The unsettling events that have occurred since the bursting of the US housing market bubble in 2007 have created a tough and challenging business climate for financial advisers and planners across the UK.

HSBC Life is proud to sponsor the IFP in its efforts to promote professionalism in the sector and help raise consumer awareness of Financial Planning.

Applications are invited from teams of up to four students who are studying at a UK university and wish to enter the 2012 University Team Challenge competition.

As part of the New Model Adviser conference held on 12 and 13 January in London, the winners of the 2012 regional adviser firms of the year awards were announced.

In December, the Northern Ireland Branch of the IFP held its last meeting of 2011. It continued the branch’s focus on the changes needed to meet RDR requirements. The session - followed by the annual Christmas Dinner - was facilitated by Zurich and was entitled: “Adviser charging – where are you now?”

Setting the Standard – Why your firm should consider becoming an Accredited Financial Planning Firm^TM in 2012

Ethical conduct is a hallmark of any profession and Financial Planning is no exception. The FSA expects members to do the best for their clients and demonstrate strong ethical behaviour as a core part of their overall competence and professionalism.

Many Financial Planners aspire to become authors, yet one of the obstacles will be finding the time, particularly in the run up to the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review, London Branch heard recently.

One of the new initiatives introduced by IFP for members’ benefit in 2011 has been the launch of IFPTV, the IFP’s very own online TV channel. IFPTV has been successfully developed with the help and support of London based MultiChannel TV.

Branch chairmen across the UK have been reporting particularly strong interest in attending branch meetings so far in 2012, indicating that the sessions and speakers are proving even more popular than ever.