Who do you believe?

The phrase 'rollercoaster' is often over-used - but can you really think of a better one right now? From 'Black August' to 'market freefall' to 'potential global depression' and 'don't catch a falling knife' on the one hand to 'it's a great time to invest', 'it's a great time to look at buying property if you have cash' and 'p/e ratios are undervalued' on the other.
What does a person do? Especially one who has a moderate level of savings, a less than certain pension pot, a house whose value is increasingly difficult to pinpoint and some decisions to make about where and how to save and what to plan for the future?
What makes things even more unusual at present is the global social unrest; whether it's fighting for freedom and democracy in the Middle East or seemingly fighting for trainers and TVs in UK city centres, everyone pretty much agrees that there are a lot of problems that need sorting. It can feel pretty overwhelming.
Whilst none of us wants to abdicate social responsbility and certainly not, at the VERY least, social awareness, there does come a point at which you can't stress yourself to death worrying about what you can't change. But you can take repsonsibility for your own part of the world and try to get a grip of that.

Increasing numbers of people are concerned and anxious about money in 2011; we still (rightly, I would argue) haven't built back up our trust with Banks after so many  let us down so badly in 2008/9 and generally the Banks used to be the first financial port of call, especially if you were fairly risk averse. Increasingly, banks have revealed themselves not to be the optimum choice for many people - they have been too large, too unfocused on individual customers (unless they have huge amounts of cash - the charrmingly monikered 'High Net Worth Individuals') and too generalist.
Independent financial advice is, more and more, proving its mettle; your adviser works for you, the client. You pay for what you get, what you see and what you like. You choose what you pay and you agree it up front. You stop things and change them if you don't like them.
Your adviser MUST be independent - not tied to specific providers, in order that you get a choice of the whole market to match your needs.
You build up a relationship of trust rather than have to ring a call centre or know that you are one of millions.
You can talk to your adviser openly about changes that have happened in your life - because we genuinely want and need to know about them, if we are to offer the best advice. Our 'Six Stage of Women' is testament to that - it's crucial http://bit.ly/qspLfT
No one has a crystal ball - but finding someone who cares about you and your needs and who creates a tailored and flexible plan for you has to up the odds for feeling more in control of your finances. Expert advice and analysis can help you navigate through the coming months and years and really make the most of what you have and what you want.
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