We are proud to share that McLaren Capital has been named in FT Adviser’s Top 50 Boutique Financial Advisers for 2026, placing us among a small group of firms recognised for the quality and consistency of the service they provide to their clients.
A Select Group of Advice Firms
FT Adviser, part of the Financial Times group, has been ranking the UK’s leading financial advice firms for three decades. Its Top 100 list recognises the largest firms in the country, while the Top 50 Boutiques list, introduced in 2025, was created to celebrate smaller firms that show you do not need to be big to be among the best.
To qualify, a firm must have 10 or fewer advisers on the FCA register, and only 50 make the final list. With around 5,500 authorised advice firms in the UK, that makes it a genuinely select group.
Recognition Based on the Evidence
What sets this recognition apart is how it is decided.
There is no application form, no entry fee and no nomination process. Instead, the list is compiled independently by FT Adviser with ISS Market Intelligence, using data drawn directly from fund managers and investment platforms covering more than 90 per cent of the UK advice market.
Around 100 boutique firms were shortlisted and then scored across seven measures: the assets they look after, how those assets have grown, the level of new client investment, how well they retain their clients, how long they have been established, the underlying performance of the assets, and their professional standing.
In other words, it is not about who tells the best story. It is about what the evidence shows.
Standing Out in a Changing Advice Market
This year’s rankings came at a particularly busy time for the advice profession.
FT Adviser reports that 2026 has been the strongest year for UK financial advisers since its rankings began in 1996, with more people seeking help than ever before. Much of this has been driven by changes to the tax landscape, particularly around inheritance tax and pensions, prompting many families to look again at how they plan for retirement and pass on wealth to the next generation.
Against that backdrop, standing out among the UK’s boutique firms is a real achievement.
It also reflects a wider shift in the industry. The FCA estimates that the number of advice firms has fallen by around 15 per cent since 2021, as larger groups have bought up smaller practices.
Independent boutique firms like ours continue to play an important role, offering clients a more personal relationship with the people who know them, their families and their long-term goals.
Built on the Trust of Our Clients
For us, the data behind this recognition tells a simple story.
Our clients stay with us, recommend us to the people they care about, and trust us with more of their wealth over time.
That trust has been the foundation of McLaren Capital since we were founded in Godalming in 2008, and it is something we never take for granted.
Thank you
This achievement belongs as much to our clients as it does to our team.
We would like to thank every one of you for the confidence you place in us, and our colleagues for the care and expertise they bring to their work every day.
Recognition like this is very welcome, but our priorities remain unchanged: getting to know you, understanding what matters to you, and helping you plan with clarity and confidence for the years ahead.