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Financial Planning

Revisiting Your Financial Plan in 2023

Revisiting Your Financial Plan in 2023

2 min read

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” – Alexander Graham Bell

Revisiting Your Financial Plan in 2023

2 min read

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” – Alexander Graham Bell

It’s the start of a new year, so you might want to set yourself some financial goals. This can be anything from getting on the property ladder to retiring early, but each goal requires a plan.

Creating a professional financial plan is essential for ensuring long-term financial stability and success. It helps you identify where your money is going, set goals to save more and invest wisely, and track progress towards reaching those goals. By taking the time to create a financial plan, you can make sure that your finances are well managed and organised in order to reach your desired future goals.

Additionally, having professional guidance will help maximise your potential for achieving greater wealth and security over time. This means you will be better equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to make informed decisions about how to best manage and protect your money for the future.

Your Financial Resolutions for 2023

We all have different financial goals and aspirations in life, yet these goals can often seem out of reach. In today’s complex financial environment, achieving your financial goals may not be that straightforward. This is where financial planning is essential. Designed to help secure your financial future, a financial plan seeks to identify your financial goals, prioritise them and then outline the exact steps that you need to take to achieve your goals.

If your New Year’s resolutions include giving your financial plans an overhaul, here are our financial planning tips to help you create a robust financial plan for 2023 and beyond:

  • Be specific about your objectives
  • Keep them realistic
  • Divide your goals into short, medium and long-term
  • Utilise any tax allowances
  • Create and implement a comprehensive financial plan
  • Monitor and review your financial plan
  • Talk to the experts

Comprehensive Financial Plan

Creating and implementing a comprehensive financial plan will help you develop a clear picture of your current financial situation by reviewing your income, assets and liabilities.

Other elements to consider will typically include putting in place a Will to protect your family, thinking about how your family will manage without your income should you fall ill or die prematurely, or creating a more efficient tax strategy.

Beginning your retirement planning early gives you the best chance of making sure you have adequate funds to support your lifestyle. You may have several pension pots with different employers, as well as your own savings to withdraw from.

Monitoring and Reviewing

There is little point in setting goals and never returning to them.

You should expect to make alterations as life changes. Set a formal yearly review at the very least to check you are on track to meeting your goals. Setting goals marks the beginning of financial planning to help you achieve the objectives at various life stages.

Goalsetting gives meaning and direction to the various financial decisions you will take during your lifetime. The start of a new year is the perfect time to review your financial strength, pore over your budget and make big plans for the coming year and beyond.

Do You Need a Financial Plan that is Tailored to You?

We want to help you make the most of your money. Professional financial advice could help build a secure future for you and your family. To review your situation, please contact us – we look forward to hearing from you.

Send us an e-mail to info@pattersonmills.ch or call us direct at +41 21 801 36 84 and arrange your no-cost and no-obligation meeting, today.

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Financial Planning

Small Steps to Sell with Success

Small Steps to Sell with Success

“Buyers decide in the first eight seconds of seeing a home if they’re interested in buying it. Get out of your car, walk in their shoes and see what they see within the first eight seconds” –  Barbara Corcoran

1 min read

Small Steps to Sell with Success

“Buyers decide in the first eight seconds of seeing a home if they’re interested in buying it. Get out of your car, walk in their shoes and see what they see within the first eight seconds.” Barbara Corcoran

1 min read

Planning to sell? You already know there’s a lot of big things to think about. But don’t neglect the small details either.

Seemingly minor changes can make a significant difference to how a property is perceived and, ultimately, its sale price. Here are three top tips for putting the finishing touches to your home before listing it for sale.

1. Appearances count

If you’ve been putting off any DIY tasks, now might be the time to finally get them done! Presenting a well-maintained property shows prospective buyers that the house has been well cared for, which will reassure them that there won’t be any nasty surprises. In contrast, if buyers notice obvious DIY shortfalls, they’ll factor the costs of carrying these out into their offer price.

2. Lose the quirks

It’s a good idea to remove some of the more personal objects and displays around your home. Without making it feel like an empty white box, you can help prospective buyers better imagine themselves living in your house by taking away your most glaring quirks.

