We’ve said it before – and now’s the time, given the just-launched FCA review of the advice market, to say it again. As stated in the News section earlier, good, independent financial advice has become “more and more precious (and scarce) following the reform of the way financial products are bought and sold – specifically, […]
Wisdom has always been at a premium. In a financial context, it’s become more and more precious (and scarce) following the reform of the way financial products are bought and sold – specifically, the way advisers are allowed to remunerate themselves. Many independent financial advisers (IFAs) have simply given up, after a commission-based structure was […]
In many countries, financial products are sold through banks and there is a lack of independent advice. In the UK, clients rely on Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) and the fact that they are independent should mean that they seek out the best products for their clients, leading to better returns. Many clients are financially unsophisticated […]
The authorities seem to have an ambivalent attitude towards our part of the crowdfunding world, known as peer-to-peer (P2P) business lending. On the one hand, the government has been extremely positive about P2P, and will allow it to be included in Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) in the next tax year (Innovative Finance ISAs, or IFISAs). […]
Should freedom include the liberty to do the wrong thing? Many UK commentators seem to think not. The impending reform of UK pension provisions has certainly sparked debate on this very topic. The liberalisation of pension law – allowing people over 55 next month to take charge of their pension funds and spend/invest them as […]