This week I attended the CISI Paraplanning Conference #paraconf19 held in the swish surroundings of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon (don’t worry I’m not about to fill this column with Shakespearean puns).

I would vouch that the UK has some of the most complex retirement savings options in the world, with a myriad of choices and options - and of course risks.

At Financial Planning Today we receive a large number of press releases each day, sometimes 100 or more. This morning we received one about a firm recommending a fund which it described as “an attractive offering for investors.”

This week one of our best read stories on Financial Planning Today website was about a firm based in the United Arab Emirates reportedly targeting UK clients by offering a Financial Planning / wealth management-style service.

Our most read story this week is the news that the FCA is to launch a review of financial advice. Yes, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water there’s another regulatory shark in the sea - potentially.

I often smile when I read about ‘the next big thing’ in financial services -it’s a sure sign that the so-called experts have no idea.

A new report out today suggests that 6 million people would seek financial advice if it were cheaper.

A worrying case reported on last week by Financial Planning Today and widely read will reverberate for some time to come - and not in a good way.

Pensions auto-enrolment has been one of the few, consistent bright spots in the UK pensions market over the past decade. But with higher contributions on the way soon the DWP will need to keep a close eye to ensure that the wheels on the trolley don’t come off.

I’m finding it difficult to decide whether the new Schroders Personal Wealth Financial Planning business announced this week, a joint venture between fund manager Schroders and Lloyds Bank, will augur well for the Financial Planning profession.