3. Define rooms

Over time, rooms can end up evolving away from their original purpose – intentionally or not. This is normal but when it comes to selling, clarity is key. If the spare bedroom has become a storage depot, converting it back to its original purpose can help showcase the space and market the house more effectively.

Big and small

Having someone on your side to help with the big decisions can help you stay in control of every little detail. We can help.

Get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting. Send us an e-mail to info@pattersonmills.ch or call us direct at +41 21 801 36 84.

Categories
Financial Planning

Keeping Investment Emotions in Check

Keeping Investment Emotions in Check

“In the world of money and investing, you must learn to control your emotions” — Robert Kiyosaki

2 min read

Keeping Investment Emotions in Check

“In the world of money and investing, you must learn to control your emotions” Robert Kiyosaki

2 min read

While Rudyard Kipling may not have been thinking about investments when he penned his famous poem ‘If’, his words will certainly resonate with investors at the moment. The current investment landscape undoubtedly presents a challenge, even for experienced investors, but those who can keep their head when all about are losing theirs definitely have the best chance of success.

Emotional Rollercoaster

It can be extremely difficult for investors to keep their emotions in check when there is so much economic and geopolitical noise being reported on a daily basis. But market volatility is normal and investors who hold a well-diversified, risk-appropriate portfolio and stay focused on their long-term objectives, goals and aspirations are historically best equipped to get through such periods.

Clear Goals are Essential

Setting clear goals and developing a corresponding plan to achieve them is invariably the key to investment success. Although plans may need to be adapted from time to time to take account of changes in individual circumstances or investment goals, having a well-thought-out strategy helps investors deal with unexpected events and remain calm when markets become turbulent.

Reacting to Market Downturns

When you see significant market downturn, it is important to not panic. Instead of cutting your investments in half or immediately selling everything, an incremental approach could benefit you. Small, incremental contributions on a regular basis will enable you to take advantage of lower prices by use of franc-cost averaging (or dollar/pound-cost averaging).

Markets are constantly moving up and down, and no matter where you sit on the risk scale there will almost always be a time at some point where things are not going in your favour. If this does happen, it is important to remember that this is part of the long-term investment process.

Should you be approaching the time when you need to access your funds, it is usually worth having already moved out of riskier assets and into lower risk assets in order to protect your portfolio from the vagaries of the market. This should be, or have been, discussed with your Adviser from the inception of your portfolio.

Guiding You to Success

It is only natural that decisions made during market downturns may be due to panic. However, at Patterson Mills, we would always recommend getting in touch before making any decisions that may have a permanent impact.

We aim to guide you through any market downturns towards success, so make sure you get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting. Send us an e-mail to info@pattersonmills.ch or call us direct at +41 21 801 36 84.

Categories
Financial Planning

The Growing Need for Intergenerational Planning

The Growing Need for Intergenerational Planning

“The future of our families, of the generations to come, lies in what we do today, in what we speak today” – Vichell Gudes

2 min read

The Growing Need for Intergenerational Planning

“The future of our families, of the generations to come, lies in what we do today, in what we speak today” – Vichell Gudes

2 min read

With the next 30 years set to witness the largest ever intergenerational passing of wealth, the need for generational wealth and estate planning has never been greater. Intergenerational planning, however, can also help with more immediate financial needs, particularly when generations work collaboratively to find solutions that support the whole family both now and in the future.

Inflation concerns

Currently, financial pressures are proving a key challenge across all generations, especially the impact of rising energy and health insurance costs as we move towards the winter period. The cost-of-living, though, is not only impacting people’s current spending power but also their future decision-making capabilities with regard to key issues such as housing, private education or University.

Balancing current and future needs

This has resulted in families increasingly adopting integrated strategies in order to address imminent financial challenges. While reducing future tax liabilities inevitably remains at the heart of intergenerational planning decisions, the growing necessity to balance today’s and tomorrow’s needs is resulting in the focus shifting to support for children and grandchildren now.

Involving the generations

Intergenerational planning tends to be most effective when the process is not just focused on those who currently hold wealth. While funding a comfortable retirement and quality of care for the ‘caretaker’ generations remain fundamental elements of intergenerational planning, delivery of support for the coming generations and ensuring wealth passes efficiently to the right individuals at the right time have become increasingly important dimensions.

