UK Finance Awards 2025/ 12 Best Mortgage Brokerage 2025 & Client Service Excellence Award 2025 In the complex world of mortgages, all people want is their financial freedom – without first having to understand the ins and outs of the system. A champion of this, SM Finance Lounge is impassioned when it comes to taking this overwhelming, impersonal space and making it accessible, helping UK families feel safe and financially secure through honest financial advice and protection they can trust. Simona Minikaitiene, the woman at the helm of the firm, was on hand to tell us more about this real financial guidance for real people. Beginning her career in the world of mortgages a little under six years ago, Simona’s drive to change the way people feel about their financial journeys and the experiences they are provided across them ed her to create SM Finance Lounge in late 2022. Empowering financial confidence for UK families, the firm serves to help them control their finances with clarity and assurance, regardless of whether they are a first-time buyer, an entrepreneur, or a client seeking to remortgage their home and get their finances back on track. By creating real-life solutions to fit the person – not just the numbers – SM Finance Lounge attracts clients from all walks and stages of life, united by the common aim of seeking support and understanding when it comes to their mortgages. They choose Simona and the team here for this as these experts go beyond offering financial services, they build long-term relationships based on a combination of trust, education, and empowerment. In essence, as this shows, the firm’s distinction is rooted in its humanity. “Our success comes from staying human in an industry that often forgets the human side of money. At SM Finance Lounge, every client story matters – and that’s what drives us every single day.” A big part of the success nurtured by SM Finance Lounge comes from its dedication to building confident futures through financial education, which is a lived example of its core values – integrity, compassion, and growth – being deployed proactively. As Simona told us: “Clients trust us because we listen, educate, and guide them with honesty and care. Our goal isn’t just to provide financial solutions – it’s to empower people to make confident, informed decisions for the long term.” Financial hardship is something we associate more with younger people than the older generation, but there has been an influx of people in their 50s and 60s stuck in rental properties and worried about protecting their families, building security, and simply having peace of mind as they approach retirement. It is for this reason that the education aspect is so important for Simona and the team, who all envision a world where financial protection and secure, stable futures is the norm – not the exception. This is a vision shared by the small but mighty team behind the firm, with the unrivalled experience every client is provided hinging on their ability to inject a dose of care, integrity, and professionalism into this work at every turn. When choosing the right people for this team, Simona relies on the timeless view that technical knowledge can be taught, but the characteristics it really takes for a person to thrive in this industry – empathy, honesty, and a desire to both help others and revolutionise a sector – are innate. Exploring this further, Simona got it right when she explained: “In today’s financial world, the most important skills go beyond numbers: communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence are all key. Finance is about people first, and our culture reflects that every day.” With the mortgage industry being subject to various regulatory changes and economic uncertainty – driven by the likes of AI tools and shifting client expectations – this human-first nature is becoming increasingly attractive for those after something honest. All of this is not to say that SM Finance Lounge is oblivious to technology, and it is continuously embracing modern tools to improve efficiency and accessibility, using it to enhance its personal touch rather than replace it. Continuing down this path is the firm’s goal for 2026, with its focus on growth, innovation, and empowerment being channelled into initiatives such as online learning resources, interactive budgeting, credit-improvement tools, and an intuitive client portal. Such initiatives are further examples of how everything the firm does comes back to this one purpose: to help people feel safe, confident, and in control of both their mortgage and their financial future. For demonstrating that finance is about much more than just numbers, it is our pleasure to recognise SM Finance Lounge here with a duo of awards. Contact: Simona Minikaitiene Company: SM Finance Lounge Web Address: https://smfinancelounge.co.uk/
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