FT Adviser

The FCA has pledged to introduce ESG rules for financial advisers, implementing a regime which would require intermediaries to take into account sustainability issues when advising clients. But what is the current regulatory situation? In this podcast sponsored by Royal London, FTAdviser special projects editor David Thorpe is joined by Ryan Medlock, senior investment development and tec...

The Chartered Insurance Institute is currently running a consultation which, it says, will help it and its members adapt to the changing world of new technology, more demanding regulation and changing attitudes among consumers. It puts forward proposals about the membership career journey and how the CII's learning and assessment could evolve. But the proposals have sparked some degree of concern...

The wealth management industry cannot solve climate change on its own, and there were significant elements missing from the Cop26 agreement, said Eoin Murray, head of investment at Federated Hermes. Speaking on the latest edition of the FTAdviser podcast about the outcome from the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, Murray said the devil was in the detail of the agreement. “So much of it is promissory and th...

The highly unusual nature of the economic recession and recovery means there are likely to be a number of “bubbles burst” in the coming years, according to this week's FTAdviser Podcast. As the global economy seeks to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation is making a comeback and central banks are considering whether to increase interest rates. This week FTAdviser's special projects editor...

In October, the US Securities and Exchange Commission gave the green light to the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF. This is the first US bitcoin futures-based exchange-traded fund, and for many this was seen as a turning point for cryptocurrencies when it began trading at the end of October. But the SEC drew a line in the sand just a few days later, refusing to authorise a leveraged ETF fu...

Rising inflation has prompted concerns that the UK economy is seeing the return of stagflation. Last seen in the 1970s, stagflation is characterised by stagnant growth and high inflation. The supply chain disruptions which led to fuel shortages in September and the looming rising cost of energy saw many draw parallels with the that era. Indeed, the Bank of England's new chief economist, Huw Pill,...

This week chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak hailed his second Budget of 2021 as heralding a "new age of optimism" as the UK seeks to leave the Covid-19 pandemic behind it. Are things that simple? On its surface, the Budget focused on reforming alcohol duty and business rates, and tinkering with air passenger duty, leaving many areas financial advisers might worry about unaddressed. But with...

October 2021 marked the start of regulatory scrutiny over pay gap data reporting. Many companies have already reported, while others are still to unveil their data. Yet even with regulatory pressure to disclose the level of the so-called gender pay gap, many companies still seem unwilling to be as transparent as they could be. It is known that gender pay disparity leads to financial ineq...

With the stamp duty holiday at an end and the Budget taking place next week, what does the future hold for stamp duty? Regularly referred to as the UK's "worst tax", stamp duty is regularly seen as in need of reform. But did the Covid-19 stamp duty holiday, which ended this month and saw receipts increase to £12.3bn, make reform any likelier? Hosted by Damian Fantato, digital editor at FTAdviser,...

As long as there have been financial advisers, there has been debate about how to plug the advice gap. But research has found that some 39m people have never sought any professional advice or guidance for their finances, and one in five advisers won't serve someone with less than £100,000. So there is clearly a gap to be plugged, but does the plugging of it fall to advisers? What role do providers...

Breaking up is always difficult. Quite apart from the emotional aspects, the financial aspects are particularly difficult for both parties, with division of assets often needing solicitors and court orders. Although there is a need for professional advice, too often people think they will simply split the assets - the man gets the pension; the woman (especially if she is the primary carer for the...

For the past four months, the rate of inflation has beaten the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target.  Despite saying that this rise will be “transitory”, the central bank has warned inflation might soar over 4 per cent before the end of the year - meaning it could reach its highest point in a decade, and so far governor Andrew Bailey has not confirmed that rates will rise in order to tackle th...

Markets have been going through a turbulent period in recent weeks and, in part, this has been down to events taking place in China. Chinese equities have lost 11 per cent over the past three months because of concerns about an ongoing regulatory crackdown in the country. But these worries have been exacerbated by the liquidity crisis facing property giant Evergrande. Both of these developments ha...

We've all heard the phrase 'people buy people'. But does this really apply to advising different genders? After all, a great financial adviser can deliver great financial advice to any client, regardless of their gender. But it is also true that there are additional benefits to an advice firm that can be gained by having a more diverse team. Moreover, there are sometimes particular sensitivities t...

Next year will see the launch of collective defined contribution pensions - at least one will come into existence when Royal Mail 160,000 employees move into this new type of scheme, but will others follow? CDC pensions aim to bridge the gap between defined benefit and defined contribution by having all employees pay into one massive pot from which their benefits are drawn. This week reporter Amy...

After plenty of waiting, the government has finally unveiled a plan which, it says, will solve the UK's social care crisis. On this week's podcast, senior reporter Amy Austin is joined by Steve Webb, former pensions minister and partner at LCP and Tony Mudd, divisional director for tax & technical support at St James’s Place. They discuss the government’s social care plans and how it is unlike...

We know there is a gender pay gap - and therefore there is a gender pension gap that needs to be filled. But often we forget that this lack of funding for women in retirement can also lead to a poorer outcome for women needing care in later life. So how can advisers help women get on a better financial footing in retirement? And what is needed to help educate female clients about their financ...

Consolidation in the digital mortgage space has spiked in recent months as larger companies buy up the technology to service their own customer bases. Having attracted some hefty investments over the last year too - most notably the in August 2020, how much of a threat are these digital brokers? On this week's FTAdviser Podcast, reporter Ruby Hinchliffe is joined by Charlotte Nixon, mortgage advis...

The re-opening of pubs and shops, as well as the return of international travel, might make some think the Covid-19 pandemic is moving into history. But the economic impact of the pandemic, and its impact on markets, has not yet fully played out, with the Bank of England yet to raise interest rates from their rock bottom position at 0.1% and the future direction of inflation uncertain as the re-op...

The gap between those who need advice and those who can access it - the so-called 'advice gap' - is one of the long-standing conundrums the financial advice profession has faced. For some advice firms, the solution is to encourage more people into the profession to level out the supply and demand imbalance which has led to a surge in the number of advice academies being launched. So what role do t...

Speaking on this latest FTAdviser In Focus podcast on the topic of how protection fits into family financial planning, panellists discuss why it is not just important to curate wealth, but also to protect the people bringing that wealth into the household. Tony Mudd, divisional director for tax and technical support at St James's Place; Kathryn Knowles, managing director at Cura Financial Services...

Last month the Financial Conduct Authority warned that social media platforms were playing an increasing role in putting consumers at risk of harm through adverts for financial products and the rise of financial influencers - or "finfluencers". Advisers aren't immune either, with the regulator expressing concerns that the use of certain social media platforms by advisers wasn't always helping cons...

As the world tentatively emerges from the pandemic, the thoughts of many market participants are starting to turn to the next phase of the economic cycle, and the potential for higher inflation to take hold and disrupt markets. In this podcast, Remi Olu-Pitan, multi-asset investor at Schroders, Chris Darbyshire, chief investment officer at Walker Crips, and Charlie Parker, managing director at Alb...

This year marks a decade since Vanguard's Lifestrategy range launched in the UK and to say the passive funds had proven popular would be to downplay the situation. The five multi-asset funds are now worth £29bn and earlier this year their monthly inflows hit £1bn. But Lifestrategy range, which costs just 22bps, isn't just popular with investors. Advisers have also flocked to the range over the cou...

Much has been made of the need to start saving as early as possible and to keep this habit going as long as possible. But when it comes to pension provision, are the current products available suitable for all generations? Is the current advice or perceived wisdom around pension planning as appropriate for someone aged 20 as it might be for someone in their 40s or 50s? And why should it matter how...