Important Information
Nature of our Private Client services
Our specialism is providing investment advice and management to private individuals, family groups, Trustees and Charities.
With our own long-established investment management function, operating both discretionary portfolios and investment funds, the advice we provide is on the suitability of these solutions to our clients' needs and preferences.
We operate three portfolio services:
Managed Portfolios - for those with more straightforward needs and built exclusively using our collective investment funds.
Tailored Portfolios - where a majority holding in our funds will be combined with other appropriate securities, typically investment trusts.
Bespoke Portfolios - for experienced investors whose preference is for a higher level of direct investment in equities and other assets.
The central tenet of our approach for the Managed and Tailored services is the use of our own range of in-house investment funds as the core portfolio ‘building blocks’. Each fund fulfils a specific role within a portfolio. Deploying our own funds enables us to better control investment risk and provide the investor with complete transparency as to the underlying holdings.
The impact of tax on future investment returns forms an important consideration in our recommendation, and we can implement tax-efficient accounts such as Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) and Offshore Bonds. Furthermore, we regularly work with specialist tax and legal advisers to collaborate on more holistic wealth management strategies.
We limit our advice to investing so we can focus on what we do best, and with recommendations made only from our range of solutions, ours is not an independent advice service. You can view a profile of our firm, including permitted activities, on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) register.
Best Execution
Church House is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to conduct investment business, including the ability to deal in investments on behalf of clients.
We have a duty under the FCA Conduct of Business rules to take all sufficient steps to obtain the best possible results for clients when executing orders. Please refer to our Order Execution Policy, which outlines our methodology for achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients when executing trades on their behalf.
Please refer to our Order Execution Policy for supporting information.
Conflicts of Interest
We take all reasonable steps to ensure that there are no conflicts between the interests of one client and another or between one or more clients and any other party with which or through whom we conduct business. This means that we ensure that no one client or Church House benefits financially or otherwise at expense of another client when we undertake our investment management services. Where any conflicts potentially arise that we are unable to manage or avoid, these will be disclosed prior to any business being conducted.
Please refer to our Conflicts of Interest Policy for more information.
Modern Slavery Policy
Modern slavery is a serious and often hidden crime. It can include slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking. The common factors are that a victim is, or is intended to be, used or exploited for someone else’s gain (usually financial), without respect for their human rights. Church House prohibits the use of modern slavery and human trafficking in its operations and supply chain. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all of our investment and business relationships. We have established systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere within our organisation.
We are committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own business and in our approach to tackling modern slavery throughout our business relationships, consistent with our disclosure obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We expect the same high standards from all of our business counterparts and suppliers.
This policy applies to all persons working for Church House or on behalf of us in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, agents, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives and business partners.
This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment and we may amend it at any time.
UK Stewardship Code
Church House has developed a stewardship policy in accordance with the UK Stewardship Code on how it integrates shareholder engagement in our investment strategy.
Our policy outlines the principles upon which Church House engages with shareholders in its investment strategy, monitors the companies with which it has invested, how it conducts dialogue with them, its policy for exercising voting rights and how it communicates with relevant stakeholders and other shareholders.
Engagement Policy
Obligations relating to shareholder engagement and transparency under the EU Shareholder Rights Directive II was implemented in the UK from 10 June 2019 and specific rules relating to UK asset management firms are included in the Financial Conduct Authority's Conduct of Business Rules. Our Engagement Policy also includes details of our voting activity, together with explanations of our most significant votes.
Environmental, Social & Governance Policy
In addition to complying with the Stewardship Code, and in support of our investment activity in both the CH funds and our clients' discretionary portfolios, we have an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy. This helps to identify our approach to investment activity in the companies we select to meet the associated investment mandates. This policy supports our overall approach to investment in companies with sustainable business practices and operating models, run by people with integrity, using sound governance structures.