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Hilltop Financial Planning

Hilltop Financial Planning

4.3(29 reviews)See reviews ↓·Manchester

What customers say

Based on genuine customer reviews

Making sense of tangled pension arrangements is the strand that runs through most of the feedback for this Ancoats firm. Clients speak warmly of adviser James Howat, whose patience, politeness and plain explanations turned bewilderment into understanding, and who followed up once transfers had gone through. A recurring observation concerns the thoroughness of the groundwork on existing schemes, with reports called comprehensive and genuinely useful. Reliability and responsiveness stand out too: questions are answered promptly and yearly reviews arrive without prompting.

The advice itself is credited with improving outcomes over time, while more recent accounts mention savings and pension pots growing faster than before. One recurring point is that a fee was charged for moving funds and, in hindsight, proved money well spent. Breadth of market access also features, with a client who compared several advisers noting that this team dug deepest into the schemes on file. Retirement planning and investment guidance for private clients remain the core of the work described, and the tone throughout is of a firm that explains rather than obscures.

Financial planner

Reviews

Reviews are taken from publicly available sources.

DB
DS B8 October 2025

I had a pension review and was recommended to contact Hilltop Financial Planning. Several pots were then combined and Hilltop set me up on a platform with True Potential. A couple of years later Hilltop contact True Potential to say they are no longer acting as my servicing agent. Hilltop have NEVER sent me any notification of this change (after I went with them following a recommendation from a FCA pension review) True Potential have then taken my investment out of the platform and placed my investment into a 'non advised' database. I spoke to True Potential who said my funds would show up again on my platform. 3 months have now passed and my funds are still not showing and remain in a non advised database - not earning any growth. Hilltop Finance were appointed by me after I shopped around. I felt I could trust Hilltop and so I moved my pots over. Hilltop arranged all the transfers on my behalf and then a couple of years later stopped servicing my pension. I feel let down and disappointed to say the least and will be taking this to the FCA and Ombudsman. Hilltop cannot be trusted to service a pension. Derrick Barendse

DC
David Cinderby2 October 2025

Enrolled with Hilltop December 2024 wish I’d done it years ago Alex Ankers has been so helpful and assisted in my pension and savings growing far more than previous years 5 star

M
Mark16 April 2025

Since Hilltop have looked after my pension I cannot fault them. They always respond to any questions & I always get my yearly review. The advice so far has been to my benefit so cannot fault them. Just hope they continue to look after me & my money.

SG
Simon Gillings27 October 2024

I reviewed 5 different financial advisors, including 2 linked to St James’ Place, and 2 other independents to review all my different pensions and situation. 2 are final salary; 6 are defined contribution. Hilltop did the most due diligence on my existing schemes, producing the most comprehensive, helpful report. They have access to the whole pension fund market and I felt confident in going with them, based on their advice, compared to the others, and their fee structure was competitive too. They advised me to not touch my final salary schemes and to combine my other defined contribution schemes into one high performing scheme with Aviva invested primarily in US equities based on my personal risk appetite (7 from 10, where 10 is highest risk). I’m also going to making regular transfers from current workplace DC scheme into the Aviva fund. I am seeing decent growth already, after only 3 months! Recommended

MC
Michael Cutts7 June 2024

I was advised from my pension company that things wasn’t going to well and that it maybe useful to talk to Hilltop financial planning, with this in mind I did .That is possibly the best piece of advice I was ever given , from day one so friendly and backed up with a wealth of knowledge too. Always there to talk and explain everything, a fee was paid to transfer all my pension funds across which at the time seemed a lot but how I have reaped the rewards I am now retiring one year earlier, with all funds in place and far better off than I ever thought I would be .Thank you Hilltop and thanks to Tom my advisor who is so friendly he couldn’t have been more helpful, and is always there to help and advise on future issues.

RM
Raymond McKee6 April 2024

All of Hilltops team were very helpful and able to guide me through the transfer process and answer any questions I had . Looking forward to working with them in the future.

RA
R A4 April 2024

Glad I switched to Hilltop as I know they are looking after my pension

Financial advisers in Manchester compared

Ordered by rating, weighted by the number of reviews — businesses with only a handful of reviews do not jump to the top automatically. 12 businesses in this category in Manchester are compared.

RankProviderRatingReviewsOpen Sat.
1Retirement Professionals Ltd - Independent Financial Advisers★ 5,071No
2Wetherall's★ 5,049No
3Lionbridge Wealth Management★ 5,033No
4Perspective (North West) Ltd- Manchester Office★ 5,017No
5Old Royle Wealth Management Ltd★ 5,011No
11Hilltop Financial Planning (this page)★ 4,329No
Contact
+441614137051www.hilltopfinance.co.uk3 Fabrica, 269 Great Ancoats St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 7DB
Working hours
Monday09:00–17:00
Tuesday09:00–17:00
Wednesday09:00–17:00
Thursday09:00–17:00
Friday09:00–16:00
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed