Haven Financial Planning  Reviews 184

CALLUM RAYNER

I first contacted Callum on 23rd February 2026, and from the outset he was friendly, approachable, and highly professional. He took the time to clearly explain all available options, ensuring I fully understood each step of the process. What stood out most was his thoroughness—he explored every possible avenue to find the most suitable mortgage product for my situation.

Calum demonstrated real dedication and patience throughout. He never rushed the process and was always willing to answer questions, no matter how small, which made me feel confident and well supported in my decisions. His level of service was excellent, consistently going above and beyond to secure the right outcome.

He also maintained regular contact, checking in to see how things were progressing with myself and my current mortgage provider. This ongoing communication showed his commitment and reliability, and it reassured me that he was genuinely invested in helping me achieve the best possible result.

Thank you for your invaluable help Callum.

Miss Beverley Stewart

Haven is a really great company and have been amazing and helpful with the process of my house purchase

Jessica has been incredible to me and my partner throughout this process and worked exceptionally hard to get us a mortgage offer and everything in place for our house purchase. We can’t thank her enough for this. She has always kept us up to date we where we are at with the process and has gone above and beyond for us in securing the mortgage and helping with solicitors and chasing up information for us

Junaid and Grace provided exception service during and after my pension transfer process. Highly recommended.

Haven's financial advisor, Junaid Afzal - very ably courteously and efficiently assisted by Grace O'Malley - recently advised upon (and subsequently helped coordinate) a transfer of my SIPP from one major provider to another. This was done in a timely manner, with Junaid taking great care to ensure that I fully understood both his comprehensive analysis of my financial position/options and the thinking behind his erudite recommendations for a future investment strategy. At this (admittedly early) stage of our relationship I have no hesitation whatsoever in wholeheartedly recommending him as an independent financial advisor. He is clearly a very thoughtful, personable, intelligent, focussed, grounded, professional and conscientious individual.

Mark & his team are a pleasure to deal with, offering trusted first class financial advice which is backed up by a solid growth on investments. Very happy to recommend Haven Financial Planning.

As per the govt rules I needed a financial adviser to sanction my moving a defined benefit scheme valued at 65k to a SIPP. I approached a number of companies and Haven were immediately responsive, contacting me by telephone to understand the case. My particular adviser Nick Westell was personable, knowledgeable, insightful and thorough, and guided me through the matter to it's successful conclusion. Their fees were transparent and very reasonable, and I have no hesitation in recommending their services. A+

Company has many highly qualified, effective and personable team members. They are attentive to detail and respond to requests carefully. They are customer focussed so they also listen to ideas and suggestions to ensure all needs are met and exceeded.

I was so grateful to have found Nick Westell (and the team at Haven Financial Planning) when I was looking to move my defined benfits pension to a defined contributions one. I have been incredibly impressed with his easy to understand advice so much so that he is the only person I will now go to for anything financial. I have no hesitation in recommending him and Haven Financial Planning. His advice has been spot on and I am extremely pleased with all the work he has done for me. 10/10 and some more from me.

Mine was a difficult case, involving finding an expat retirement solution. Mark Tarry & his team explored, persisted and did not give up. In the end Nick Westell came up with a creative solution which I had not thought of before but which in the end suited my needs better than the annuity path I was pursuing. Nick meticulously executed our strategy, keeping me constantly informed about the progress. After a long but worthwhile journey, my experience with Haven Financial has been a very happy one.

Friendly and understanding. So helpfull .nick was the best .he could not do enough to help.lots of advice i would have been lost without him

I had a Defined Benefit Pension that needed to be transferred to an alternative scheme. There’s a lot of obstacles doing this as the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) require a cast iron case for an individual giving up a fixed pension for life to transfer to a different investment vehicle.

I had previously consulted a Pension Company in Wilmslow, they required a payment up front of £3k to go to the Abridged stage which is conducted after initial financial investigation. This is the point where the Pension Advisor takes a very in depth account of the Pension to satisfy the demands of the FCA. If after the Abridged investigation the Pension Company advises not to transfer the £3k is lost, to me that was a gamble.

I was then recommended Haven Financial Planning to advise on my Pension. Their process is slightly different but no less robust to satisfy the FCA. Firstly they hold an interview called the Triage Stage, there is no fee for this. I had my Zoom interview with a very professional and I must say a very personable member of the Haven Staff, Nick Westell who put me at ease and talked me through the procedure that has to be adhered to for the FCA's benefit, (and Customer's).

If the Pension transfer is considered worthy of pursuing, the next stage is the Abridged consultation and investigation for which the fee was £500 instead of the £3000 the other company had requested. I had the meeting with Nick at the Office in Altrincham, he and the team then dig deeper into a persons finances and investment alternatives to further decide if the transfer is worth pursuing. There is a lot of work involved here, as previously stated the FCA are so strict on the criteria for DB pension transfers.