More families share an Adviser

Greater involvement across multiple generations has also seen sharing a Financial Adviser become increasingly commonplace. This trend offers significant benefits, particularly when it comes to joining up a whole family’s needs with inheritance and gifting strategies, while treating all family members fairly.

Encouraging conversations

If your family needs help with any aspect of intergenerational planning, then please get in touch. We will be happy to assist you by encouraging more open financial conversations across the generations and providing essential guidance so you can never be in doubt about your next steps.

Get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting. Send us an e-mail to info@pattersonmills.ch or call us direct at +41 21 801 36 84.

Categories
Financial Planning

Demand for Energy-Efficient Properties Strengthens

Demand for Energy-Efficient Properties Strengthens

“Sustainable development requires human ingenuity. People are the most important resource” – Dan Shechtman

2 min read

Demand for Energy-Efficient Properties Strengthens

“Sustainable development requires human ingenuity. People are the most important resource” – Dan Shechtman

2 min read

A growing proportion of house hunters are focusing on energy-efficient considerations when looking to buy a new home.

How are Energy-efficient different from self-sufficient homes?

Energy-efficiency simply means the property will use less energy, whilst remaining on-the-grid.

On the other hand, a self-succient property requires no external heat or power supply, which makes energy prices completely irrelevant. Many of these types of houses will generate energy from solar, wind, heat pumps or water sources. However, a 100% self-sufficient home is rare, with homes realistically being able to achieve up to 80% self-sufficiency.

What parts of the property are involved in energy-efficient construction?

Insulation is key when constructing or renovating a property to be energy-efficient. This means that windows, doors, the attic and basement will need to be carefully considered. In addition, modern heating and ventilation systems are often able to out-perform older systems thereby cutting heating costs and heat loss. 

Is energy-efficient construction or property worth it?

In a climate of rising energy prices, making your home energy-efficient can reduce your costs of powering and heating your home. This can have a significant impact in your outgoings over time. Usually, the investment pays for itself in a few years. That being said, it is imporant to remember that energy-efficient properties can require maintenance that others might not.

A growing proportion of house hunters are focusing on energy-efficient considerations when looking to buy a new home

Research1 suggests that rising energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis are having a significant impact on how buyers prioritise various desirable features, with an increasing number focusing on aspects related to energy efficiency.

Key features

Cavity wall insulation was this year’s biggest mover of the top 20 features, rising five spots from 20th in 2021 to 15th in the current rankings. In addition, a good energy efficiency rating rose three spots to sixth place, while a new boiler or central heating system was four positions higher than last year in ninth.

Top spot

Interestingly, the top five must-have house attributes remained the same this year as last, with a private garden and central heating tied at the top of the table. Double glazing, secure doors and windows and a reliable broadband connection also remained high up on the list of desirable features.

Bring your stresses to a halt, get in touch

Searching for an energy-efficient home, or any home for that matter, can be challenging, and if you are building or renovating your own property, there are many subsidies or tax deductions that you might be eligible for. We are here to make every step of the property purchasing process as efficient as possible. So, get in touch today and we’ll work to make your property purchase, renovation or construction as seamless as it can be with the support from our specialists.

Send us an e-mail to info@pattersonmills.ch or call us direct at +41 21 801 36 84.

1GoCompare, 2022

Categories
Financial Planning

Sandwich Generation: How Are You?

Sandwich Generation: How Are You?

“The family – that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to” – Dodie Smith

2 min read

Sandwich Generation: How Are You?

“The family – that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to” – Dodie Smith

2 min read

The sandwich generation (middle-aged individuals supporting both aging parents and growing children) are certainly used to challenges and putting other people’s needs before their own. However, cost-of-living challenges look set to heap further pressure on this group which makes it vitally important they seek advice before taking any rash decisions which could sacrifice their financial futures.

Stiff upper lip

Research1 suggests that, although many over-45-year-olds have found themselves facing potential financial vulnerability, they tend to keep this firmly to themselves. In total, seven out of ten respondents had personally experienced such a situation, but few said they had been willing to ask for help.

