Gem & Co Financial Services

What Gem & Co Financial Services does

Gem & Co Financial Services Ltd is a UK independent chartered financial planning firm headquartered in Wimbledon, London, founded in 1999 by Gareth Rees and Eamon Nolan. The firm serves individual mass-affluent and high-net-worth clients across four primary segments: professionals, executives, business owners, and retirees, with advisory specialisms in retirement planning, tax-efficient structuring, investment management, business exit planning, and estate planning. Its service delivery is built on two codified proprietary methodologies — the Three Pillars approach (Listening, Analysing, Creating) and a Six-Stage Client Journey — supported by cashflow modelling and scenario-forecasting tools used to project retirement income and stress-test financial plans.

Revenue is generated through three streams: a fixed fee of £2,147 for a comprehensive financial plan, an implementation fee of 1% of invested assets (minimum £5,000), and ongoing portfolio management at 1.0% per annum (minimum £5,000), plus commission on life insurance placements. Gem & Co holds Chartered status from the CII and Accredited Financial Planning Firm status from the CISI, and is FCA-authorised (firm reference 949148). In January 2026 the firm merged into Cooper Parry Wealth, a UK consolidator backed by New York-based private equity firm Lee Equity Partners, taking combined headcount to nearly 100, client families past 1,050, and assets under management approaching £2bn; the Gem team continues to operate under the Gem brand within CPW.

Name

Gem & Co Financial Services

Legal name

Gem & Co Financial Services Ltd

Website

https://gemfs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gem & Co Financial Services is a Wimbledon-based independent chartered financial planning firm, founded in 1999, serving UK professionals, executives, business owners, and retirees with holistic financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory services; it merged into Cooper Parry Wealth in January 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Financial Planning

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO), Discretionary Portfolio Management (Retail) (FSAAAAAH), Financial Planning & Goals-Based Advice (Mass Affluent) (FSAAAAAF)

Keywords

• Independent financial planning
• Wealth management advisory
• Retirement planning services
• Investment management advisory
• Chartered financial planners

Headquarters

HQ city

Wimbledon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning Fees: Fixed fee for comprehensive financial plans including cashflow forecasts. Implementation fees charged as percentage of investments when plan is executed.
2. Portfolio Management Fees: Ongoing services with typical charge of 1.0% of portfolio value per annum for investment management and annual reviews. Minimum ongoing fee of £5,000 per annum.
3. Insurance Commission: Commission received from life insurance policy sales. No upfront cost to clients for these products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gem & Co Financial Services provides independent, fee-based financial planning and investment management for individuals. Core offerings include comprehensive financial planning (covering investments, pensions, retirement, tax efficiency, and estate planning), evidence-based investment management, and ongoing annual reviews, delivered through a six-stage structured client journey. Services target professionals, executives, business owners, and retirees primarily in Wimbledon, London, and surrounding regions.

Product overview

Gem & Co Financial Services operates as a unified financial planning firm offering a comprehensive suite of advisory services centred on their core Financial Planning Services offering. The firm combines Investment Management capabilities with their proprietary Investment Philosophy Framework to deliver holistic financial advice. Their service delivery is structured around the Three Pillars Approach (Listening, Analysing, Creating) and the Six-Stage Client Journey Process, supported by sophisticated Cashflow Modelling tools for scenario planning. The firm specialises in serving professionals, executives, business owners, and retirees with tailored financial strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Services
• Investment Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of clients would recommend Gem & Co to family, friends or work associates
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cooper Parry Wealth (CPW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Gem & Co Financial Services has joined Cooper Parry Wealth as of January 2026. The merger marks a significant step in CPW's journey to create the UK's best financial planning-led wealth management business. The combined entity now has nearly 100 talented individuals across the UK, over 1,050 client families, and funds under management approaching £2bn. Gem & Co's team, led by founder Gareth Rees and Director Elliott Swatton, brings 25 years of expertise delivering sound strategic planning to professionals and HNWIs. This is CPW's eighth deal since partnering with New York-based private equity firm Lee Equity Partners in April 2025.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brown Shipley: UK private bank and wealth manager serving HNW clients with investment management and financial planning. Comparable on serving business owners and executives preparing for retirement or business exit.
• Saunderson House: UK independent financial planner focused exclusively on HNW individuals and families, providing fee-based holistic financial planning. Closely comparable target market, fee structure (~1% AUM), and Chartered-equivalent positioning.
• Charles Stanley: UK wealth manager focused on HNW private clients with discretionary and advisory portfolio services. Highly comparable client base (professionals, executives, business owners, retirees) and similar AUM-per-adviser scale.
• Cooper Parry Wealth: The acquirer of Gem & Co and now parent platform; a UK Chartered financial planning-led wealth manager with nearly 100 staff, 1,050+ client families, and ~£2bn AUM. Most directly comparable peer given identical client segments (HNW professionals, business owners, retirees), Chartered status, and fee structure.
• Killik & Co: Independent London-based wealth manager serving HNW individuals with holistic financial planning and investment management. Comparable independence, Chartered-equivalent ethos, and face-to-face advisory model.

Broad incumbents

• Brewin Dolphin (now RBC Brewin Dolphin): UK wealth manager offering discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to HNW individuals. Comparable on retirement planning and investment management for professionals and business owners.
• St. James's Place: Largest UK wealth manager with a partner-adviser distribution model serving mass-affluent and HNW clients. Comparable target market (retirees, professionals, business owners) but operates at vastly larger scale with a product-restricted model rather than fully independent.
• Evelyn Partners (formerly Tilney / Smith & Williamson): Large UK integrated wealth management and professional services firm. Closely comparable on serving business owners and retirees with combined investment management, tax, and financial planning services.
• Rathbones Group: UK-listed wealth manager serving private clients, trusts, and intermediaries. Comparable on discretionary portfolio management, retirement and tax planning for HNW individuals and families, though at materially larger AUM scale.
• Quilter: Major UK wealth management platform with both advised and direct-to-consumer propositions. Overlaps with Gem & Co on investment platform technology and adviser support; former employer of Gem & Co adviser Stuart Edwards.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Gem_FS
• Facebookfacebook.com/GEMCoFS

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Gem & Co Financial Services