I had my next meeting with Nick and the proprietor of the business Mark Tarry to decide on the recommendation to transfer, if it goes ahead the full advice fee is £3k reduced to £2500 as the £500 Abridged fee is deducted, a considerable amount of money especially on smaller pensions but in my case it is absolutely worth every penny, other pension transfers may have different fees dependent on the size of the Pension Pot.

During this whole procedure Nick had explained some financial matters that hadn't occurred to me before and I consider myself quite savvy when it comes to managing my Finances. I was shown alternative Investments for my funds which have so much data and information to put the investor at ease.

I can't recommend Haven enough, from a nice cup of decaff tea to meeting both Nick and Mark it really is a professional experience and they both have a wonderful sense of humour as well which I'm sure puts Customer's at ease and more importantly they will only advise what is good for investor. They don't cut corners and everything they do is so professional, completely 100% impressed with how they run their business.

Nick Westell has given me valuable advice to help launch my investment journey. I've truly appreciated the support and guidance he's offered throughout. His expertise spans several areas, including pensions. I would highly recommend both Haven and Nick to anyone seeking financial advice.

I had a great experience working with Phil Legget for my pension investments and overall retirement planning. He was extremely organised, responsive, and efficient throughout the entire process. Phil took the time to understand my financial goals and provided clear, tailored advice on how to save and invest most effectively for the long term. His professionalism and thorough approach gave me real confidence in my financial future. Highly recommend!

Conner and Jade at Haven Financial Planning provided a very Professional and Personal service, While going through the transfer of my pensions.
Nothing was too much trouble and everything was completed within the original time frame.
I would recommend them to anyone needing there services as they went above and beyond what I expected, In a very friendly manor.

I embarked on a 'stick or twist' journey with my Final Salary pension in September 2024. Needing a FCA regulated advisor, I engaged Haven Protect and spoke to Junaid who listened to my requirements and he took me through the first steps. Junaid educated me in what I needed to know. He was patient and accommodating, updating me in a timely manner.

My requirements were fairly simple: a tax free lump sum; a guaranteed retirement income; a flexible investment pot which would grow in time; and the ability to front load the next 15 years where I think I would be more active.

Junaid provided easy to understand forecasts to show me how my funds could grow in a low-risk environment. He was also happy to make adjustments when I suggested a tweak.

Grace is phenomenally efficient and sorted out all the admin side. In an exercise like this, the audit trail is immense and Grace kept on top of it with ease. She gave clear instructions of what was needed from me and what was needed to support FCA regulations.

Junaid came to my house with documents to sign. Grace had placed little arrows everywhere that needed a signature...and there were lots! Grace has also kept me updated with all the decisions made by outgoing and receiving pension providers.

Junaid has resuscitated my stagnant pension into a living, breathing retirement fund that seems to have grown exponentially and will continue to grow further in time. I now have my tax-free lump sum which I am using to become debt-free. My annuity and Investment fund are in the final stages and Junaid will be talking me through how to manage it next week.

I can't imagine how it could have got this far without Haven Protect: 5 months since I began and most of that was down to me dawdling. Junaid and Grace have been incredibly patient, so thank you both for the effort you put in to this.

Absolutely brilliant service!

A very patient and professional approach, Junaid Afzal was instrumental in working with us for more than 2 years taking the time to understand our objectives in retirement and work on appropriate solutions. Nothing was too much trouble, and once time was right, quickly (with the help of Grace O'Malley) enacted the considerable 'form filling' and got things moving (and actioned) beyond expectation.

Nick Westell (IFA) has provided us excellent advice and guidance on planning for our retirement. Although I thought I was familiar with my retirement options, Nick has shown us low risk options to potentially allow us to retire 4 years earlier. He has also followed through on all his actions in a timely & thorough manner. Very impressed

Junaid provided a thorough and insightful assessment of our finances, giving us a clear timeline for retirement along with valuable options to consider. His knowledge, enthusiasm, and personable approach made the entire process both informative and reassuring. He took the time to answer all our questions and ensured we fully understood our choices. We now feel confident moving forward with Haven for our retirement, knowing we’re in good hands. Highly recommended!

Junaid Afzal has been amazing at helping me review my pension options, so that I can be confident I now have the best plan in place for me. Previously I had been quite overwhelmed with information from other sources and advisors. Junaid was very patient and thorough, guiding me through the decision making process. And Grace O'Malley has been spot on with prompt follow ups and administration, making the process very easy and smooth for me. I'm now loving having my very own SIPP ! And looking forward to the regular reviews with Junaid in the future. I am confident I will be well looked after at Haven, and very glad I found them! Thanks Junaid and Grace!

I was first referred to Haven via Paystream when I was looking to consolidate my pensions. The advice I've received from both Mark Tarry and Phil Leggett has not only been extremely helpful, but both really invested the time and went the extra mile to understand my financial goals and circumstances and present the most appropriate options and advice. I also remortgaged with the support from Edward Morris, who did a fantastic job. I feel very confident with the service provided by Mark, Phil and Edward and would highly recommend.