When markets go sour, as they have done this year, the real value of the financial planner comes to the fore. This is something Darren Lloyd Thomas, managing director of Thomas and Thomas, takes very seriously. Thomas and his team create personal videos to reassure clients during times of tough returns to give them peace of mind and keep them on track with their financial plans.

But communication with clients is a two-way street. The firm runs two anonymous client surveys every year to determine what clients want from their financial planning experience.

Thomas and Thomas stands out from other advice firms with its ethical approach to advice and its business. It runs its own ethical investment portfolios, with the help of research from Worthstone and Fund EcoMarket. It continues to give back to the community, with its annual beach clean and, this year, a donation of £3,500 to the British Red Cross Ukraine Appeal from a mountain marathon.

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