News this week that the FCA has launched a campaign to protect the over-55s from financial fraud will probably have been ignored by most Financial Planners and Paraplanners. At the very best it will have received token interest. That’s a shame and that needs to change. Financial fraud is everyone’s problem and planners have a role to play in tackling it.
The big story in planning circles so far this month seems to have been the acquisition of AXA’s Elevate Wrap by Standard Life.
Financial advice has to do with delivering freedom into client lives rather than organizing financial structures and selling products. It’s about the client. Our Certified Financial Planning designation requires that we place the clients’ interests first, not our products or services. Too often what is called “financial advice” is really sales talk, all about the product – or occasionally, in our case, about spreadsheets and services.
Paraplanners have had an important role in financial services for a long time now. From what I've seen, references to Paraplanners have been made for around 20 years - back when they were a lonely, almost unknown role.
A very warm welcome to our new website, Financial Planning Today - a service for all professional Financial Planners, Paraplanners, Wealth Managers and IFAs.
And so as the dust settles on April’s seismic changes to the pensions regime what can the Sipp market expect from a new Government and new Pensions Minister.
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Martin Bamford CFPCM of Informed Choice helps solve a family's estate planning conundrum.
2011 IFP Conference chairman Don Fraser CFPCM shares his personal views on the highpoints and ‘takeaways’ from this year’s event which attracted more than 600 attendees.
IFP member number one Paul Etheridge MBE looks back at the founding of the IFP and his own personal journey on the way.
Professionalism is a central pillar of the RDR but will it mean less consumer access to advice? In this independent viewpoint, Financial Planner Stuart Fowler questions the impact of the changes.