It feels like the art of factfinding often gets diluted by the science of compliance.

The Lifetime ISA (LISA) scheme was launched by the Government in 2017 to help ‘millennials’ onto the property ladder. With a generous Government Bonus of 25% on a maximum contribution of £4,000 grossing this up to £5,000, this can provide a real boost and incentive to save for first time buyers.

Recently, the FCA have provided further insight about the price and value outcome through their Inside the FCA podcast with the FCA’s Head of Competition Policy, Ed Smith.

FT Adviser were keen to know what I think about Paraplanners. I think I may have been a bit grumpy when I was chatting to them!

The culture and leadership of an advice business looms central to Principle 12, which was introduced as part of Consumer Duty. Creating repeatable processes ensures you do not have renegades within your business who might undermine your compliance. In this article, Emma shows you how to start documenting these.

Investment Pathways have two fundamental issues for your business that you may not have been aware of. FCA policy statement PS19/21 introduced the requirement for drawdown providers to offer non-advised consumers Investment Pathways. Consumers entering drawdown, or transferring assets already in drawdown, without taking advice, must be presented with four options on how they might want to use their drawdown pot. Reading that, you might think Investment Pathways are nothing to do with you or your advice firm and think no more about it. Unfortunately, you would be wrong. Although Investment Pathways apply to non-advised consumers, an adviser will need to consider the Investment Pathways a provider has in place when assessing suitability. COBS 9.3.3A now states: ‘When a firm is making a personal recommendation to a retail client about the investment of funds in the client’s capped drawdown pension fund, or flexi-access drawdown pension fund, its suitability assessment under COBS 9.2.1R(1)(a) should include consideration of pathway investments.’ What does this mean for your advice process? To understand this, let us look at what Investment Pathways are. Read more

From January 2021 passporting will cease irrespective of whether the UK leaves with a deal or we see a no-deal Brexit. That means UK based financial advisers and planners will no longer be able to advise clients who live in the EU. If you and your clients are affected, this guide will explain your options.

With the recently announced ban on contingent charging on DB transfers, how much further might the FCA go with reviewing your charging model?

With the FCA's upcoming guidance on vulnerable clients, this article helps you understand how to identify a vulnerable client and simple measures you can implement to ensure you apply appropriate levels of care.

Culturally, we have been happy with what a map is and does for quite a long time. The oldest known maps are preserved on Babylonian clay tablets from about 2300 B.C. and they have served our purposes perfectly well up to the late 1990s. Then along came the young upstart ‘Satellite Navigation’.