DIRECT FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD
💤Zombieactive
04505057 · ltd · incorporated 2002-08-07
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 60-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 60). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 18.3y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (1 active, 8 linked, 4 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
73 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-24📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-28📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-dateannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-12-31➖PERKINS, Michael John resignedsecretary
- 2011-12-31➖PERKINS, Michael John resigneddirector
- 2008-03-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2007-02-14➕HUBBARD, Ian Charles appointeddirector
- 2007-02-14➖LEE, Peter Leonard resigneddirector
- 2007-02-09➖DUNN, Glynne Adrian resigneddirector
- 2007-02-07➖DUNN, Kerry Jane resignedsecretary
- 2007-02-07➕PERKINS, Michael John appointedsecretary
- 2006-01-01➕LEE, Peter Leonard appointeddirector
- 2006-01-01➕PERKINS, Michael John appointeddirector
- 2002-08-07🏢Company incorporatedAs DIRECT FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD
- 2002-08-07➕DUNN, Kerry Jane appointedsecretary
- 2002-08-07➕INCORPORATE SECRETARIAT LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-08-07➖INCORPORATE SECRETARIAT LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-08-07➕DUNN, Glynne Adrian appointeddirector
- 2002-08-07➕INCORPORATE DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-08-07➖INCORPORATE DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
93/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Ian Charles Hubbard Individual · British · DOB 07/1966 · age 60 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Financial services · PL postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHRIS NEWTON MORTGAGE SERVICES LIMITED→ 08891809 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| D.H.CORMACK LIMITED→ 00447992 · est 1948 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 78y | — | — |
| DARREN COURTNELL LIMITED→ 07137724 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DARREN ROWE FINANCIAL PLANNING LIMITED→ 07108874 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DAVEY WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD→ 12380133 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| DL MORTGAGES LTD→ 13868214 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EMERALD HILL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LIMITED→ 07309948 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| EQUITAS FINANCIAL (UK) LIMITED→ 08305878 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| EQUITAS FINANCIAL LIMITED→ 06329410 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ETHICAL INVESTMENTS (SW) LTD→ 11611438 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| EXCALIBER ASSOCIATES LIMITED→ 06435579 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| EXTRASIGN LIMITED→ 05903376 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2002-08-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64999 — Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified
Registered office
2 Osborne Place Lockyer Street
The Hoe
Plymouth
Devon
PL1 2PU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last: 2026-04-16
Officers (1 active · 7 resigned)
HUBBARD, Ian Charles→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2007-02-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DUNN, Kerry Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-08-07 · resigned 2007-02-07
PERKINS, Michael John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-02-07 · resigned 2011-12-31
INCORPORATE SECRETARIAT LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-08-07 · resigned 2002-08-07
DUNN, Glynne Adrian→
Resigneddirector · ~59y · appointed 2002-08-07 · resigned 2007-02-09
LEE, Peter Leonard→
Resigneddirector · ~71y · appointed 2006-01-01 · resigned 2007-02-14
PERKINS, Michael John→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 2006-01-01 · resigned 2011-12-31
INCORPORATE DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-08-07 · resigned 2002-08-07
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/03/2008 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (73 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-07
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-07-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-09-26