Double whammy

Other analysis2 shows the potential for such problems is mounting. This is because people who provide support to adult loved ones will typically be hit twice by the cost-of-living crisis; not only will they find their own household bills rising but also those of the people they are supporting financially. This is particularly true for people in their early 40s who are most likely to be helping family members with the cost of monthly essentials.

Investors ponder contributions

There is also evidence that rising cost pressures are now resulting in people cutting back on their long-term savings commitments, with recent research3 showing one in four investors halting contributions to pensions and other savings and investment vehicles. Depending on your circumstances, for many investors, it may be more important than ever to continue to put long-term savings in the stock market. Over the longer term, investing in equities can be regarded as an effective way to keep pace with inflation.

We can help

Although it can seem unnatural for members of the sandwich generation to consider their own needs, we are here to listen, support and provide advice when you need it. So if you do need to talk, get in touch today and we’ll do our best to help keep your finances firmly on track. can weigh up your options.

Send us an e-mail to info@pattersonmills.ch or call us direct at +41 21 801 36 84.

1Just Group, 2022

2Legal & General, 2022

3interactive investor, 2022

Categories
Financial Planning

Be Vigilant and Scam Aware

Be Vigilant and Scam Aware

2 min read

There have been warnings from several Regulatory bodies urging people to be vigilant. The warnings are aimed, in particular, at those who may have lost their jobs or are under financial pressure and may be tempted by scammers.

Remember, just because it may have happened to you once, does not mean you are now immune. Similarly, just because it has never happened to you at all, does not mean it never will.

Millions Affected

Over five million people in the UK, and many more globally, have fallen victim to, or know someone who has been duped by, a financial scam since the beginning of the virus outbreak.

The most common financial scams relate to banking, accounting for 60% of victims, followed by 35% being targeted by an insurance scam. One in five reported having been targeted by a pension scam amid an increase in fraudsters offering free pension reviews.

Be a Scam Aware Investor

Recognizing these common signs of a scam could help you avoid falling for one.

  • Scammers can pretend to be from a company that you may know
  • Scammers might say you are in trouble or there is a problem or prize
  • Scammers may pressure you to act immediately, giving you no time to think
  • Scammers often tell you to pay in a very specific way

Government Advice

Government advice to protect yourself from fraud includes checking the company’s credentials via a reliable source, being wary of deals that sound too good to be true, not clicking on links from unknown senders, not giving out personal details or financial information in response to a request that you did not make, and seeking professional financial advice from a regulated company before making any decisions.

Guidance in Uncertain Times

Anxiety and financial pressure can make us more vulnerable to fraud, so if you are unsure about any financial opportunities, please contact us.

We are here to keep you and your finances safe now and into the future.

Get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting. You have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain! Send us an e-mail to edward@pattersonmills.ch, call us direct at +41 78 214 84 32.

Categories
Financial Planning Investments

Positive Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom

Positive Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom

3 min read

When are you thinking of retiring? With many pre-retirees reassessing their lives and priorities in the wake of the pandemic, there really is a seismic shift for many people towards achieving life balance. People need a plan to flex with their changing aspirations – it has become more about living life rather than going through the motions of the daily grind.

With earlier retirement a serious consideration for many seeking balance, a quarter of those sampled who aspire to retire early feel that age 60 is the optimum time to do so1.

Embracing a New Lifestyle

What really makes you happy? If you are planning to celebrate your 60th birthday by saying ‘goodbye’ to working life, it’s good to know that 68% of people report an increase in overall happiness as a result of retiring early, with 44% of early retirees reporting their family relationships improved and 34% citing improvements in their friendships. From a health perspective, 57% of early retiree respondents report a boost to their mental wellbeing, with 50% believing their physical wellbeing has improved.

Driving Force

Nearly a third (32%) of people who retired early or plan to do so are driven by the desire ‘to enjoy more freedom while still being physically fit and well enough to enjoy it.’ Other factors driving people to pursue early retirement include financial security (26%), reassessing priorities and what’s important to them in life (23%), wishing to spend more time with family (20%) and finding they are either ‘tired or bored’ of working (19%). Stress is also a contributing factor that 19% of respondents are keen to eradicate.

