Broker focus
Clear Capital Markets aims to combine the low costs of online platforms with the personal touches of the traditional stockbroker model. Here, director Andrew Blaylock explains the company’s offering in detail.
Range of services
Clear Capital offers its clients the choice of three critical services- execution-only, advisory, and discretionary.
The firm’s execution-only service is aimed at those who prefer to identify and execute investment ideas on their own. They can do this either online or by contacting their broker via telephone.
Advisory clients, meanwhile, receive phone-based, specialist expertise and day-to-day advice on stock market-based investments from Clear Capital’s team. Recommendations are informed by a unique investment profile and strategy document that is used to create a unique strategy complementing each investor’s attitude to risk and investment objective. This strategy, which is updated annually, is used to produce investment recommendations and provide guidance across agreed asset classes.
Elsewhere, clients who prefer to hand over the management of their money to an expert can opt for Clear Capital’s discretionary service. Informed by unique investment goals, an investment manager will invest client money into one of three risk profile portfolios designed to match these goals.
Whatever service customers choose, they will receive immediate access to an online platform, which provides access to a vast range of global financial markets, asset classes, and product offerings. Products on offer include traditional options such as equities, bonds, and ETFs, as well as more esoteric vehicles like CFDs, options, and forex investments. Once logged in, clients who have not delegated the management of their cash can execute orders during market hours, monitor open positions, access statements, and receive portfolio valuations. They can also benefit from direct market access, which provides, in Clear Capital’s words, ‘live prices, deep liquidity, and best execution’.
Blaylock tells us that this variety of service options ensures that his business can cater to all types of investor:
‘In this day and age, companies are becoming very focused on technology, which is fine when you are buying a product but can create issues when taking a financial risk – especially for those who lack experience. We are trying to apply a bit more of a personal feel by incorporating the traditional stockbroker approach into this model. We cater for all different types of clients- whether it is an individual who has retired and is looking for high-income investments to supplement their income, a client who has their longer-term needs taken care of and wants to speculate on the market via short-term trading, or someone who wants both of these services.
‘Every client who signs on to our guided services is handed a dedicated broker. They will then complete a suitability and risk profile that allows us to gauge what they are trying to achieve from their investments. Once that is done, the broker remains at the client’s service to make suggestions and recommendations and will also discuss any ideas that the client might have themselves.’
He adds that this approach ensures Clear Capital can keep its fees competitive:
‘We sit somewhere between the more standard online execution-only platforms and some of the more traditional stockbroker/wealth managers who have been around for a long period. The former group is cheaper because it does not offer a broker at the end of the phone. The latter group is more expensive as it provides that personal service. What we are trying to do is replicate the traditional wealth manager/stockbroker role, but we offer reduced costs on things like execution fees and also annual management fees due to our embracing of technology.’
Alongside its investment services, Clear Capital also offers a package of daily market data, research, analysis that can be accessed by clients. This coverage spans all the major stock markets and features detailed investment reports, technical & fundamental analysis, risk management strategies, and portfolio reviews.
A more recent addition to the company’s product range is its corporate broking service, which allows it to work on behalf of AIM-listed businesses. Blaylock tells us that this service can provide additional opportunities to Clear Capital’s clients:
‘It means we can offer things like placings on AIM companies to clients of Clear Capital. Those investments are usually only available to institutional investors, but we can bring them to our high net worth and professional clients.’
You will find the latest Clear Capital Markets brochure here: CCM Brochure Digital
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