I started my career in financial advice some 35 years ago and have been running our firm with my wife Joanna for the last 20 years as a family business. We still advise clients that we first met three decades ago.
I must confess to having been rather negative about the so-called social media influencers or ‘finfluencers’ as some call them.
In my last article I questioned just what is “fair and reasonable” when it comes to regulation. This was prompted by a recent FOS determination involving a complaint by a Mr T. against Rowanmoor Pensions.
Financial Planning clients are, mostly, demanding. They are, in the main, successful, professional people; often business owners or entrepreneurs.
The Personal Finance Society has made a timely call for more ‘proportional’ regulation following the publication by the FCA of its new three year business strategy plan, which arrived recently along with news of some chunky fee increases.
Like many this week I was taken aback at the scale of the BSPS pension transfer scandal redress. It’s huge and just the tip of an iceberg.
The latest FCA action on the BSPS scandal has highlighted the considerable risks for Financial Planners in advising on DB transfers.
I must confess I was sceptical when a number of Financial Planners, including employee ownership evangelist Chris Budd, began pushing the idea that employee ownership could be a viable pathway for many Financial Planning firms.
Most scammers find their victims, at least initially, online these days, whether it be through website ads or social media.
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There is no doubt that new FCA CEO Nikhil Rathi is a much-needed breath of fresh air at the regulator but I’m beginning to wonder if there is more than a whiff of staff trouble at the regulatory mill.
Make no mistake, the requirement to develop strategies which can recognise and appropriately service the needs of vulnerable customers is a big deal in financial services this year.
When I was in my early teens Friday night was movie night at home. My brother and I would head down to Blockbuster Video and pick up a film to watch on VHS, often recommended by the guy behind the counter.
If there is one 'engine' which has transformed the financial advice profession over the past 10 years it is the professional bodies. The 30th anniversary celebrations this week for the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment reminded me of the incredible transformation of the sector in recent years and how much of that is due to the professional bodies.