Question 1

Are you regulated?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All financial planning advice provided through Encore Financial Planning is conducted as a trading style of Barras Capital Management plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA number 992232). Encore Financial Planning is the name under which I work directly with clients. If you want to verify this, you can search for Barras Capital Management Limited, Encore Financial Planning or for FCA refrence number 992232 on the FCA register at register.fca.org.uk

Question 2

What qualifications do you have?

Accepted Answer

I hold the CFP™ designation (Certified Financial Planner) which is the global gold standard in financial planning. It requires a combination of advanced examinations, demonstrated planning experience, and an ongoing commitment to professional development. I am also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. I hold over and above the full suite of UK financial planning qualifications required for regulated advice. I've been advising clients for over 15 years, the last several of which have been specialising within the broadcast and production industry.

Question 3

Do you work with people outside the broadcast and production industry?

Accepted Answer

Very rarely, and that's deliberate. Encore Financial Planning works exclusively with freelancers, contractors, and professionals in broadcast and production. The financial picture for a senior person in this industry - irregular income, limited company structures, multiple pensions from different productions, no employer safety net - is specific enough that generalist advice rarely serves it well. Specialising in one area means I understand your situation before you've finished explaining it.

Question 4

I'm based outside Essex - do you work with clients remotely?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Most of my client relationships are conducted entirely online. The broadcast and production industry is geographically spread, and the nature of the work (projects in different locations, irregular schedules) means in-person meetings rarely suit people anyway. Everything that needs to happen can happen on a video call.

Question 5

I already have a financial adviser. Can you still help?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes. If your current adviser doesn't specialise in the broadcast and production industry, there's a reasonable chance the plan you have doesn't fully account for the specifics of how your income works, how your limited company money should be treated, or what your realistic options actually are. A second opinion costs nothing at the initial stage. If what you have is already right for you, I'll tell you.

Question 6

Can you help if I'm already semi-retired or have already made work optional?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A meaningful portion of my clients are people who've already stepped back but want to make sure what they have lasts, is structured efficiently, and continues to support the life they actually want rather than the one they planned for five years ago. The question shifts from "can I afford to work less?" to "am I making the most of what I've built?" - but the need for clarity is the same.

Question 7

What does the first meeting actually involve?

Accepted Answer

The first conversation is free, takes around 45 minutes to an hour, and has no agenda but clarity. There's nothing to prepare and no documents to bring. We talk about your career, your current setup, what you still enjoy, what keeps getting pushed to later, and what a better version of the next few years would look like if you had more say in it. From there, if it feels like the right fit, I'll explain exactly what working together would involve and what it would cost - before any commitment is made.

Question 8

I have pensions from multiple productions and employers. Can you help consolidate them?

Accepted Answer

Yes - and this is one of the most common starting points for people in this industry. Years of short contracts, different production companies, and shifting between PAYE and limited company work often leaves people with a collection of pension pots they've lost track of. Part of building your financial picture is tracing, valuing, and assessing each one - and then making a considered decision about whether consolidation makes sense for your situation. It doesn't always, but you can't make that call until everything is visible in one place.

Question 9

Is my money safe if I work with you?

Accepted Answer

Your money is never held by me - it sits with regulated investment platforms and pension providers directly. My role is to advise on where it goes and how it's structured, not to hold or manage it. All advice is conducted under the regulatory authorisation of Barras Capital Management plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. In the unlikely event that an investment provider fails, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects eligible claims up to £85,000 per provider. I'm happy to explain how this applies to your specific situation during an initial conversation.

Question 10

What's the difference between a financial adviser and a financial planner?

Accepted Answer

Think DoP vs Cinematographer, Series Producer vs Showrunner or Runner vs Production Assistant.

Financial adviser vs financial planner - same energy. There is no legal distinction and they are mostly interchangeable. Ignore the semantics. Find someone qualified and FCA regulated who understands your world.

Question 11

Do you offer ongoing advice or is it a one-off plan?

Accepted Answer

Both, depending on what you need. Some clients want a one-off plan - a clear picture, a considered set of decisions, and the confidence to move forward independently. Most want ongoing support: regular reviews, investment oversight, and someone to sense-check decisions as their situation evolves to ensure the plan stays on track. We'll work out which is right for you at the outset, and the fee reflects whichever path you choose.

Question 12

What are the costs / fees involved?

