How Perry Monroe Freed Up Time to Grow Their Business

For many independent financial advisers, the day-to-day administration of client portfolios quietly consumes the time that should be spent on financial planning. Rebalances, investment changes, client communications, confirmations — each one individually manageable, but collectively a significant drain. Perry Monroe knew this well, and it was becoming a constraint on their growth.

Their experience with P1 Investment Services and the Mandated Model Portfolio (MMP) service is a useful illustration of what changes when an IFA firm resolves that tension properly.

The Problem With Advised Portfolios

Perry Monroe had built a solid practice with strong processes and efficient client communications. But advised portfolios created an inherent bottleneck. Every rebalance or investment change required client sign-off before it could be implemented. That dependency meant delays. Those delays meant inconsistency across client accounts. And inconsistency meant more time spent managing the fallout.

Even with well-run systems, the time cost was real. And crucially, it was limiting the firm's ability to take on new clients and grow — not because of a lack of demand, but because of operational friction that sat deep inside the investment process.

A Different Approach: Mandated Model Portfolios

Rather than continuing with advised portfolios, Perry Monroe worked with P1 to establish a range of discretionary mandated model portfolios, built to their own specification and branded under their name.

The process began with a consultation in which the Perry Monroe team outlined their requirements: the number of portfolios needed, target asset allocations, maximum ongoing charge levels, and ESG criteria. P1 then created the discretionary mandates and, once Perry Monroe had reviewed and approved them, built out the portfolio range, a blend of active and passive investments with a bias towards positive ESG criteria.

The result was eight risk-rated model portfolios, five focused on growth and three on income, available across two third-party adviser platforms and P1's own platform. Designed by Perry Monroe. Managed by P1. Branded throughout as Perry Monroe's own.

Ongoing Management Without Losing Control

One of the more important aspects of the arrangement is the ongoing governance structure. Perry Monroe and the P1 investment team hold quarterly Investment Committee Meetings, with P1 providing the agenda, portfolio performance data, market commentary, and proposals for any allocation or fund changes.

This means Perry Monroe retains genuine input into how their portfolios are managed, without bearing the regulatory and operational burden of implementing changes themselves. Following each ICM, P1 execute any agreed adjustments across the range. The investment process continues at pace, independent of individual client approval.

“Having the Perry Monroe portfolios managed on a discretionary basis has allowed us to continue to grow the business more efficiently. It has given us time to concentrate on financial planning for our clients whilst still being fully aware of how our portfolios are being managed via our quarterly ICMs.”

Daniel Lawrence, IFA, Perry Monroe

The Practical Outcome

The shift has had a measurable impact on how Perry Monroe operates. The time previously absorbed by the administration of advised portfolios has been redirected towards client-facing financial planning work. The firm is now recruiting an additional adviser and support staff, growth that is directly linked to having the capacity to take it on.

There is also a subtler benefit worth noting. Because the portfolios carry the Perry Monroe brand at every stage, clients experience their adviser's name throughout the financial planning relationship. The discretionary management is handled externally, but the client relationship remains firmly with Perry Monroe.

What This Means for Other IFA Firms

Perry Monroe's experience raises a straightforward question for any advice firm still running advised portfolios: how much of your team's time is the investment administration actually costing you, and what could that time be used for instead?

The MMP model does not mean handing over control. It means structuring investment management in a way that allows an award-winning investment team to handle execution and ongoing oversight, while the advice firm retains its own identity, its own investment philosophy, and its own client relationships. The regulatory responsibility does not increase. The operational burden decreases substantially.

For firms that want to grow without simply adding headcount to manage the same administrative pressure, that is a meaningful distinction.