ADVANCED FINANCIAL PLANNING SCOTLAND LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC387177 · ltd · incorporated 2010-10-18
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 Mar 2025
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 72-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 72). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
3 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 15.1y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 15.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 2 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
46 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 | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 1100 | 800 |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-10-08📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-10-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-28➕BURNETT & REID LLP appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2025-04-28➖TAGGART MEIL MATHERS resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2025-04-28📄appoint-corporate-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP04
- 2025-04-28📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2025-02-04📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2024-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-03-22📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-03-19🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Handelsbanken PLC
- 2024-03-18📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-03-18🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2023-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-21📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2020-01-13🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Openwork Services Limited
- 2019-12-10📄capital-alter-shares-subdivisioncapital · SH02
- 2019-12-10📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2019-12-10📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2019-11-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-13🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2011-03-25🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Openwork Services Limited
- 2011-02-09➖GLAZIER, Simon Timothy resigneddirector
- 2010-10-18🏢Company incorporatedAs ADVANCED FINANCIAL PLANNING SCOTLAND LIMITED
- 2010-10-18➕SMITH, James West appointeddirector
- 2010-10-18➕TAGGART MEIL MATHERS appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2010-10-18➕GLAZIER, Simon Timothy appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 72 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
88/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 72 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- 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 James West Smith Individual · British · DOB 11/1954 · age 72 | 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.
Similar companies
Active · Financial services · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADAM SINCLAIR & ASSOCIATES WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD→ SC696858 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ALOBP INVESTMENTS LTD→ SC660311 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ASHRIDGE CAPITAL FUND I CI GP LIMITED→ SC366440 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| BAKER HUGHES UK PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED→ SC073307 · est 1980 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 45y | — | — |
| CALEDONIA ASSET FINANCE LTD→ SC677643 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CITY & SHIRE ASSET FINANCE LIMITED→ SC677334 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CITY & SHIRE LEASING LIMITED→ SC677333 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| CLD INVESTMENT GROUP LTD→ SC823588 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CRAIGENDARROCH INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ SC337515 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| CREEKSTONE LTD→ SC822803 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| D DUFF (ABERDEEN) LIMITED→ SC342342 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| DAVID BIRKMYRE LIMITED→ SC163367 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2010-10-18
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC64999 — Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified
Registered office
80 High Street
Inverurie
Aberdeenshire
AB51 3XS
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-01
Last: 2025-10-18
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
BURNETT & REID LLP→
Activecorporate-secretary · appointed 2025-04-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SMITH, James West→
Activedirector · ~72y · appointed 2010-10-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
TAGGART MEIL MATHERS→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2010-10-18 · resigned 2025-04-28
GLAZIER, Simon Timothy→
Resigneddirector · ~49y · appointed 2010-10-18 · resigned 2011-02-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
3
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Handelsbanken Handelsbanken PLC | A registered charge | — | 19/03/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | Openwork Services Openwork Services Limited | A registered charge | — | 13/01/2020 | 18/03/2024 | |
| satisfied | Openwork Services Openwork Services Limited | Debenture | 1 property | 25/03/2011 | 13/05/2017 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (46 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-20
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-10-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-10-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-03
appoint-corporate-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP04
2025-04-28
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2025-04-28
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2025-02-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-04
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2024-03-22
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-03-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-19