Since M&G was established in 1931, we have firmly believed in offering our customers straightforward products, together with clear and balanced information, to help them make the right investment decisions for their needs– a belief that still holds true today.

Now, 80 years later, we are one of the largest active investors in the UK with over £194 billion of funds under management (as at 30 September 2011).

Throughout this time we have remained committed to helping our investors achieve their investment objectives. More importantly, we remain at the forefront of investment thinking, constantly seeking to develop our funds and product range in order to provide the best investment opportunities for our customers.

In May 2009 we launched iView - the first interactive channel in the investment industry to offer bespoke fund information and educational content for Financial Planners and advisers. At the time, it was compared to the BBC’s hugely successful iPlayer service, due to the functionality it offered. iView has now being developed even further to provide TV-quality news programmes from specialists in many fields of investing, alongside thought-leading documentaries and fund-specific videos.

With over 12,000 subscribers, we recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of our highly successful Bond Vigilantes Blog. The blog is written by M&G’s fixed interest team, and allows planners to interact and debate with fund managers. The team regularly writes articles about what’s been happening in the world of bonds, adds links they’ve found and provides food for thought on areas they think would be of interest.

M&G is committed to the professional advice market and has been ahead of the curve in developing materials to help raise awareness and understanding of investments among advisers and investors alike. This includes pioneering the first online CPD for advisers, launching a quarterly magazine dedicated to advisers and the recent Spin Free Guide to UCITS III.

We are delighted to be an IFP sponsor and look forward to working further with the Financial Planning community and helping planners to fulfil their full business potential.