Pause for Thought

With a sizable 24% of people returning to work after retiring because they experience financial issues, careful planning is essential. Interestingly, 47% of retirees found that their finances worsened and only 22% felt they benefited financially from their decision to retire early.

Positive Steps to Financial Freedom

People cited steps toward making early retirement achievable like paying off a mortgage (30%), saving little and often (29%), saving extra when they receive a pay rise or bonus (19%) and receiving an inheritance (14%).

We are here to reassure you that happiness does not need to come at a cost when retiring early. Although it is very important to be realistic, with meticulous planning and careful consideration, we can assess and develop a robust plan to align and flex with your changing requirements and priorities.

Financial freedom is what many strive to achieve, though not all of us know how to get there. This is where we come in.

Get in touch today and book your initial, free, no-obligation meeting so we can show you the way. You have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain! Send us an e-mail to charles@pattersonmills.ch, call us direct at +41 78 214 84 32, or fill in our contact form

1Aviva, Dec 2021

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ESG Investing Financial Planning Investments

Sustainable Investing: the What, the How, the Why

Sustainable Investing: the What, the How, the Why

Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good

5 min read

Many people have heard of ESG-SRI, including sustainable and impact investing. These words may seemingly appear around every corner, in every questionnaire and are growing in popularity. So, what exactly is it all about?

The What

It is important to first understand what these terms actually mean:

  • ESG” stands for Environmental, Social and Governance
  • SRI” stands for Sustainable (or Socially) Responsible Investing
  • “Impact investing” seeks to make a positive impact on the World, as well as using ESG and SRI principles at all times

ESG integration as an investment tool is very different from sustainable investing. While some ESG factors do describe aspects of company sustainability, its aim is to unlock factors that solely impact financial performance. For example, an excellent ESG integrated strategy may still invest in sectors that could be considered unsustainable – like tobacco manufacturers or fossil fuel extractors.

A potential issue, and definitely something to look out for, is ‘greenwashing’. This is where a company is making false claims about a product that purports to be environmentally conscious but is not actually making any notable efforts for sustainability at all. To avoid this, seek companies that display their sustainability ‘credentials’ in a clear and easy to understand manner, with no misleading messaging or imagery, backed up by data and compared to a suitable benchmark.

The How

ESG investing has three criteria:

  1. Environmental impact
  2. Social impact
  3. Governance

The environmental aspect looks at how a company impacts the planet by asking what a company does to reduce its harmful environmental footprint, utilise renewable resources and energy, and how it incentivises its employees to reduce their own footprint.

The social aspect questions how a company treats its employees, customers, suppliers, and the local community. This will analyse healthcare policies, compensation, employee working conditions, discrimination and more.

Governance relates to information about a company’s board of directors, business ethics and structure. Specifically, voting practices, independence, diversity, how new members are selected, how the company trades, levels of transparency, and so on.

Impact Investing seeks to make a positive impact by investing in companies whose products and services create positive impacts rather than just avoiding a negative impact. Impact investing also adds another element: the ability to measure the (global) effect of the investment.

This usually means that Impact Investors are more focused on creating a measurable impact on the World, even if it means foregoing a larger financial return possible elsewhere. It should be noted however that a lower financial return is far from being the norm nowadays from an Impact portfolio.

A lesser-known facet of ESG investing is to look for companies that are B-Lab certified as a B-Corp.  B Lab creates standards, policies, tools, and programs that shift the behaviour, culture, and structural underpinnings of capitalism.  Discover more about B-Lab’s work as a non-profit here.

The Why

There are clear reasons for the rise of ESG investing. Volatility in this sector has seen a great decline for investors over the last 5 or 6 years and it is now possible to obtain enhanced returns with reduced volatility risk in some cases. This is making ESG investments highly attractive as this sector develops further.

In addition, consumers and investors are holding companies accountable for their impact on environmental, social and governance factors against relevant benchmarks. This leads to the decision that a more ESG oriented company may deserve your money over a less ESG oriented company.

