I will give Jeremy Hunt his due - he knows how to ruin a Friday.

There is no getting away from the fact that 2023 will be a very busy year for Financial Planners and that, despite the grim economic backdrop, there are some positive signs. 

Sometimes close family members fall out - just ask Princes Harry and William.

Sometimes it’s the lesser stories of the week which make you think the most. 

Many pundits have put forward the view that the Financial Planning sector has been little affected by the cost of living crisis and economic uncertainty.

The year has not started well for the adviser sector with nearly a dozen firms already declared as failed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

The FCA has done a pretty good job in cracking down recently on scams and dodgy financial promotions, stung into action by some major failures over the last few years.

Amid a sea of gloomy news - zero growth anyone? - it was cheering to see this week that global Financial Planner numbers are on the rise.

There was a time when retirement was a line in the sand. You retired from your job, received a carriage clock from your employer and headed off into your sunset years with a decent pension and plans to play a bit more golf or do some DIY.

There is no getting away from the fact that the plans to launch Pensions Dashboards are in trouble with news this week that the Pensions Minister Laura Trott has stepped in to “reset” the timetable.