If you’ve yet to pop into our office on Melville Street in Edinburgh, you’re not alone. While we officially opened the premises back in July 2021, the ongoing Covid pandemic means we haven’t been able to welcome as many people as we’d have liked.

So, to keep you updated with everything that’s going on at Calton Wealth – including another brand-new office set to open this spring – please read on for our latest business update.

A warm welcome to our existing – and new – offices

It’s been almost a year since we opened our Melville Street office – perhaps one of the most unfortunate times in history to open brand-new premises!

The decision to open an office was taken in consultation with the team, and we were pleased when everyone said they’d prefer to blend their time between working in the office and at home, rather than being entirely home-based.

The office is in central Edinburgh, and we look forward to welcoming clients and professionals in the next few months. It will be lovely to see people face-to-face again.

Talking of Calton Wealth locations, we are also opening a brand-new office in the Borders market town of Peebles this May. Serving clients in the south of Scotland, and the northern counties of England, experienced adviser James Blacklaw will lead this team.

James is a highly experienced adviser having previously run his own planning firm as well as working for Bank of Scotland and True Potential. A new member of our support team, Jane Turnbull, will work alongside James in Peebles.

Meet James – our new man in Peebles

Tell us a little about yourself

I have been working in financial services for 34 years, of which 22 years have been as a financial adviser.

I work with clients to assist them in accumulating wealth and helping them to achieve personal financial goals. I also advise clients on how to effectively utilise retirement savings and how to ensure their assets are dealt with as tax-efficiently as possible.

What do you get up to in your spare time?

I am the father of a teenage daughter and son, meaning I am used as a taxi service! I enjoy watching my daughter playing netball and my son rugby.

Rugby and golf have always been my main interests but, now that I’m getting on a bit, the rugby has turned more to a supporting role. I do this by working as part of the sponsorship committee, which keeps me involved. I also like to follow the Scottish national team, particularly the away fixtures.

I have a golf playing handicap of 10 and would love to get this into single figures.

To replace the violence of the rugby pitch I have now joined the local bowling club in Peebles. After all these years I find myself back in a junior section!

Alex passes another important financial planning exam

As part of his journey to becoming a fully qualified financial planner, Alex has passed a range of financial exams.

Having already passed his R01 (Regulations and Ethics), R03 (Tax), and R05 (Protection) exams, Alex has now passed his R02 (Investment Principles and Risk) exam – a core unit on his way to achieving the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.

This unit looks at the characteristics, risks, behaviours, and tax considerations of investment products. It also requires an individual to consider the investment advice process, the principles of investment planning, and the analysis of performance of investments.

We’re sure you’ll join us in congratulating Alex on passing this latest exam. He sits the remaining two exams shortly – we’ll let you know how he gets on in a future update.

Improvements to our systems that will benefit all clients

We’re always looking for ways in which we can improve the service we provide to all clients.

One of our current priorities is the development of a bespoke back-office system, which will provide more integration between our planning and investment activities.

Ultimately, this will allow clients to see more information about the planning element, rather than just looking at static values.

We’re also improving data flow, as a big problem this year has been transferring accurate information from providers to the Calton Wealth portal. We’ve been working closely with providers to improve that, and to add robustness to our systems.

We’re confident these changes will improve the information clients can access online.

Get in touch

To find out how we can help you to achieve your life goals, please get in touch. Email hello@caltonwm.com or call 01313 786680.