I have some bad news for the Chancellor. The financial services sector, one of the great hopes of the government in terms of jobs and economic revival, is shrinking.

There were no doubt a few rolled eyes recently at our story reporting that over half of adults do not trust financial advisers.

One of the things that has always puzzled and dismayed me about the miserable London Capital & Financial (LCF) debacle is: where were the whistleblowers?

There is little doubt that in 2018 the FCA’s call centre was in a mess. Demoralised, poorly trained staff were inundated with a barrage of calls from consumers, some of them angry and abusive, even racist and homophobic.

Redemption is a powerful force and it is likely to be the driving force behind fallen fund manager Neil Woodford’s unexpected comeback plans revealed this week.

Should Financial Planning firms insist that staff are vaccinated before returning to face to face client meetings? It’s a question that many planners will be wrangling with but one firm has taken the lead.

So was he Super Sunak, saviour of the British economy, or Tax Raider Rishi, the man who launched a tax grab we’ll be paying for well into the 2030s?

The Beatles’ famous song ‘When I’m 64’ includes the lines “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?” It’s a question many have asked but the answer, at least from a State Pension point of view, is increasingly a resounding no.

I remember a few years back when I worked at another media business that we had a presentation from a senior bod about the exciting technological future awaiting the company.

I’ve often wondered exactly how many people regularly use an IFA and now we know - it’s about 8%, at least of the key so-called Generation X segment of the population, the important 39-54 year-olds.