Navigator Financial Planning

Given that you are reading our website, the chances are that you have suffered a traumatic personal injury or illness, or you know someone who has. The good news is that you are in the right place. We are specialists in financial planning in connection with Personal Injury awards.

We help people throughout the UK and Ireland manage their awards prudently and productively. We also work with personal injury lawyers, solicitors and disability charities, protecting and managing millions of pounds of client damages. Many of these solicitors and barristers regard us as their ‘preferred experts’ in this specialist field. They know we have the skills and knowledge to give the right advice to their clients and trust us to deliver it.

What do we do
Personal Injury Trust Process
How we get paid
Client Stories

We work closely with your solicitor to protect your award and ring-fence it against potential threats, especially in relation to retaining your state benefits. We apply our detailed knowledge of Personal Injury trusts and investments to create a Trust Plan specifically for you – one that will meet your financial needs, now and in the future. And we manage your investments to make sure you get the maximum return from them, with regular performance reviews with you and your trustees.

Discussion
Discovery
Understanding Risk
Award Protection

The first step is to have an initial meeting with you, at which we assess your personal injury claim and give you an estimate of the financial and other benefits of setting up a personal injury trust. We’ll also let you know the likely costs involved. Armed with this information, you will be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to proceed.

The next step is to uncover and discover more about the financial resources at your disposal, as well as your needs and hopes for the future. This requires a team effort, so we work with you, your family and your legal team, as well as the courts, charities and trustees, if necessary. Having gathered together all the information we have in relation to your needs, hopes and cares, we will then put together the right financial action plan for you. We then review it in detail with you every year, to show how you are on track to meeting your needs.

This means you can make informed decisions based on realistic expectations. You can read more about investment risk and how it might affect you in the Navigator Guide to Investment Risk.

Your Personal Injury award is key to protecting your wealth, so the legal trust that is set up for you will be tailor-made to your circumstances. This can be used by your own solicitor or by one of our specialist legal partner firms. Having the right Personal Injury trust in place means you can be confident that your claim funds will be properly protected.

A Trust is a legal arrangement that lets someone transfer their assets (the trust fund) to another person, or persons (trustees). The trustees manage the trust fund for the benefit of that person. In other words, a Trust is a way of making sure that your money is held and managed by people who have your interests at heart.

INITIALLY

There is a one-off fee for the construction of the Personal Injury Trust, and if you decide you want to work with us on an ongoing basis, we will be paid an annual retainer.

ON AN ONGOING BASIS

The annual management and review fees cover all of the services listed below. This may be a % funds under management or an agreed ongoing fee. With these services, we’re largely being paid for:

Access and coaching – making ourselves available to you for support, acting as a professional sounding board when you need us.
Reducing the hassle – the time and worry you save from us getting things done for you.
Investment management – the research, analysis, technology and time needed to rebalance your investments correctly.
Regular progress meetings – the time and expertise to ensure you’re progressing towards your goals, and explore where changing circumstances or objectives require tweaking of your plan.

Joanne

Joanne from Newry in County Down, was a passenger in a vehicle which became involved in a road traffic accident. She sustained major head injuries, as a result of which she was unable to work. She was then awarded a substantial settlement.

Her father, Phillip, takes up the story:

“When Joanne received her award, we were concerned that it might compromise her state benefits. These were crucial to her, as the accident had left her unable to work. Our solicitor advised us that we should seek immediate investment advice from Navigator Financial Planning, which fortunately, we did. A meeting was arranged with the team at Navigator, at which they explained in a very professional and straightforward manner how they could help us, the level of ongoing support they would provide and the costs involved.”

“We instructed the Navigator team to proceed and after that, everything went ahead in a very smooth manner. They liaised closely with our solicitor when the trust fund was being set up, and, as Joanne now lives in England and attends a college there, they even helped us to find the most appropriate bank account for accessing the fund from Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.”

“In all our dealings with them, we have found the Navigator team to be thoroughly professional and ethical, with a compassionate, human side as well. They took the worry out of the entire process, they gave us sound advice and continue to be on hand when we need assistance.”

“Would I recommend them to others in our situation? Without a moment’s hesitation!”

Robert

Robert suffered severe spinal cord injuries as a result of a fall from a roof while at work. Three years later he received a substantial settlement. Robert’s solicitor recommended that he immediately contact Navigator Financial Planning in order to get advice on how best to protect his award, and invest it in such a way as to ensure long-term income from it.

Robert picks up the story:

“The injuries I received as a result of my accident caused very substantial changes to both my mobility and my employability. This meant that my wife and I were extremely concerned about our future financial security. Although my award removed some immediate financial problems, we both knew that without careful management, it might soon be gone. Neither of us is a financial wizard, so when our solicitor mentioned Navigator’s services, we thought we might as well try them. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made.”

“The team’s calm, collected manner put us at ease straight away. They explained everything clearly and concisely and we knew from the outset that we were in the hands of people who care. To be honest, that has been the pattern ever since. Someone from Navigator calls in person to our home twice a year and goes through our investment portfolio in a reassuring level of detail. The good news is that despite recent volatility in the markets, our money continues to perform well, providing us with not only a stable income, but complete peace of mind.”

Gary

At the young age of 21 years, Gary was involved in a car accident which left him with such serious injuries that he was told he would never work again. To add to the trauma inflicted by the accident, there then followed a five-year wait while the legal process slowly ground its way through the courts.

Finally, Gary received his award. Fortunately his solicitor offered him the sound advice that he and his wife Marian should speak to the team at Navigator Financial Planning.

Marian picks up the story:

“In retrospect, it was a blessing we took heed of what our solicitor had said and called Navigator. I really don’t think we could have successfully managed all that money on our own, because it will have to last us for many years.”

“Right from the outset, The Navigator team was calm, reassuring and very meticulous about everything. And that’s how things have continued. We’ve had a very positive experience with them. A representative meets us each year to let us know how our investments are performing and when we need money, it’s released quickly and easily. It’s an enormous load off our minds to know that we are in such good hands and that our financial situation is secure.”

Personal Injury