Sterling Financial Advice Ltd

Reference number: 986104

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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.

Responsible principal firm

St. James's Place Wealth Management Plc Reference number: 195351 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.
  • Sterling Financial Advice Ltd (FRN 986104) is an AR of St. James's Place Wealth Management Plc (FRN 195351). When you use Sterling Financial Advice's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
  • Example: if you take financial advice from Sterling 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.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When sterlingadvice.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 01942 888889 is
  • Who else gives the postcode WA3 2AP
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Other names (1)

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

  • Sterling FA Limited Former name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Protection through the principal firm
    Protection works through St. James's Place Wealth Management PLC, 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
14105344
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
13 May 2022 (4 years old)
Registered office
Unit 33 Lowton Business Park, Newton Road, Lowton, WA3 2AP, England
Nature of business
  • Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified (SIC 64999)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
John Paul Lowe Director May 1969 13 May 2022 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

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
  • All 2 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 July 2025Small company accountsNot audited

Net assets

£481k

<1% from £482k

Cash at bank

£24.3k

−65% from £69.8k

Employees (average)

10

+11% from 9

Owed within a year

£124k

−23% from £161k

Net assets

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 14105344. 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

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

Key events (7) All events (10)

2023

6 January 2023

  • Changed its registered name from "Sterling FA Limited"

FCA register

2022

31 October 2022

  • Ann Lowe became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Darren James Smith stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

27 October 2022

  • Became an appointed representative

FCA register

13 May 2022

  • Incorporated at Companies House
  • Darren James Smith became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • John Paul Lowe became the majority owner (50–75% of shares)

Companies House

In the full report: all 10 events

  • All 10 events in its history (7 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 3
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Firms like Sterling Financial Advice

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

In the Warrington (WA) postcode area

123-Wealth LtdWarringtonAppointed representativeAdamson Ross WM LtdNewton-Le-WillowsAppointed representativeAlexander House Financial Planning LimitedAltrinchamAppointed representativeAllinea Corporate LimitedAltrinchamAppointed representativeAndrew Daldry Wealth Management LimitedAltrinchamAppointed representativeAperio Financial Planners LimitedKnutsfordAppointed 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 Sterling 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
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 10 events in its history

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Sterling Financial Advice Ltd FCA authorised?
Sterling Financial Advice Ltd (FRN 986104) 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 Sterling 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. Sterling Financial Advice Ltd (FRN 986104) is an AR of St. James's Place Wealth Management Plc (FRN 195351). When you use Sterling Financial Advice's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm. Example: if you take financial advice from Sterling 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 Sterling Financial Advice’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 01942 888889 and the website sterlingadvice.co.uk for Sterling Financial Advice. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Sterling Financial Advice a scam or clone?
Sterling 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 Sterling Financial Advice?
Protection works through St. James's Place Wealth Management PLC, the principal firm responsible for Sterling Financial Advice's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Who owns Sterling Financial Advice?
Companies House lists 2 people with significant control of Sterling Financial Advice: Mr John Paul Lowe (50–75% of shares) and Mrs Ann Lowe (25–50% of shares). Before that, it was controlled by Mr Darren James Smith.
Who runs Sterling Financial Advice?
Companies House lists one director of Sterling Financial Advice: John Paul Lowe.
How long has Sterling Financial Advice been in business?
The company was formed on 13 May 2022.
What do Sterling Financial Advice’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 July 2025, show net assets of £481k (<1% from £482k) and cash at bank of £24.3k (−65% from £69.8k).
Does Sterling Financial Advice use any other names?
It has previously used the name Sterling FA Limited.

Sources and links

The full report on Sterling Financial Advice Ltd

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