What is a Financial Planner?


A financial planner can help you navigate complex financial decisions, minimize your tax burden, and ensure that your investments are aligned with your long-term objectives. Take charge of your finances and start planning for the future with the help of your trusted financial planner.

What is the difference between an Investment Adviser and a Financial Planner such as you find at Fairfield Wealth?


Both are regulated finance professionals that you find locally who offer financial advice, however, there are some subtle and very key differences in their roles and responsibilities.


An investment adviser is a finance professional who helps clients with their investment decisions. To operate in Guernsey they are required to be regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC) and are required to act in their clients' best interests. Investment advisers may provide advice on individual securities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), or other types of investments. They may also manage their clients' investment portfolios and more often than not only provide advice on their firms' own offerings. 


A financial planner is also a professional who provides comprehensive financial advice to clients, though are more holistic in their nature. Financial planners may help clients with a range of financial goals, including retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, insurance planning, and investment planning, not just choosing the right portfolio. They may also provide advice on budgeting, debt management, and other financial issues. Financial planners may hold various certifications, such as the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) or Chartered Financial Planner (APFS), and may work for financial planning firms, such as Fairfield, banks, or other financial institutions.


While investment advisers and financial planners may have some overlapping areas of expertise and often their titles are used interchangeably, their main focus and responsibilities are different. Investment advisers typically specialise in investment management and helping clients make investment decisions, while financial planners take a more holistic approach to their clients' financial well-being and more often than not provide advice on the whole market and over a wider range of financial matters.

Financial Planner

Whole of market advice

May collaborate with other professionals, such as tax advisors, advocates and even investment advisers.

Offers advice on a wide range of financial issues

Engages in comprehensive fact-finding to understand clients' financial situations, goals, and objectives.

Primary Focus on overall financial well-being

Provides guidance across multiple disciplines to improve overall financial well-being.

Investment Adviser

Usually tied to a particular investment manager

Focuses primarily on investment-related discussions and portfolio management.

Offers only advice on investment decisions 

Specializes in investment analysis, portfolio construction, and asset management.

Primary focus on investment return

Aims to optimise investment performance within clients' risk tolerance and investment objectives.