Friends Life

What Friends Life does

Friends Life Group is a UK-based online advisory platform launched in 2018 by three retired professionals — Barry Seymour (mortgage broker, 30+ years), Paul Stubbs (financial adviser, 20+ years running his own practice), and Nicola Collette (estate agent, 30+ years) — collectively representing nearly 100 years of UK financial services and property experience. The platform publishes free opinions and guidance on UK mortgages, buy-to-let property investments, landlord insurance, and self-employed mortgage applications, supported by a proprietary mortgage calculator built by Seymour. The website serves as the sole distribution channel, offering educational blog articles, a self-serve repayment calculator, and email-based Q&A; users seeking regulated mortgage advice are directed to authorised brokers.

The business is explicitly structured as a hobby venture rather than a commercial enterprise. The founders do not charge for their time, hold no external investors, and run the site on a part-time basis from their respective home bases in Suffolk, Cornwall, and Birmingham. Revenue model is freemium in label but, in practice, pre-revenue: the only monetisation mechanism is a referral relationship with Mortgage Arrangers, a commercial mortgage broker, to which the site directs commercial mortgage enquiries. No formal corporate ownership, funding rounds, headcount growth, or commercial KPIs are disclosed, and operating geographies are limited to the UK.

Name

Friends Life

Legal name

Friends Life Group

Website

https://friendslifegroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Friends Life Group is a UK-based online advisory platform run by three retired professionals who publish free opinions on UK mortgages, buy-to-let properties, and insurance. The website includes an in-house mortgage calculator and is positioned as a hobby venture serving individual UK consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mortgage and Property Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Advisory (Single/Multi-Family) (FSAEAAAI)

Keywords

• Mortgage advisory
• Buy-to-let guidance
• Insurance opinions
• Mortgage calculator
• UK property advice

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Advisory Content: The company provides free opinions and advice on mortgages, finance, and insurance as a hobby. No direct revenue generation - they explicitly state they do not charge for their time and are retired professionals helping others with their knowledge.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Friends Life Group is an online advisory platform run by three retired UK professionals that publishes free opinions and guidance on mortgages, buy-to-let property investments, and insurance products. Its primary deliverable is a website featuring an interactive mortgage calculator (built by co-founder Barry Seymour) alongside educational articles and personal recommendations drawn from the founders' combined ~100 years of industry experience. The platform explicitly does not sell regulated financial products, does not charge users, and operates as a hobby venture.

Product overview

Friends Life Group is an online advisory platform offering expert opinions and information on UK mortgages, buy-to-let properties, and insurance products. The company provides educational content through a mortgage calculator tool and published blog articles. The platform consists of a mortgage calculator for estimating monthly repayments, advisory content on mortgage products and rates, buy-to-let property investment information, insurance product recommendations, and a blog with educational articles. All services are advisory in nature as the founders are retired professionals providing opinions rather than regulated financial advice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mortgage Calculator An online mortgage calculator tool that allows users to estimate their monthly mortgage repayments by entering the loan amount, deposit, property value, and repayment term. Developed by co-founder Barry Seymour based on his 30+ years of mortgage broker experience and accessible from any page on the website.
• Mortgage Advisory Content Free expert opinions and advisory content on UK mortgage options, rates, products, and application guidance, aimed at property purchasers seeking orientation before approaching regulated mortgage brokers.
• Buy-to-Let Property Advisory Information and expert opinions on UK buy-to-let property investments, landlord insurance, and rental property management, tailored to individuals exploring rental property as an investment.
• Insurance Advisory Content Free expert opinions on UK insurance products, particularly landlord insurance, with guidance on available options and recommended deals drawn from the founders' combined insurance and property experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Users can calculate estimated monthly mortgage repayments instantly using the online calculator

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Mortgage ArrangersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partner for commercial mortgage services. Friends Life Group recommends Mortgage Arrangers as a commercial mortgage broker who can find the best deals for self-employed individuals seeking business property mortgages. Links to their commercial mortgage calculator.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Direct peers

• L&C Mortgages: Long-standing UK mortgage broker providing free advisory and broking services. Comparable to Friends Life in UK mortgage advisory focus, though L&C operates as a regulated broker.
• Better.co.uk: UK online mortgage broker offering comparison and advisory services to home buyers and remortgagors. Comparable to Friends Life in targeting UK property buyers with mortgage guidance and tools.
• Trussle: UK online mortgage broker offering advisory content and broker matching. Comparable to Friends Life in targeting UK home buyers with educational mortgage content and tools.
• Habito: UK online mortgage broker and advisory platform offering mortgage matching and guidance. Comparable to Friends Life in providing UK mortgage content and advice, though Habito is a regulated broker that completes transactions.
• John Charcol: Established UK mortgage broker providing advisory and broking services, including specialist segments. Comparable to Friends Life in UK mortgage advisory focus, though operating as a regulated broker.
• Unbiased.co.uk: UK platform connecting consumers with independent financial advisers, including mortgage specialists. Comparable to Friends Life in providing UK mortgage-related advisory and referral services.

Broad incumbents

• Which?: Established UK consumer advice organization providing independent reviews and guidance across financial products including mortgages and insurance. Comparable to Friends Life as a consumer-facing advisory resource, but with a much broader remit and stronger brand.
• Moneysupermarket: Major UK price-comparison site for mortgages, insurance, and other financial products. Comparable to Friends Life in offering free comparison content and tools to UK consumers, though Moneysupermarket is a regulated intermediary earning commission.
• MoneySavingExpert: The dominant UK consumer finance content and comparison site, covering mortgages, insurance, and personal finance. Comparable to Friends Life as a free, content-led advisory platform targeting UK consumers navigating financial decisions, but at vastly greater scale.
• Rightmove: UK's largest property portal with extensive mortgage and buy-to-let educational content. Comparable to Friends Life in covering UK mortgages and buy-to-let property information for consumers, but at vastly larger scale and as a regulated brokerage.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Friends Life