Business Details
31 Years
experience
Your Trusted Financial Planning Partner in Hartley, Kent
Established in 1995, Blue Ocean Financial Planning is a family-run firm led by John Doyle and Annabel Sumner. With a team of five, we specialise in providing independent financial planning advice to clients across North Kent and London. Our approach combines local expertise with a commitment to personal, professional, and trustworthy service. We prioritise transparency, offering clear fee structures and tailored advice without pressure or jargon. Our clients value our straight-talking communication and dedication to helping them achieve long-term financial security.With over 25 years of collective experience, we focus on building lasting relationships through integrity and expertise. Our services span investment management, mortgage planning, pensions, equity release, and estate planning. We maintain authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and regularly review our practices to ensure client satisfaction. Our team's extensive knowledge and client-centric philosophy have earned us consistent recommendations from clients since our establishment.
Services
Savings and Investments
Mortgages
Equity Release
Pensions
Estate Planning
Life Insurance
Details
- Year established: 1995
Highlights and features
- We offer transparent fee structures with biannual reviews for competitive value
- Our family-run business provides locally tailored financial solutions
- We deliver jargon-free, straightforward advice with no pressure sales
- Our team holds FCA-authorised qualifications and industry expertise
- Clients consistently recommend us for our responsive and approachable service
Associations and certifications
- Financial Conduct Authority
What people say
Friendly and approachable
Straight-talking advice
Helped achieve goals
No pressure sales
Professional and reactive
Services
Savings and Investments
We help clients grow and protect their wealth through tailored investment strategies. Our approach combines risk assessment with long-term financial goals, offering diversified portfolios managed by FCA-authorised professionals. Clients benefit from regular performance reviews and transparent reporting to ensure their investments align with evolving needs.
Mortgages
Our mortgage advisory service covers remortgaging, first-time purchases, and buy-to-let solutions. We provide impartial guidance on interest rate options and loan types, helping clients secure competitive deals that match their financial circumstances while considering tax implications and future flexibility.
Estate Planning
We assist in creating comprehensive estate plans including wills, trusts, and inheritance tax strategies. Our advice ensures clients' wishes are documented clearly while minimising tax liabilities, providing peace of mind for families and protecting assets for future generations.
Pensions
We offer pension consolidation, contribution strategies, and retirement income planning. Our specialists help clients navigate state and private pension options, optimise tax efficiency, and create sustainable income streams for post-retirement financial security.
Equity Release
We provide impartial advice on equity release schemes for homeowners aged 55+. Our guidance covers lifetime mortgages and home reversion plans, explaining implications for inheritance and care funding while ensuring clients understand all available options.
People
John Doyle
Financial Adviser
With over 20 years of experience, John specialises in comprehensive financial planning. He holds FCA-authorised qualifications and focuses on building long-term client relationships through honest, tailored advice that prioritises clients' financial security.
Annabel Sumner
Financial Adviser
As co-leader of our team, Annabel brings expertise in investment management and estate planning. She maintains FCA-authorised status and specialises in creating bespoke financial solutions that align with clients' personal circumstances and long-term goals.
Questions
What financial services do you specialise in?
We specialise in investment management, mortgage planning, pensions, equity release, estate planning, and life insurance solutions tailored to individual client needs.
How are your fees structured?
Our fees are transparent and reviewed biannually. We offer a family & friends discount and ensure competitive value through regular market comparisons with detailed explanations before any commitment.
Are you regulated by any official body?
Yes, we're authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under reference number 456458, ensuring compliance with industry standards and client protections.
Do you offer online account management?
Clients receive Suitability Reports and can access real-time investment valuations through our secure online platform for convenient portfolio monitoring and documentation.
How do you tailor financial advice to individual needs?
We conduct detailed fact-finding consultations to understand personal circumstances, then create customised strategies that evolve with clients' changing life situations and financial objectives.
What areas do you cover?
We primarily serve clients in Hartley, North Kent, and London, with remote advisory services available for those requiring flexible consultation options beyond our local catchment area.
Reviews (4)
Anna Ednie
Dec 27, 2021
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We recently had help and advise from Blue Ocean with regards to remortgaging and also choosing a new and better Life Insurance that suited us better. They made something that I find pretty stressful, very straight forward! Laura was wonderful, so helpful and informative and so easy to talk to. Would definitely recommend their services.
Mark Heeley
Mar 24, 2021
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Blue Ocean have provided good financial advice for me over a number of years but when it came to retirement some big decisions had to be made. John and Annabel were extremely helpful in setting out all the options and providing balanced and friendly advice to help me make those important decisions. They did all the hard work and Annabel smoothed the way to get everything in place in good time. They continue to help and keep things under review in case we need to make changes. I would strongly recommend Blue Ocean for balanced financial advice
Dianne Cooper
Mar 18, 2021
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After being made redundant after a long career, I had several options available to me with respect to my pension and decided to seek financial advise. John and his magnificent team have a wealth of knowledge and experience that gave me the confidence of knowing I had made the right decision to invest with them.
Debbie Tolley
Nov 18, 2020
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Having been recommended by a friend after a previous bad experience with financial advice, I have only positive things to say about John/Annabel and the team. They gave me the confidence to trust them and are always happy to talk through ( several times if necessary!) any queries or worries. They take the time to make sure clients are comfortable with their decisions and I am very glad I went to them.
