About
Who we are, how we are paid, and why that second part matters more than the first.
- In practice
- 22 yrs
- Advisers
- 6
- Households
- 600+
- Commissions taken
- None
Our mission
Slate was started in 2003 by two advisers who had spent a decade inside large institutions and wanted to give advice without a product list sitting behind it. We have stayed independently owned ever since, and small enough that you deal with the person who wrote your plan.
How we are paid is the whole of it. A flat annual fee, agreed in writing before any work begins, unchanged by which investments you hold or how much you hold. We accept no commissions, no platform rebates and no referral fees, so there is no version of this where a recommendation quietly pays us more than the alternative.
The advice itself is unglamorous on purpose: spend less than you earn, hold a diversified portfolio at low cost, insure what would be ruinous, and do not rearrange it every time the news is loud. Most of our value shows up in the years we talk people out of things.
How an engagement works
Four steps, and you can stop after the first one owing us nothing.
- 01
Introduction
An hour, in person or by video, at no cost. We find out what you are trying to do and you find out whether you want to work with us.
- 02
Plan
We model where you are heading and write it down in plain language, with the assumptions listed so you can argue with them.
- 03
Implement
We open what needs opening, consolidate what should be consolidated, and put the portfolio in place. Everything is held in your own name.
- 04
Review
Twice a year from then on, plus whenever something changes at your end. Plenty of reviews end with no action at all.
Our Values
01
Independence
No owner, no product list, no commissions. If a recommendation is right, it is right whether or not anyone pays us for it.
02
Plain language
Your plan is written to be read by you, not by another adviser. If a sentence needs a glossary, it gets rewritten.
03
Patience
Most good financial decisions are boring and most bad ones are urgent. We are slow on purpose, and we will say so.
04
Straight answers
Including the unwelcome ones — that you cannot retire yet, or that you do not need us. Both happen every year.
Meet our team
John Smith
Principal Adviser
Jane Doe
Senior Adviser
Sam Brown
Client Services Manager