Perhaps not surprisingly the Association of British Insurers has concluded, after carrying out an advice experiment, that personalised guidance really can work.

For my last column of 2023, rather than give you my eagerly-awaited insights into the latest developments in the Financial Planning profession and financial services, I thought it would be useful to look at other worthwhile things that Financial Planners do when they are not providing financial advice.

Financial Planning Week, the CISI’s annual consumer-focused campaign to promote the benefits of professional financial advice, kicks off on Monday.

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?