Smart Independent Financial Advice Ltd: FCA regulated?

Appointed representative

This firm does not hold FCA authorisation of its own, and acts under a principal firm, which is legally responsible for its regulated business.

Appointed for 4 years
Protected through the principal
No FCA actions
Active company since 2021
Accounts filed up to 31 March 2025

Responsible principal firm

New Leaf Distribution Limited Reference number: 460421 Authorised View firm →

What does this mean?

An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct.
Smart Independent Financial Advice Ltd (FRN 967978) is an AR of New Leaf Distribution Limited (FRN 460421). When you use Smart Independent Financial Advice's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
Example: if you take financial advice from Smart Independent Financial Advice, complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances.
Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

No website on the FCA register
Phone number

07944 648080
Address

164 Banks Road, West Kirby, Wirral, Wirral, CH48 0RH, United Kingdom

In the full report: 2 background checks

What kind of line 07944 648080 is
Who else gives the postcode CH48 0RH

Other names (4)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

Smart Equity Release Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Smart Financial and Estate Planning Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Smart Equity Release Ltd Former name: A name it was registered under before.
Smart Later Life Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Protection through the principal firm
Protection works through New Leaf Distribution Limited, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Complaints Ombudsman, free
You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number: 13238659 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 2 March 2021 (5 years old)
Registered office: 164 Banks Road Banks Road, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 0RH, England
Nature of business: Activities of financial services holding companies (SIC 64205)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Richard Eric Jones	Director	Sep 1979	2 Mar 2021	2 other companies

Other companies run by its director

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies: 2
still active: 2
is FCA-registered: 1

In the full report: all 2 companies, named

What each company does, and whether it is still trading
Which of its director sits on each board, and since when
Any that went into liquidation or administration
The one on the FCA register

Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 March 2025Micro-entity accountsNot audited

Net assets

£2,946

−70% from £9,778

Employees (average)

1

Same as 1

Owed within a year

£131k

+6.6% from £123k

Assets and liabilities

In the full report: all 4 years of accounts

Every year from 2022 to 2025
The chart, over every year
Every filed figure, year by year

About these figures

Turnover: Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax: What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity: Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities: Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank: Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year: Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

There is no turnover or profit: small companies do not have to publish them.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 13238659. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Smart Independent Financial Advice’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (6) All events (11)

2025

9 November 2025

Emma Louise Jones stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

2024

14 March 2024

Changed its registered name from "Smart Equity Release Ltd"

FCA register

2022

19 January 2022

Became an appointed representative

FCA register

2021

2 March 2021

Incorporated at Companies House
Emma Louise Jones became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
Richard Eric Jones became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

In the full report: all 11 events

All 11 events in its history (6 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 1

Firms connected to Smart Independent Financial Advice

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Smart Independent Financial Advice. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

past link: 1

In the full report: all 0 connected firms, named

1 past link through former directors

Firms like Smart Independent Financial Advice

Other firms of the same type (financial adviser), nearest first.

In Wirral

Andrew C Grant Financial Services LimitedWirralAppointed representative Arrowe Financial LimitedWirralAppointed representative Brookdale IFP LimitedWirralAppointed representative Chariot Financial Management LimitedWirralAppointed representative Craven Advisory Services LimitedWirralAppointed representative Dirk StrontschakWirralAppointed representative

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Smart Independent Financial Advice

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

2 other companies its directors have run, named
2 background checks on its contact details
4 years of accounts, charted
All 11 events in its history

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Smart Independent Financial Advice Ltd FCA authorised?

Smart Independent Financial Advice Ltd (FRN 967978) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.

What does appointed representative mean for Smart Independent Financial Advice?

An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct. Smart Independent Financial Advice Ltd (FRN 967978) is an AR of New Leaf Distribution Limited (FRN 460421). When you use Smart Independent Financial Advice's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from Smart Independent Financial Advice, complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

What is Smart Independent Financial Advice’s phone number?

The FCA register lists the phone number 07944 648080 for Smart Independent Financial Advice. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.

Is Smart Independent Financial Advice a scam or clone?

Smart Independent Financial Advice is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.

Is my money safe with Smart Independent Financial Advice?

Protection works through New Leaf Distribution Limited, the principal firm responsible for Smart Independent Financial Advice's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.

Who owns Smart Independent Financial Advice?

Companies House lists one person with significant control of Smart Independent Financial Advice: Mr Richard Eric Jones (25–50% of shares). Before that, it was controlled by Mrs Emma Louise Jones.

Who runs Smart Independent Financial Advice?

Companies House lists one director of Smart Independent Financial Advice: Richard Eric Jones.

How long has Smart Independent Financial Advice been in business?

The company was formed on 2 March 2021.

What do Smart Independent Financial Advice’s latest accounts show?

Its latest accounts, to 31 March 2025, show net assets of £2,946 (−70% from £9,778).

Does Smart Independent Financial Advice use any other names?

It trades as Smart Equity Release and Smart Financial and Estate Planning. It has previously used 2 other names: Smart Equity Release Ltd and Smart Later Life.