Accepted Answer

Our fees depend on the complexity of your situation. You can use our fee calculator to get a sense of where you'd sit for the initial plan. For ongoing advice - regular reviews, investment oversight, and continuing support as your situation changes - we charge an annual planning fee of no more than 0.8% of any pensions or investments we manage on your behalf, subject to a minimum of £2,000 per year.

Ongoing fees are typically deducted directly from the relevant investment or pension wrapper rather than invoiced separately, though we can discuss alternative arrangements where it makes more sense for you.

Financial planning advice is generally exempt from VAT, and the figures above are inclusive of any VAT that may apply. The exact fee is always confirmed before any commitment is made.

Question 13

When should a broadcast or TV freelancer start thinking about financial planning?

Accepted Answer

Earlier than most people do. The common assumption is that financial planning becomes relevant when you're close to stopping work - but the most valuable time to get clarity is while you still have choices. If you're in your late forties or fifties, earning well, and haven't yet seen your full financial picture in one place, that's exactly the right moment. Not because something is wrong, but because what you do in the next few years will determine how much flexibility you have in the ones after that. Waiting until you're ready to stop means making decisions under pressure that could have been made calmly five years earlier.

Question 14

How do limited company finances affect my financial plan?

Accepted Answer

For most people in this industry, a significant proportion of their wealth sits inside their limited company - reserves built up over years of contracting that feel like the firm's money even when you are the firm. A proper financial plan for a broadcast or production professional needs to account for this correctly: how dividends and salary interact, how pension contributions from the company work, and how to draw down company money tax-efficiently as you move toward working less. Most generalist financial planners don't handle this well. It's central to what I do.

Question 15

What is IR35 and how does it affect my financial planning as a broadcast freelancer?

Accepted Answer

IR35 is the legislation that determines whether HMRC treats your limited company work as disguised employment. If a production company decides your contract falls inside IR35, they deduct tax and National Insurance before paying you - which means you lose the tax efficiency that makes limited company contracting worthwhile. From a financial planning perspective, IR35 affects how much you can contribute to your pension, how you structure your income, and how quickly you can build reserves inside your company. If you're working across both inside and outside IR35 contracts, your financial picture becomes more complex and the need for a clear plan increases.

Question 16

How does working through a limited company affect my pension contributions?

Accepted Answer

Significantly - and in ways that work in your favour if structured correctly. A limited company can make employer pension contributions directly, which reduces corporation tax and bypasses the salary and dividend thresholds that limit personal contributions. This means a broadcast or production professional operating through a company can often contribute more to their pension, more tax-efficiently, than someone on PAYE. The annual allowance still applies, but the interaction between company contributions, personal contributions, and rules for using unused allowances from previous years creates meaningful planning opportunities that most people in this industry aren't fully using.

Question 17

What happens to my limited company if I decide to wind down or stop working?

Accepted Answer

This is one of the most consequential financial decisions a broadcast or production freelancer will make, and it's worth understanding the options before you reach that point. The main routes are Members' Voluntary Liquidation (MVL), which distributes company reserves as capital rather than income and is typically the most tax-efficient route for companies with significant retained profits, or simply drawing down the company money over time as salary and dividends. Which approach makes sense depends on the size of your reserves, your other income in retirement, and the timing. Getting this wrong (or leaving it too late to plan) can cost a significant amount in unnecessary tax. Your accounant and financial planner should be working together to find the best solution for your circumstances.

Question 18

How much should I have saved before I can afford to work less as a TV freelancer?

Accepted Answer

There's no universal number - which is the honest answer and also the frustrating one. What matters is the relationship between what you have, what you spend, and how long you need it to last. A financial plan models this specifically for your situation: your pensions, your company reserves, your other assets, your expected outgoings, and your timeline. What most people discover when they do this properly is that the number they had in their head (the figure they were quietly working toward) was either higher than necessary or based on assumptions that don't hold up when you look at everything together. You wont know what is right for you until you have been properly shown your numbers.

Question 19

How do I find a financial planner who understands the TV and film industry?

Accepted Answer

Most financial planners are generalists - they'll work with anyone, which means they specialise in no one. Finding someone who understands the broadcast and production industry specifically matters because the financial picture for a senior freelancer or contractor in this world is genuinely different: irregular income, limited company structures, IR35 considerations, multiple fragmented pensions, and a career pattern that doesn't map neatly onto conventional retirement planning. Don't just ask your prospective financial planner "are you regulated?" but also important questions like "how many clients do you have in my industry, and what does their financial situation typically look like?" this will help you understand their level of experience dealing with the areas that will affect your planning.

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