Is Ownvance legit?
Ownvance is a financial consulting firm that helps individuals plan their money, understand investing and check firms or offers before paying. Its only income is a fixed fee from each client, agreed in writing before work starts. It never accepts deposits, sells investments or looks after anyone's money, so you have nothing to hand over to it.
Rather than asking you to trust us, we'd point you to things you can test: every agreement is written down, the fee is fixed, and none of the tactics investment scams depend on ever appear in the way we work.
Is Ownvance a scam?
The fair answer is a test you can run yourself. Investment scams persuade you to send money to someone who then controls it, usually with talk of high or guaranteed returns. Ownvance has no use for your money: we don't take it, invest it or promise returns. Anyone using our name to ask for money to invest isn't us.
Our guides to investment fraud red flags and crypto and romance scams describe the patterns scammers rely on, including clone firms that copy a real firm's name and details.
What does Ownvance actually do?
Ownvance does three kinds of work for individuals: a personal financial plan covering budget, emergency fund, debts and goals; one-to-one investing education; and checks on a firm or offer before you pay. Each produces something written that you keep, such as a plan, session notes or a record. Your money stays in your own accounts throughout.
Is Ownvance regulated?
Ownvance isn't an investment firm, and we don't claim to hold any financial regulator's licence. Our work of explaining, planning and checking doesn't involve managing money, holding it, arranging investments or recommending products. Where your situation needs a regulated adviser, we tell you in writing and help you prepare to find one you can confirm on the regulator's register.
If anyone tells you Ownvance is licensed to take or invest your money, treat it as a warning sign. We aren't, and we never do either.
How is Ownvance paid?
Ownvance is paid only by the people it works for, through a fixed fee set out in an engagement letter before any work starts. We take no commissions, referral fees or kickbacks from banks, platforms, fund managers, brokers or lenders. Nobody on the other side of a decision you're making has any reason to pay us to steer you.
More on fees is on how we work.
What should you ask any financial consultant, including us?
Ask any financial consultant, us included, who pays them, whether they'll ever hold or move your money, exactly what you get for the fee, and how you can tell their messages are genuine. A firm worth hiring answers each of these in writing before you agree to anything, without having to be chased.
- Who pays you, apart from me?
- Will you ever hold, move or invest my money?
- What exactly will I receive, and in what form?
- Is the fee fixed, and what would make it change?
- Are you authorised by a financial regulator, and if so, for what?
- How can I be sure a message really comes from you?
You'll find our answers here and on how we work.
Are there reviews of Ownvance?
This website doesn't publish testimonials or star ratings, because you'd have no way to check they were genuine. We don't pay for reviews or offer anything in return for one. Should you come across Ownvance mentioned elsewhere, compare the web address and email domain with the ones here to be sure it's genuinely about us.
How can you tell whether a message or website is really from Ownvance?
Check three things. The sender's address should be at exactly the same domain as this website. The message should never ask for money to invest, passwords, one-time codes or remote access. And if you're unsure, type our web address into your browser yourself and write to us from there, ignoring any links or numbers in the message.
- Compare the sender's domain with the address in your browser one letter at a time: fake domains often change a single character.
- Don't rely on a caller ID, a profile picture or a logo. All of them are easy to fake.
- Treat urgency and requests for secrecy as warning signs, whoever seems to be asking.
Our email address is consulting@ownvance.com.
What will Ownvance never ask you for?
Ownvance will never ask you to send money to invest, pay a fee to release returns or withdrawals, share passwords, banking logins or one-time codes, install remote-access software, or keep anything secret from your bank or family. We also never contact people out of the blue with investment offers.
- Money to invest, or a fee to release your money or a return.
- Passwords, banking logins, card details or one-time codes.
- Remote access to your computer or phone.
- Secrecy from your bank, your family or anyone else you trust.
- A decision on the spot about an investment you never asked about.
What should you do if someone misuses our name?
Cut off contact and send nothing more. If money has already gone, ask your bank's fraud team, on a number you trust, whether the payment can be stopped or recalled. Then report it to the police, or to your national fraud reporting service. Please let us know as well, so we can warn others.
You can reach us at the address on our contact page. Be very wary of anyone who then offers to recover your money for a fee: it's a common second scam aimed at people who have just lost money.