Thinking About Becoming a Symponia Member?
Symponia currently has 62 members nationwide; we are a fresh organisation set up to help specialist financial advisers with opportunities to develop their care fees planning businesses. We are bringing together the top and aspiring advisers in this field to set the standard in care fees planning in the UK.
Symponia is the Greek word for compassion and we feel very strongly that the best advisers in this field have to demonstrate very high levels of empathy and compassion when dealing with individuals and families, at what is a very emotive and stressful time.
Symponia and the Care Sector
Symponia has, and will continue to, develop relationships with the major care home groups, the concept, from their perspective, of their residents having access to the very best care fees planning advice from the whole financial services market (as opposed to the IFAs from just one company) is proving to be a compelling rationale for working with Symponia.
By working with Symponia Members, care homes free themselves from the lottery of working with just one "large company". Suddenly instead of being unsure about the levels of competency and attitude of the advisers approaching them, they can be sure that the Symponia member working with their residents is of the highest calibre.
We are especially proud to have achieved special relationships with several care home groups including Hallmark Healthcare, who have nominated us as their "preferred partner".
How do we ensure our standards?
First of all every Symponia member must be independent and authorised & regulated by the Financial Services Authority, and new members must have already achieved CF8 and all members must sit and pass our own Assessment Examination, as well as committing to following our Code of Practice & Conduct and Customer Charters.
Symponia is fast becoming the recognised name for advisers who genuinely want to work with the care fees planning sector.
How does it operate?
Symponia has a simple objective, to become a recognised standard - a kite-mark - in care fees planning. We exist to promote quality advice to the elderly and their families at a time when people are facing confusing and bewildering changes.
The majority of our members don’t work exclusively within the long term care/ care fees planning area, but the ability to provide a more rounded and holistic service to their clients is of great appeal.
We are sincerely committed to producing exemplary practice and providing families with the best possible advice, and as such we have recently introduced an additional level of membership, that of an "associate member", this amended status recognises that that not all advisers will want help with their business growth, some will just want to belong to a synergistic and like-minded team, with the opportunity to receive first class training and ongoing education.
If you choose to become a "full member" Symponia will provide you with introductions from various sources including care homes and the media.
Full members are assigned a postcode area and leads and/or introductions obtained by Symponia are allocated according to that postcode.
Associate members will not be allocated an individual territory or be provided with family introductions, but they will still be entitled to a comprehensive range of benefits, which includes our unique and comprehensive "toolkit", comprising ideas for fact finds, pre-sale reports, post transaction suitability letters, seminar ideas, posters, and brochures.
Membership Benefits
Full or Associate Membership includes the following benefits:
- The ability to purchase a personalised Symponia Brochure to be used to introduce you & Symponia to new clients and professional accounts (such as solicitors).
- Marketing ideas and initiatives.
- Assistance with seminars.
- Representation at specific industry conferences.
- Dedicated training/development meetings held twice each year, with an education/legal presentation from a leading solicitor.
- The opportunity to attend our smaller business enhancing workshops.
- Regular legislation updates.
- A comprehensive & specially designed care fees planning Toolkit.
- The ability to stand by and work to published Customer Charters.
- The opportunity to enhance your professionalism and stand ahead of colleagues with the Symponia dedicated Code of Practice & Conduct.
- A dedicated coaching and mentoring programme exclusive to members.
- Enhanced procurement fees.
- The Symponia Web Site features a "find your member" section, enabling all visitors to contact members direct.
- Access to a dedicated "members only" web site, giving members their own in-house community, featuring technical, legal and social forums and message boards.
Full Members will also be eligible for the following:
- Introductions to the larger corporate care home groups, sometimes on a "preferred" basis, have a look at www.hallmarkhealthcare.co.uk.
- Media coverage with the objective of assisting more client families at this difficult time; working with our PR consultancy we have already featured numerous national and regional publications.
We all believe that joining Symponia will add great value to you; your practice and your existing work within care fees planning.
Should you want to discuss the possibility of joining us in more detail please contact Jeremy on his direct number 01789 773531, his mobile 07785 757895 or email him on Jeremy@symponia.co.uk.