I’ve felt for a long time that what the fund management sector offers, and Financial Planners and advisers in turn recommend, is often far from what investors want to buy and two surveys this week back up that view.

One of the greatest challenges for Financial Planning in the long term is how to reach the millions who have never heard of Financial Planning or have only a vague idea of what it is and its value. The estimable Pete Matthew, an entrepreneurial Chartered and Certified Financial Planner, may be showing one important way forward.

Financial Planning Today’s story this week revealing that more than 600 ‘ambulance chaser’ firms had applied to the FCA for authorisation will have sent shivers down the spine of many planners, IFAs and wealth managers.

An accounts manager who tried to hide the fact that restaurants had not given their staff workplace pensions has been ordered to pay £5,000.

XPS Pensions Group has made a new senior appointment at its London office.

Chartered Financial Planners at The RU Group achieved recognition by the Nottingham Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) at its annual gala dinner.

Ratings and data firm Defaqto has added seven new categories to its annual Star and Diamond ratings published this month.

Openwork, one of the UK’s biggest financial advisory networks, has appointed Carrier Morris from AXA to be its new chief people officer.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has launched a beta version of an online calculator, which works out consumers’ likely financial entitlements if they are unable to work due to illness or injury.

 FCA chief executive Andrew Bailey has delivered a keynote speech on the ‘wealth of diversity’ - urging more organisations to follow the FCA’s lead in increasing representation of women and minorities.