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Newcastle’s Fairstone gets £135m AUM boost with Lincolnshire IFA addition

Fairstone Group, the Newcastle-headquartered financial planning firm, has acquired Lincolnshire-based Zimb Johnson Bespoke Financial Planning, as it continues to expan its UK-wide operations.

Fairstone’s latest addition has added £135m assets under management (AUM) and around 220 clients to the Group. The company, which last year turned over £750k, specialises in financial planning, asset management, pensions and estate planning.

Lee Hartley, CEO of Fairstone, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Zimb Johnson Bespoke Financial Planning to Fairstone Group. Leigh Johnson has led this company for 16 years and we are very pleased that someone of his calibre and experience has decided to bring another high quality business into the Group.

“Fairstone has grown significantly in the last few years and it is made possible through partnerships with businesses like Zimb Johnson who are dedicated to their clients and can see the benefits of letting Fairstone support their ambitions.”

Leigh Johnson, IFA at Zimb Johnson Bespoke Financial Planning, said: “We are delighted to have joined a quality national player such as Fairstone Group. We were attracted to the firm not just because of the vital back office, compliance and regulatory support functions that you would come to expect, but also because of the firm’s commitment to the quality of their advisers.

“Our team will be able to benefit from the Fairstone Academy and the status that comes with being part of one of the biggest Chartered firms in the UK.”

Advisers joining Fairstone are able to leverage its core technology platform and added value services such as its compliance, para-planning and lead generation services. As a result, Fairstone creates efficiencies in the back office, helping to increase the time that advisers can spend with their clients, whilst also supporting new client generation through its orphan client and lead generation programmes.

“The Fairstone DBO model also allows us to create a financial services business that is able to grow in the knowledge that we are supported from the ground up, giving us and our clients stability and support for the future,” added Johnson.

“Fairstone has grown significantly in the last few years and it is made possible through partnerships with businesses like Zimb Johnson who are dedicated to their clients and can see the benefits of letting Fairstone support their ambitions.”