With 15 Years of experience as a financial adviser in Abu Dhabi, I specialise in providing high-level wealth planning and cross-border tax strategies for private clients and family offices.
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I started this practice because too many capable, sophisticated families were getting advice shaped by what an institution needed to sell, not what they actually needed to hear. I wanted to build something different: advice that answers only to the client.
I’m James Spence, a UK Level 4 qualified financial adviser and member of both the CII and CISI, with 15 years’experience structuring international wealth for private clients and family offices.
I work through NEBA Private Clients, part of a private client network of independent financial advisers ultimately listed on the London Stock Exchange. That gives me access to a global network of licensed offices — including the UAE, where I hold both SCA and IA licences — so I can provide fully regulated advice to UAE residents while drawing on an international framework for cross-border solutions in the UK, Singapore and South Africa.
I’m independent, not a tied agent. That’s a real distinction from the private-banking model: banks are limited to their own product range; I’m not.
I charge a clear, professional fee— flat, hourly, or a percentage of assets under management - rather than hidden commission, and I hold myself to a fiduciary standard: a legal and ethical obligation to act solely in your interest, even where that conflicts with mine.
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A crucial distinction from traditional banking models. While banks are limited to their in-house product range, my independence enables me to provide truly unbiased recommendations and source optimal solutions from the entire UAE market.
That means access to sophisticated, specialized options that most institutions, including private banks, cannot offer. My commitment is always to providing advice tailored precisely to what is genuinely in your best interests, not restricted by a limited product list.
Have more questions? Get in touch for tailored advice.
