Member Article

Growing Stockton financial firm expands to Preston Farm

Stockton-based firm Vintage Chartered Financial Planners, a provider of independent financial advice, has expanded to new premises following five years of sustained growth.

The business, which was established 28 years ago, has repositioned itself from a firm serving only individual clients to targeting a wider customer base.

Vintage is now looking to recruit new Chartered financial planners to join its team of ten staff, now headquartered at Stockton’s Preston Farm business zone.

The firm revealed that its recent boom in sales has been especially driven by business development specialist Sam Tate, who has been promoted to managing partner.

He joins Chartered financial planner Steven Hodgson and financial planner Paul Adams, who founded the firm as Vintage Investment Services in 1988 with Sam’s late father Adrian.

Paul said: “I am delighted to welcome Sam as a partner in the business. Adrian would have been extremely proud of his achievement.”

A qualified financial adviser by the time he was 23, Sam left Vintage for pastures new in 2006 before returning five years ago with a new business development remit.

“I was brought back in specifically to bring in new business and to help develop our existing strategies,” he explains.

“The financial market has transformed beyond recognition since Paul and my dad launched the business 28 years ago.

“So one of the things we looked at were areas where we felt we were missing opportunities. Even just a few years ago we were almost solely looking after individuals.

“Whilst we’ve continued to grow and improve our services to individual clients, we also spent more time going out there to win new win new clients and have developed strategies to help businesses with their protection and group pension needs.”

But Sam, who is now responsible for the firm’s strategy, planning, marketing and core management duties, insists that what has been achieved to date is just the start.

“We’ve achieved so much over the last few years but our new premises put us onto a whole new plain.

“Within a relatively short space of time we’ve achieved Chartered status – which is the gold standard of excellence and integrity within the financial sector – and substantially increased our turnover.

“It’s been a slow burn over nearly three decades but we’re now positioning ourselves for further growth. Exciting times are ahead.”

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