- "In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably…and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us."
Alex Tanner, George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd - "Bird Luckin has looked after us incredibly well for over 60 years, they are pro-active and innovational - meeting all our needs to help us achieve our aims."
Richard Stubbings, Cliffords Limited - "I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!"
Colin Webb, Walthamstow Stadium - "It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support."
Jane Bennett, Bennetts Funeral Directors - "Although we deal mainly with one Partner … we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily"
Jeremy Ruggles, J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd - "Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks"
Matthew Sullivan, SNC Ltd - "You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference.""
Robert Church, W A Church (Bures) Ltd - "The work which Bird Luckin has done for Boddingtons over the past few months has helped shape our future direction for the better."
John Warner, Chief Executive, Boddingtons Ltd - "Bird Luckin has acted for us since our inception 10 years ago. They have a very 'can do' yet highly professional attitude - we are very appreciative of their support and advice over the years."
Marlon Fox, Outlook Property Ltd
Pension providers accused of misleading savers over hidden costs
Pension providers are misleading savers over additional costs and charges on their pension schemes, says a report by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).
It found 21 out of 23 providers it questioned failed to disclose information about the full costs of private pension funds when asked. According to the RSA, consumers were unaware that additional fees were eroding the value of their final pensions.
Although consumers were told about the annual management charge (AMC) - the fee fund managers take for their service during the year - pension providers failed to disclose additional charges for audits and custodial costs, as well as other hidden costs such as taxes, stock lending fees and broking commissions.
The RSA said that additional fees, such as an additional two per cent annual charge, could over the lifetime of a pension amount to halving its overall value. It found that individual consumers and businesses were unaware of the scale of the problem.
In addition, it found that under half of contract-based pensions providers - those offered to staff by employers - were willing to give the full details of charges.
"Even when costs are declared, it is not done in a way in which typical pension savers are likely to understand," the report said.
According to the RSA, money is typically held within a pension fund for 25 years. Based on this figure, a 1.5 per cent charge per annum would translate to 37.5 per cent over a pension fund's lifetime.
Talking to the BBC, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) insisted that its members revealed all costs, as required and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
Otto Thoresen of the ABI said: "All employees who have contract-based defined contribution pensions have their charges disclosed in their key facts information when they purchase a pension."
The year-long investigation into the pensions industry concluded that pension savers were 'not being provided with adequate information.'
It suggested that trust and transparency could be brought into the British pension system by providing consumers with annual statements revealing all charges and costs. The bank account-style statements are used in other countries such as Denmark.
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