A WORCESTERSHIRE firm of chartered independent financial planners has won a national award for its excellent financial advice for the third year running.

McCarthy Taylor Ltd, which has offices in Worcester and Evesham, took the media gold standard for independent financial advice at a ceremony at the House Of Commons.

The Gold Standard Awards are judged by an independent panel of experts and assess financial strength, capability, service, fair value and trust.

McCarthy Taylor managing director Paul Taylor said: "To win this award our firm has shown it has strong structures and procedures in place and that we are going above and beyond standard business practices to promote trust in the sector. Our priority is, always has been and always will be, getting the best returns and offering the very best service with our clients at the heart of everything we do. To win this award three years in a row shows that we continue to develop and excel in today's ever-changing market, staying at the top of our game.”

Deborah Benn, chair of the judging panel, added: "McCarthy Taylor takes an extremely practical approach to advice that takes due diligence seriously. A well structured team system means clients have confidence in knowing who they can deal with in any given situation. Clients benefit from a consistency of communication that works by focusing on depth and meaning. High levels of experience leverage the firm's capabilities extremely effectively. Processes have been mapped out to the smallest detail which demonstrates care and attention. This attention to detail cascades through to a well-rounded financial planning service that covers a lot of ground for its clients.”

The award comes just weeks after McCarthy Taylor was named in the New Model Adviser Top 100 financial planners . The firm was also named the Financial Times financial adviser protection adviser of the year 2014.