

Yes, we know the word ‘contract’ doesn’t generally inspire enthusiasm. Usually drawn up by solicitors who use fifty words where five would do, it seems they’re designed to be confusing… and, let’s face it, unreadable. Perhaps that’s why small print is so small!

Well, we’ve gone out of our way to make ours different. We want you to read it and understand EVERY word.

We believe that a contract doesn’t have to be full of legalese, clauses and footnotes. It can and should be a simple, straight-up statement of the things we promise to do if we work together. So we’ve distilled our contract with you into just 10 points. Here’s what they are and why they’re there.

1. We’ll always act with integrity and in your best interests.

It may sound like a given, but it’s important to say it. We’re here to help you reach the goals you’ve set for yourself and we’ll do it the right way. You’ll always know what’s happening with your money, why we’re doing what we’re doing and how it fits in with the outcome of giving you the life and legacy you really want.

2. We’ll provide honest, experienced financial planning for you and your family.

The most important part of working with a financial planner is finding the right fit. It’s a long-term relationship, so it needs to be based on trust, experience and the certainty that you can work well together. If the fit isn’t quite right, we’ll be honest about it, but if it’s a match, we’ll be by your side for as long as you need us.

3. Meeting your long-term lifestyle and financial goals is always our priority.

Planning your future means your long-term future. We’re not interested in get-rich-quick schemes or trying to ‘time the markets’. We’ll regularly check in to make sure your plan is still right for you, but we’ll always stay focused on the long-term outcome, because the only benchmark that really matters is the lifestyle you want to achieve.

4. We’ll create a financial plan that will determine which financial products you need. The financial plan always comes first.

Your financial plan – your Metis LifePlan – is unique to you. There are no off-the-shelf solutions here. Your plan is the bespoke result of all the time we’ve spent getting to know each other, working out what the future should look like and planning how we’ll get you there.

5. Metis Ireland will provide you with great clarity in respect of your finances.

What we do isn’t wizardry, so there’s no need for smoke and mirrors. What we do is exercise the real skills and knowledge we’ve earned over many years of helping clients like you to achieve the life they want. We’ll always be open and you’ll always have absolute clarity on what’s happening with your money.

6. We’ll tell you the truth about your money. This may sometimes mean delivering unpleasant truths, as we believe comforting lies are pointless.

We’ll celebrate your successes with you, but we’ll also tell you when things could be better. We’ll even tell you when you’re wrong. Helping you to achieve your goals is a privilege, but it’s a responsibility too. It’s our responsibility to never shy away from difficult conversations – it’s your responsibility to pick a planner who’ll tell you the truth.

7. We have a tried and tested guiding principle: ‘stick with the plan’. We cannot predict the future – the truth is, no-one can.

There are those who believe they can predict the markets, see what’s going to happen and stay one step ahead. It may be true for a short time, but it’s essentially down to luck. In the long term, the only practice that pays off is to plan properly, stay fixed on the outcome and stick with the plan. We’re not interested in reading tea leaves, we’re interested in getting you where you want to be.

8. We believe your investment and pension portfolio should be cost-efficient, tax-efficient and diversified.

Your portfolio should be diversified across different types of investments, sectors and geography – the textbooks will tell you that’s the way to guard against risk. But there are many types of risk, some more obvious than others. To really get the most from your money your plan needs to take account of costs and tax, both of which can eat into the real value of your money.

9. We believe in evidence-based investing which is based on academic research and evidence over a long period of time.

In any other field of expertise, consulting the evidence would seem to be a given, but when it comes to investment it’s not always the case. It’s a pursuit that lends itself to emotional, knee-jerk reactions, chasing the ‘next big thing’ or panicking about negative headlines. Still, amid the noise, the evidence shows us that the one path that really works is to be sure about your plan, keep costs low through passive investment and then keep at it – it’s a marathon, not musical chairs.

10. Our team will be highly qualified, energetic and client focused at all times.

At Metis Ireland, we hire seasoned professionals, people who bring talent, expertise and experience to the table. But just as we focus on ‘fit’ when we work with clients, we look for the right fit as we build our team. Our values – the values that make up this contract – are the most important part of the work we do, so we look for people who genuinely share them.

The people you work with now, and far into the future, will be professionals who put client and outcome above everything else. Our goal is to see you reach yours, to keep you on track, to keep you focused when it’s difficult and to share the good news with you. Ultimately, we’re here to help you stick with the plan.