First steps to possible re-location

[wikkid]

Just joined forum after few weeks of looking and reading.
I am an Independent Financial Advisor in UK, Qualified to Degree level and Diploma level Financial Advisor with 9 years experience of investment/ general Financial Advisor. What are the options of a possible transfer to Singapore?
I have found recruitment sites offering Financial Advisor positions by companies who are willing to take on trainees/ non-qualified or experienced locals or PR, but none looking for someone in my position.
I was looking at Dubai previously, but held off (wisely/ luckily) from making the move. Singapore seems more stable than many other countries so seems like a far better option.

Thanks in advance for any help

Wayne

[globalguillaume]

could you share the recruitment sites you found please ?

[wikkid]

I simply did a google search for 'Financial Advisor Singapore'.
There are options - Financial Planner, Financial Consultant etc.

Wayne

[Strong Eagle]

There are independent financial advisors out the wazzo in Singapore. There is even a lovely network that has been set up such that when an expat leaves a biz card somewhere, it gets purchased and ends on one of the advisor's cold call lists.

Call me a cynic and a skeptic, but I don't see how a UK financial advisor moves to Singapore and starts giving advice unless it is to UK expats with UK assets living here.

Then again, rather than being actual advisors, most of the people I have met don't really want to advise, they want to put me into a 'program', like maybe the widows and orphans fund in northern Scotland. Hoot Mun!

Apologies if I am painting you with a broad brush but I have yet to meet an advisor here who could actually help me with a plan to move out of some of my US based assets and into???

Having said all that, there are a number of private wealth management firms and banks that might entertain you, especially if you had clients that you might could drag along.

Cheers.

Wayne

[sundaymorningstaple]

I had a call from one of them about 45 minutes ago!

[wikkid]

My original thinking was to be aiming at UK (and other) expats, likely with foreign or offshore based assets.
I note that you seem to differentiate between Financial Advisors (almost salesmen like) and Wealth Managers. If that is the case, them my current type of work is closer to that of Wealth Manager in that i try to build relationships and agree goals with clients and work over time towards that goal rather than sell a switch into a new fund for a large commission.
There is nothing wrong with North of Scotland widows and orphans fund, by the way, coming from the north of Scotland i see the good work that it does- lol.
If the majority of advisors there still work by cold calling and product flogging, then they would not be where i want to be working.
I will look more at the Wealth Management side.

Thanks
Wayne

[Strong Eagle]

As I see it what would really hit the spot is someone well versed in international investing. I've got an advisor in the US that mostly sticks to US exchange securities, so for example, if I want to be invested in foreign companies he sticks me into a Janus international fund.

I'd dearly love to find someone well versed in commodities, metals, oil, water, defense stocks that could advise about investing elsewhere than on a US exchange. Or, could tell me something about the BRIC and BRAC ETF's.

I can see how this could be a serious problem though, inasmuch as you'd have to be a tax and securities expert in a bunch of countries... and then I couldn't afford you.

Back to reality... if you are considering UK expats as clientele you are in for a lot of competition, and if I may say so, a very negative view. Like SMS said in an earlier post, they come out of the wood work... I've had 3 calls last week... and an invite to watch F1 qualifying races from their offices... tempting I must say.

The point is that you have competition and a jaded expat view.