A record $649 billion poured into ESG-focused funds worldwide up to 30th November 2021. This was up from $542 billion in 2020 and $285 billion in 2019, making a 127% annual increase over just two years! In December 2021, Morningstar Direct estimated that global sustainable fund assets reached $2.7 trillion.

Sustainably Investing for the Future

ESG and Impact Investing should not be only for a select few. At Patterson-Mills, we believe in investing for a better future and making it accessible for all. To accomplish this, we offer tailored solutions from a carefully selective range of funds, fund managers, with rigorous analysis of appropriate criteria. Following an initial no-obligation meeting, we create a bespoke recommendation for our clients so as to successfully achieve their investment objectives.

Whether our clients wish to invest 100% of their available capital into ESG, SRI and Impact Investing fund styles, or maybe 25%, or perhaps initially none at all, we have a suitable offering available. However, the key is to be put into a position to make a fully informed choice, which at Patterson-Mills, we show all prospective clients. 

Our interests and those of our clients are one and the same, and so we only use proven, cost-effective, and tailored solutions in order to produce the most positive outcomes for our clients’ financial objectives.

Get in touch today and book your free no-obligation review meeting. You have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain!

Send us an e-mail to edward@pattersonmills.ch, call us direct at +41 78 214 84 32, or fill in our contact form below.

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Categories
Financial Planning

Swiss Unemployment – The 2022 Position

Swiss Unemployment – The 2022 Position

The primary solution to avoid technological unemployment is by investing in human capital

3 min read

The subject of “unemployment” has been a hot topic throughout the last couple of years. Public health measures caused many new people to appear on the unemployment register. However, are we coming out the other side of this artificial increase in unemployment?

An Endless Cycle?

Unemployment is clearly felt strongly by not only those unemployed, but it also adversely affects the economy as a whole.

The ripple effect caused by people suffering financial hardship, and all that comes with it, negatively impacts consumer spending (one of the key drivers of growth in an economy) which can lead to economic recession or even economic depression, if left to grow. Lower demand means lower profits for business which can lead to redundancies and, thus, more unemployment. It is a downward spiral that once started can be difficult to stop.

However, unemployment has more effects than just financial woes. People will face challenges with mental and physical health, there could be an increase in crime-rates, and Government spending on benefits could become out of control and also reduce GDP.

Reversing the trend!

It is not all doom and gloom though. A vital part of escaping a downward spiral is business and consumer confidence. If people are confident enough to be willing to invest in developing the right skills an economy needs, then both jobs and so productivity can rise again. It is certainly can be a long-term problem once it arrives, but the challenge for Government to try to keep productivity and economic development sustainable, suitable and strong enough for the local needs of the Country concerned.

Coming out the other side?

In Switzerland, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.

Unemployment in Switzerland is, happily, on a falling trajectory fell to 2.4% in March, which is down from 2.5% in February and 2.6% in January. In numbers of people, this relates to 109,500 people registered with the regional unemployment office, 8,470 fewer than in February.

From a January 2020 level of around 2.6%, followed by a peak in January 2021 of 3.7%, it would seem that unemployment is now on a steady reduction and on its way back to pre-2020 levels.

Switzerland's 2022 figures compared to toehr leading Countries

Comparing these latest Swiss figures with those of other Countries, we see unemployment in the UK at 3.8%, France at 7.4%, Germany at 5.4%, the U.S at 3.6%, and Spain at a whopping 13.33%. So, it is clear that Switzerland is a front-runner in having some of the lowest unemployment figures in the World, which is possibly a reflection of its strength in markets and very modern approach to sustainability, positively impacting the economy, as well the levels of employment.

Getting your finances back on track

Financial planners have long held the responsibility to support their Clients as they face threats to their financial well-being, especially through and after periods of unemployment. At Patterson-Mills, we realise that with employment on the rise once more, we have an important role to play with getting people’s financial situation in order.

If you have recently become employed or had to change roles due to these turbulent times, we recommend taking advice to make sure your financial future remains on track.

Get in touch today. You have nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain!

Send us an e-mail to edward@pattersonmills.ch, call us direct at +41 78 214 84 32, or fill in our contact form below.

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