What Chester Rose does

Chester Rose Financial Planning Limited is a UK-based independent financial planning firm operating from headquarters in Newbury, Berkshire and a secondary office in Croydon, London. The firm is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (reference 726620) and holds Chartered Financial Planner status. Founded as a private limited company (registered number 05835113), the firm employs 11-50 staff under CEO Richard Dunbabin and serves primarily individual and family clients across England with holistic financial planning services.

The firm's product portfolio spans investments, pensions, inheritance tax and estate planning, protection (life, critical illness, income), and cash-flow modelling, delivered through service tiers including Holistic Financial Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Retirement Planning, Later Life Planning, and a lower-touch "Financial Foundations" self-serve option. The Personal Finance Portal is the central client-facing technology, providing 24/7 access to documents, account monitoring, portfolio tracking, and secure advisor messaging. Specialised offerings include the Creative Arts Pension Scheme (a sub-branded vertical for creative-sector workers) and the Dental Ascent Series targeting dental professionals with succession and exit planning content.

Chester Rose generates revenue through fee-based or commission-based professional advisory services, with the first consultation offered free and without commitment and a structured four-step process (Let's Talk, Review, Aspiration, Plan) preceding ongoing reviews. Customer acquisition is driven by a consultative sales motion supported by content marketing (news articles, free guides), webinars and seminars, and a referral partnership with Gardner Leader Solicitors for joint estate planning events. Vertical segmentation (Creative Arts, Dental, Business Owners) is layered on top of a horizontal Individuals & Families core.

Name

Chester Rose

Legal name

Chester Rose Financial Planning Limited

Website

https://chesterrose.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Financial Planning

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Pension Funds (525110)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Planning & Goals-Based Advice (Mass Affluent) (FSAAAAAF), Retirement & Distribution Planning RIAs (401(k)/IRA/Pension Rollovers) (FSAAACAE), Hybrid Advice (Advisor + Digital) Platforms (FSAAAAAE)

Keywords

• Independent financial planning
• Wealth management advice
• Pension planning services
• Inheritance tax planning
• Estate planning advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Newbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning Advisory Services: Fee-based or commission-based financial advisory services covering investments, pensions, inheritance tax planning, protection, and holistic financial planning. Revenue generated through professional service fees for financial advice and planning engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chester Rose is an independent, FCA-regulated financial planning firm providing holistic advice and ongoing planning across investments, pensions, inheritance tax and estate planning, protection, and cash-flow modelling. Services are delivered through qualified advisers supported by an in-house client support team and a proprietary Personal Finance Portal for secure document access, portfolio monitoring, and adviser messaging.

Product overview

Chester Rose is an independent financial planning firm offering a unified service portfolio centred on the Personal Finance Portal as its core client-facing platform. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning services including Investments, Pensions, Inheritance Tax & Estate Planning, Protection, and Cash-flow Modelling, delivered through its Financial Foundations self-serve option, Holistic Financial Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Retirement Planning, and Later Life Planning services. The Creative Arts Pension Scheme represents a specialised sector-focused offering. All services are delivered as a single integrated advisory relationship rather than discrete product modules, with the client portal serving as the central hub for ongoing client engagement and document access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Creative Arts Pension Scheme: A specialised pension scheme designed for creative professionals, with dedicated guidance and webinars for creative careers.

