AfFord Financial Advisory is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Every authorised firm in the United Kingdom must appear on the public FCA Register, and we encourage every prospective client to verify our entry there before engaging us. This page summarises our regulatory status and links directly to the official record.
Our entry on the FCA Register
Why the FCA Register matters
The Financial Conduct Authority maintains a public register of every firm and individual it regulates in the United Kingdom. It is the single source of truth for whether a firm is genuinely authorised to provide financial advice, what permissions it holds, and whether any regulatory action has been taken against it.
Before working with any financial adviser in the UK, you should always:
- Search the FCA Register at register.fca.org.uk
- Confirm the firm's name, address, and Firm Reference Number match what they have given you
- Check that they are authorised to perform the activities they are offering
- Look for any warnings flagged on the register
Dealing with an unauthorised firm means you lose the protections of the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme — so this five-minute check is one of the most important you can do.
Our regulatory permissions
Our FCA permissions cover the regulated activities required to provide independent, whole-of-market financial advice to retail clients. These include:
The full and current list of our permissions, along with any client-money or restriction conditions, is always shown on the FCA Register entry. If there is ever a difference between what is shown here and what is on the FCA Register, the Register takes precedence.
What "independent" means
Under FCA rules, a firm may only describe itself as "independent" if it provides advice based on a comprehensive and fair analysis of the relevant market and is not restricted in any way that could bias its advice. We meet this definition: we have no commercial ties to any product provider, take no commission, and recommend solutions based solely on suitability for each client.
Independent advice means our recommendations are not influenced by anyone but you. The fees we earn come only from our clients — never from the products we recommend.
Client protections
Working with an FCA-authorised firm gives you access to two key statutory protections:
Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
If you have a dispute with us that we cannot resolve, eligible clients can refer the complaint — free of charge — to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The FOS is independent and its decisions are binding on the firm if accepted by the complainant. Visit financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
Eligible clients may be entitled to compensation from the FSCS in the unlikely event we are unable to meet our obligations. Investment claims are currently covered up to £85,000 per person per firm. Visit fscs.org.uk.
Professional indemnity insurance
We hold professional indemnity insurance at levels required by FCA rules, providing further protection in the rare event of a successful claim against the firm.
Warnings & cloned firms
The FCA periodically publishes warnings about unauthorised firms or about authorised firms whose name or details are being misused by scammers ("cloned firms"). Always cross-check our contact details with the FCA Register before transferring funds or sharing sensitive information.
We will never:
- Cold-call you offering investment opportunities
- Ask you to transfer pension funds urgently
- Pressure you to make immediate decisions
- Promise guaranteed returns
- Use payment details that don't match the contact details on the FCA Register
If anything feels wrong, stop and contact us using the details verified on the FCA Register before going further.
Contact & verification
AfFord Financial Advisory
London, UK
Email: [email protected]
FCA Register: register.fca.org.uk
FCA Consumer Helpline: 0800 111 6768