Skybound Wealth is consistently ranked among the best financial advisors globally.
Following on from last year’s success, we are proud to receive recognition across three territories for Digital Innovation, Professional Development and Advisor Support, all of which are areas close to the heart of Skybound Wealth’s mission to become the Advisor of choice in the world of global financial planning.
While the COVID-19 pandemic forced many of our competitors to ‘go online’, at Skybound Wealth we had been investing in digital technology for some time and exploring how we could utilise it to enhance our advice process. And so, we are delighted to scoop the Excellence in Digital Innovation award across three jurisdictions at this year’s International Adviser Best Practice awards.
In an industry where the battlelines have been drawn between Robo and Traditional advice, as a business we realised some time ago that modern technology, if harnessed correctly, presents an opportunity to deliver interactive and functional lifestyle financial planning to people around the world. And rather than a us vs them scenario, it can enable us to provide an enhanced humanistic and personal service to our clients.
The digital era puts a seemingly infinite resource of recommendations, reviews and opinions into the hands of any individual with access to the internet. Our aim is to utilise this and empower clients with this knowledge and help guide them to make the right choices for their unique circumstances.
“The best part of the entry was highlighting how tech can be a great part of education and how it can build knowledge. Technology is running through the core of the company.”
Middle East judging panel.
Connecting the dots between fact finds, risk sentiment, objectives, research and planning, allowed us to create tools that not only brings to life a clients financial plan, but also cuts down on unnecessary time previously spent manually sourcing products and writing reports enhancing the back office function. This in turn makes the whole process more efficient meaning advisors have more time to advise, as recognised by comments from the UK, IA judges who said:
“Its offering to clients and its back-office systems are some of the main reasons for its huge growth. It makes the company more streamlined and offers clients great service.”
“A great example of how a firm has detailed a client’s journey and how each department can support that client.“
Middle East judging panel.
For us, digital innovation means more than meeting clients on Teams or Zoom. It’s about providing the tools which enable us to make the best decisions. But most of all, it’s about using tech to allow us to be more human and provide industry leading support functions to our clients and advisors. This integrated approach has facilitated the creation of industry leading advisor support functions which has resulted in increased levels of both client and advisor retention and recruitment and was a key driver in being chosen for Best Advisor Support category in both the Middle East and Europe.
“The support team has helped increase adviser efficiency, improve client service and bolstered business in terms of client acquisition. The strategic reviews the firm carries out show that it is always looking to be more efficient and improve.”
Europe judging panel.
Having the best tools in the industry is pointless if you don’t have the best people to execute them. Our Middle East operation doubled its advisor headcount with some very experienced and respected financial planners citing the systems and support as key factors in why they joined us. While in Europe a number of experienced Advisors joined our ranks thanks to a combination of our comprehensive licencing, and fist class support functions such as Compliance and Marketing.
Since its inception, the Skybound Wealth Advisor Academy has become a flag bearer for professional development, launching the careers of countless financial planners across the globe. And thanks to a shared commitment across all departments and an inspirational leadership team, a desire for continuous learning and development is now engrained throughout the company.
“Professional development is at the core of the firm’s business plan and growth strategy. It is adamant that developing its staff can lead to better outcomes for clients and for the business.”
Europe judging panel.
Our internal learning and development platform features modules covering; Regulatory, Compliance, Networking and Soft skills, in addition to extensive support and resources towards UK recognised qualifications, and is supplemented by internal training and metal health awareness programs all designed to give our people the best opportunity to be the best at what they do.
Whilst the Academy’s latest graduates are already on their way to becoming established advisors in their own right, over 50% of the leadership team have been promoted from within. Both of which are a real testament to the company’s shared commitment to individual development.
“It was only a year ago at these same prestigious industry awards that Skybound Wealth were so successful, it would have been easy to rest on our laurels. However, these awards show that we are still just as committed to our goal of becoming the advisor and employer of choice in the international advice arena. In the words of Bachman Turner Overdrive ‘You haven’t seen nothing yet!’”
If you would like to talk to us about our award winning service, please feel free to get in touch using the form on this page and we'll arrange a meeting at a time that suits you.