Been there done that.

Phillip Hanley is an IFA who lives in Burford OXON and he comes highly rated by many of his clients, in fact, he doesn't have a single bad client review!!! His email is <philip@pjamesfs.com> and his web site is www.pjamesfs.com/contact-us/

If you do some digging you'll see that he works both as Phillip James and as Phillip Hanley (!) but he is FCA registered. He will provide advice to expats although the quality of his advice leaves much to be desired, IMHO. I contacted him over a year ago and the first thing he did was to have me sign authorization forms so that he could be paid monthly commissions from Transact, the second thing he did (after some chasing) was to advise I sell everything and buy a Smith and Williamson managed fund which has now lost around 10% since that advice was given.

The above would fit your needs as long as you didn't give him any authority to do anything other than advise, and, as long as you could agree terms and control with him.

www.vouchedfor.co.uk/financial-advisor-ifa/burford/1580-philip-hanley
www.unbiased.co.uk/profile/financial-adviser/philip-james-financial-services-ltd-525026
www.fca.org.uk/firms/financial-services-register

On a general note when it comes to this the UK financial services / financial advice industry really is a cess pit.

It really is worth doing your homework and sharing experiences, as:

Unfortunately in this case, UK law requires you take advice if your transfer value is over 30k. Here's some of the issues (by no means all) just off the top of my head. Not advice as such, but issues to be aware of if you're going to educate yourself to wade thru this mess:

1) people won't deal with you because you're in Thailand/ live overseas

2) as you've no choice, they have you by the proverbials in a very uneven playing field.

3)the whole process seems to revolve around the interests of the FCA as regulator, Financial Advice firms, to a lesser degree the fund you are transferring out of. What you as the pension fund owner want from your money is a very distant 4th if that. This is supposed to be the age of pension freedoms.

4) Costs can be disproportionate. Of the few I can find who would proceed, minimum fees of GBP 5k are not uncommon. This could represent 16.7% of a small pot worth GBP 30,001 just above the threshold. That could also be 10 years+ of what your existing defined benefit rights may be, given a small 30k transfer pot may pay only a few hundred pound a year annual income if left in a defined benefit scheme

5) Some advisors want the fee regardless of what the final recommendation will be. So they can take 5k, then turn round and say it is not in your interests. Result you are 5k out of pocket. Their backside is covered and they still get you're money regardless.

6) In the event the advisor recommends against the transfer, you can become an "insistent client" and still try and go ahead, ignore the advice and transfer anyway. The UK law is you must get advice, although you can then in theory ignore it completely and use it as the toilet paper it may be worth, while becoming insistent you proceed

7)In my case the SIPP provider I want to transfer to (Hargreaves Lansdown) have said that they will only take my funds if the recommendation to transfer is favourable. So although technically I will be allowed to transfer out as an "insistent client" I may not be able to find someone I'm happy with to receive the transfer in!

8)Contingent fees can help you mitigate some of the risk. In my case if I do go ahead, I would much prefer an agreement where I only pay on successful completion, to mitigate point 5) and them saying no and being still stuck with your pot just 5k worse off. there are pitfalls with this though. I don't need the advice, and don't want it, but must take it. Hence in my case I care nothing for the quality, just it recommends yes I can do.

9) For someone really needing advice though, be careful of contingent fees, as they come with conflicts of interest. = recommending you transfer out so they get their contingent fee, when this maybe isn't in your interest to do so.

10) I notice the cheapest fees around are often not contingent on success. You have to pay regardless. Cheapest often goes hand in hand with dodgiest too

11) I trust my defined benefit scheme owner of 20 years+ and trust the potential SIPP provider to transfer to, (Hargreaves Lansdown - I'v been a client for over 20 years). I feel "safe" with both. One suits me more of course in meeting my objectives, but at least I feel safe:
The idea though of placing a UK financial advisor in the middle is really not a safe feeling for me at all. Trusting my cash to someone 6,000 miles away I've never met, except over the internet, isn't something I really would choose while sane

12) I'm personally happy assessing the credit risks, FX risks, tax risks, inflation risks, investment risks, market risks, interest rate risks, liquidity and cash flow risks etc etc (and all the other risks as well as return). I'm not comfortable with the risks of using a financial advisor though or assessing them over the internet from 6,000 miles away

13) Be careful of scams. You can check FCA registers etc. But remember you're doing this once or twice, sophisticated scammers make a living from it. So you're at a severe disadvantage. No doubt even for those registered there are tricks of the trade. These may even comply with the letter of the law although not the spirit

14) As you live so far away, seeking redress in any form could be a nightmare. From reporting and being compensated for fraud to just poor advice, unethical practices. You could be the person who's complaint results in someone being removed from the FCA register but that's just the start of any problems to deal with from 1,000's miles away if it goes wrong
16) Some advisors will only help you if you lock into being a "long term client", "ongoing reviews", ongoing charges for advice etc. My view is to try and avoid these

17)Some advisors can only advise for their products. Be careful. But keep an open mind.
This is actually an option I'm considering. I want my SIPP with Hargreaves Lansdown, but I recognise settling for a second or third choice provider may be preferable to wading thru the whole FA cess pit and some aspects of the process.
eg a 2nd or 3rd choice that will receive your transfer in, give you the necessary advice you must take to make it happen, but tie you into them

18) Anyone going thru this process will get pushed by some advisors/ websites/ marketing etc to consider "QROPS", "QNUPs", "Offshore SIPPs". Be very careful in most cases they won't be suitable and will be less regulated.
After some time wading thru all the issues I'm dealing with though and considering myself someone capable of evaluating the charges and risks and massive pitfalls with these options, I've started to consider it. They could possibly be the lesser of 3 evils for me , and despite being a rip off, may be more suitable than some of the other choices.

19) Be flexible though and prepared to consider other options - providing you're comfortable and sufficiently financially aware to do so.

20) For many the old saying "if in doubt do nowt" springs to mind though. This may be the one best piece of advice someone could give. Obviously doesn't fit all, but worth being a default

All in all a horrible process to go through. I expect to be a lot more aware of things when I finish, but thought I'd just drop a few notes here for now. Always useful to share

For anyone bothering to research the subject, the FCA has been issuing papers for consultation and some policy statements on how to improve the quality of advice

www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-confirms-final-rules-improving-quality-pension-transfer-advice

Yes a visit to a wintry picture postcard Bolton might be an option Chiangmai and something in the back of my mind.

I'd no plans to go until next summer at the earliest though, and given the 3 month window on my quote would mean a special trip. Realistically would cost around 700 pounds including transfers to and from airports both sides, and take 3 days if just done as a round trip.

There's a possibility I might go to UK next summer, but I think I have to wait another 12 months to be allowed a second transfer value quote.

If I could line all the ducks in a row and that was the only obstacle it's a thought though. Finding out there were other steps after would really p*** me off. Or if Clive suddenly becomes unavailable after I arrive etc

^^^ love that newspeak language, good governance, .

Its a hornets nest of cronyism and nepotism, back handers, no income tax no vat no money back no guarante, spivs and wideboys.

In all fairness, he's not really looking for advice. Rather he's looking for a way to circumvent the rules by paying for the pretence of being seen to have received advice that he neither wants nor needs but is required by law to have.....when things get to that stage the system doesn't work for the people it's meant to benefit.