Products and services

• Personal Finance Portal A secure, interactive client portal providing 24/7 access to financial documents, account monitoring, portfolio tracking, financial insights, and encrypted secure messaging with advisers. Available to Chester Rose clients to support ongoing financial management.
• Creative Arts Pension Scheme A specialised pension scheme designed for creative arts professionals, providing retirement planning and pension management tailored to careers in the arts, with dedicated guidance and webinars.
• Investments Investment advice and portfolio management services aligned with individual risk profiles and financial goals, delivered on a whole-of-market basis.
• Pensions Pension planning and drawdown services, including consolidation and maximisation of pension savings for clients.
• Inheritance Tax & Estate Planning Estate planning services to minimise Inheritance Tax liability and ensure wealth is distributed according to client wishes.
• Protection Financial protection products including critical illness cover, life insurance, and income protection.
• Cash-flow Modelling Visual forecasting tools that help clients understand potential future financial scenarios and plan accordingly.
• Financial Foundations A self-serve financial management platform for clients comfortable making their own investment decisions, with on-demand access to financial planners.
• Holistic Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning that considers short, medium, and long-term goals across all aspects of a client's financial life.
• Wealth Accumulation Strategies to grow financial resources over time for long-term security and prosperity.
• Retirement Planning Tailored retirement strategies matched to individual needs and aspirations, including phased retirement options.
• Later Life Planning Financial planning for retirement and beyond, including long-term care considerations and legacy planning.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gardner Leader SolicitorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChester Rose partners with Gardner Leader Solicitors for co-hosted estate planning seminars. These seminars cover topics including wills, trusts, pensions, gifting, succession planning, and inheritance tax considerations. The partnership combines financial and legal expertise for comprehensive wealth planning guidance.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Quilter: UK-listed wealth manager providing financial advice, investment platforms and pension solutions through a network of appointed representatives. Highly comparable in offering holistic financial planning, pensions and investment advice to UK individuals, but at materially larger scale with a national platform-led model.
• Rathbones Group: UK wealth manager offering discretionary investment management and financial planning to individuals, charities and trustees. Overlaps with Chester Rose on holistic financial planning and investment advisory for high-net-worth and mass-affluent individuals, though Rathbones operates a much larger and predominantly discretionary mandate model.
• St. James's Place: One of the UK's largest wealth management groups, offering financial planning, investment and pension advice to mass-affluent and high-net-worth clients via a national adviser network. Comparable as a UK-wide financial advisory brand addressing similar individual and family client needs, but at much larger scale and through a tied/restricted model versus Chester Rose's whole-of-market independent positioning.
• Brewin Dolphin (now RBC Brewin Dolphin): UK private wealth manager offering bespoke financial planning, investment management and advisory services to private clients, charities and intermediaries. Comparable in providing personalised holistic financial planning to UK individuals and families, with substantially larger headcount and assets under management.
• Evelyn Partners (formerly Tilney): Large UK wealth management and professional services group providing financial planning, investment management and tax advice to private clients and businesses. Directly comparable service mix (financial planning, pensions, IHT, protection) but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach than Chester Rose.

Emerging players

• Nutmeg: UK digital wealth manager (J.P. Morgan-owned) offering robo-advice and investment management to retail and mass-affluent clients. Adjacent peer: addresses the same UK mass-affluent segment for investment and pension savings but through a fully digital model with limited human advice, representing the structural competitive threat to traditional IFAs like Chester Rose.
• True Potential: UK platform-based wealth manager combining technology-led investment solutions with personal financial advice. Comparable in offering hybrid digital-plus-advisor financial planning to UK mass-affluent clients, but differentiated by a heavier technology/platform emphasis versus Chester Rose's traditional relationship-led model.

Direct peers

• EQ Investors: UK-based independent financial adviser offering wealth management, financial planning and ethical/impact investing for individuals, families and charities. Direct peer: similar size and structure (independent whole-of-market advisor serving mass-affluent and HNW clients in southern England), with comparable service mix of holistic planning, investments, pensions and IHT.
• London & Capital: Independent UK wealth manager offering financial planning, investment management and tax advisory to private clients and families. Comparable as an independent, fee-based UK financial planner delivering holistic advice across pensions, investments and IHT, with a similar scale of operations and client focus.
• Paradigm Norton Financial Advisors: Independent UK financial planning firm offering whole-of-market advice on investments, pensions, protection and IHT to individuals and businesses. Closely comparable in scale and value proposition: an independent, relationship-led IFA with similar service portfolio and South East regional focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chester-rose

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chester Rose