A St Albans-based IFA is giving up one day a month to go into Citizens Advice, Luton, to provide pro bono generic financial advice to clients referred by the bureau.
Simon Armstrong, IFA for Lonsdale Services, said: “The PFS, of which I am a member, was looking for financial advisers to volunteer for the MoneyPlan project, so I put my name forward.
“The project interested me as it provides access to specialised generic financial advice to those who otherwise would not be able to afford it.’
The Luton CAB office was opened in February by Princess Anne.
The MoneyPlan project was started in 2005, and by 2013 it was rolled out nationally, so now more than 35 Citizen Advice Bureaux are involved.
The project means financial advisers can work with CAB staff to offer clients the advantage of combining the CAB workers’ knowledge of state benefits, death and tax credits with their own specific skills and knowledge.
Mr Armstrong added: “I have found the work interesting and I am now more knowledgeable about the benefits system and how it works. Many people I see have very general enquiries about their pensions, and it is satisfying to be able to explain the different options are available to them.
“In response to feedback from our own clients, Lonsdale Services is organising free pension seminars – ‘Making sense of your pension options’ – for anyone over 50 or approaching retirement, which will be held in St Albans on 10 March and 13 May.”
