IFA Talk

Now live: This month’s New Insurance & Protection special edition of IFA Talk tackles a critical question for advisers: how can clients be best supported through a cancer diagnosis, and what role should protection planning play in that journey? In this episode, Meg Bratley and Jenny Hunter are joined by Mark Stephenson, CEO of Reframe Cancer , to discuss how advisers can help clients navigate...

AI continues to dominate conversations across the advice profession and it remains one of the most popular topics with readers of IFA Magazine. But beyond the hype, what does AI actually mean for financial advisers in practice? Is it friend or foe? In the latest episode of the IFA Talk podcast, hosts Sue Whitbread and Matt Williams explore how AI is beginning to reshape the advice process. Joining...

Now live: The latest Mortgage & Property Investment special edition of IFA Talk explores the evolving Near Prime mortgage market and the ways lenders and technology are supporting borrowers with adverse credit. In this episode, hosts Meg Bratley and Jenny Hunter are joined by Richard Harrison, Head of Mortgages at Atom Bank. Richard shares his insights into the rising activity in the Near Prim...

Markets have been shaken again with the continuing war in the Gulf adding fresh uncertainty for advisers and clients alike. With the busy end of the tax year period already underway, many advisers will also be fielding anxious calls from clients asking what they should be doing with their portfolios. Recording this episode of IFA Talk on March 9th, Sue and Matt speak with Trevor Greetham, Head of...

In this month’s special Tax-Efficient Investment edition of IFA Talk, in partnership with Octopus Investments, were focusing on the last-minute changes to the proposed unquoted Business Relief allowance. Joining us to do this is Toyin Oyeneyin, Tax Product Specialist at Octopus Investments. This will be Toyin’s third time on the podcast, having joined us most recently alongside her colleague Tim D...

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, IFA Magazine’s weekly podcast, we’re diving into retirement planning with a difference, looking at both the psychology of it and the financial aspects. Supporting clients with retirement planning is a key area of every financial adviser’s business, but the best advisers go a step further. Joining us to explore this topic is James Woodfall, a former financial adv...

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, IFA Magazine’s weekly podcast, we focus on data, talking about how advisers can turn raw client information into really personalised financial planning. Joining us to do so is by Rowan Whittington, Chief Product Officer at Dynamic Planner. Rowan sits on the Senior Leadership Team and leads on new and emerging initiatives across the business. She’s got a particul...

Now live: This month’s New Insurance & Protection special edition of IFA Talk explores a key question for advisers: in protection terms, is whole of life the only solution for long-term inheritance tax planning? Hosts Meg Bratley and Sue Whitbread are joined by Ken Maxwell, Director at JLHO , as the company marks its 65th anniversary, to reflect on how protection advice has evolved over the de...

In this week’s episode,  Matt and Sue are looking into one of the most consistent challenges faced by advice firms: technology complexity. They are joined by John Milliken, CEO of Defaqto, to talk about how advice businesses can move from integrating multiple tech platforms to a more unified operating model. Advisers regularly face the frustration of juggling many different software platforms that...

In this episode of IFA Talk, we’re talking all things paraplanning and why the role continues to grow in importance across the advice profession. Jenny and Matt are joined by Steve Nelson, Insight Director at the lang cat, to chat through the latest State of the Advice Nation research. This is the third year paraplanners have had a focused pathway in the study, which means we’re finally starting t...

Now live: The latest Mortgage & Property Investment special edition of IFA Talk looks ahead to 2026 and beyond, exploring how shifting household behaviour, retirement sequencing, and property wealth are shaping modern financial planning. In this episode, hosts Meg and Jenny are joined by Phillip Wickenden, founder and CEO of Ad Lucem. Phil shares his insights on the changing landscape of advis...

Podcast # Meet the new CII President: Callum Beaton on the year ahead In this episode of IFA Talk, Matt and Sue are joined by the new President of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Callum Beaton, to talk about his journey to the role, his appointment (which he describes as ‘surreal’) and also his vision for the future of the profession. Callum is clearly very passionate about this professio...

In this latest episode of the Tax-Efficient Investment podcast from IFA Magazine, we turn our focus to Venture Capital Trusts and what advisers need to be thinking about as the busy tax year-end approaches. Hosted by Editor Sue Whitbread and Deputy Editor Jenny Hunter, this special edition of IFA Talk is produced in partnership with Foresight Group and explores how the VCT landscape is evolving in...

With more than 50 years in financial planning, Patrick Murphy has seen the profession evolve. Although he’s recently stepped back from advising clients, he’s challenging conventional thinking about what really drives client outcomes. In this episode of IFA Talk, hosts Matt and Sue sit down with Patrick to explore his latest insights on Targeted Support, consumer behaviour and the future of advice....

The FCA’s plans to introduce Targeted Support from April 2026 represent one of the most significant regulatory developments which advisers need to be aware of at the moment.  In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, Matt and Sue welcomed Chet Velani, Managing Director at EV, to chat through some of the key issues around what Targeted Support is really designed to achieve, how it might work in practice,...

In this month’s special Tax-Efficient Investment (TEI) edition of IFA Talk, IFA Magazine's Content Editor Matt Williams and Deputy Editor Jenny Hunter take a look back at the 2025 Budget and the changes to VCTs. Joining us to unpack all of this are not one, but two great guests. First, returning to the IFA Talk studio is Toyin Oyeneyin, Tax Product Specialist at Octopus Investments. Toyin joined u...

IFA Magazine’s weekly podcast, IFA Talk, is back with another insightful episode aimed squarely at busy financial advisers with a passion for what they do. This week, we’re joined by Martin Lockyer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Westminster Wealth Management, to find out from his years of experience as an adviser and running an advice business, what it takes to build and run a successful firm...

Now live: The latest Mortgage & Property Investment special edition of IFA Talk explores what the 2026 mortgage market could look like for brokers, and where opportunities and challenges may lie as we head into the New Year. In this episode, hosts Meg and Sue are joined by Jonathan Stinton, Head of Intermediary Relationship Management at Coventry Building Society . Jonathan discusses the outlo...

In this episode of IFA Talk, Sue and Matt are joined by Alex Sumner from Thrive, Blackfinch Group’s dedicated workplace pensions and benefits platform. Thrive is designed to simplify pension management for businesses while giving employees access to a financial wellbeing app that provides clear insights into pensions, benefits, and financial futures. It can be a key tool for advisers to use also....

This month's latest New Insurance & Protection special edition of IFA Talk explores an issue that affects clients across the UK but is still often misunderstood: economic abuse. In this episode, hosts Meg Bratley and Jenny Hunter are joined by Shelley Read, Senior Technical Manager at Royal London. Shelley sheds light on what economic abuse really means, how it differs from financial abuse, an...

Now live: The latest Mortgage & Property Investment special edition of IFA Talk, and the final episode of the year turns its attention to later life lending, a topic that has taken on increased importance following the October and November Budget announcements. In this episode, Sue and Meg are joined by two brilliant guests. Tony Wickenden, Founder and Managing Director of Technical Connection...

On this week’s episode of IFA Talk, Sue and Matt focus on one of the most talked-about topics in the advice sector right now, the Advice Guidance Boundary Review, and more specifically, the arrival of Targeted Support. Ben Hampton, CEO of Wealth Wizards joins us to share his expert insights. Wealth Wizards has been at the forefront of digital advice and guidance technology, making Ben the ideal gu...

In this, our last special Tax-Efficient Investment edition of IFA Talk for 2025, we’re reflecting on the recent Budget and the ramifications for EIS and VCTs. Matt and Sue are joined by Tom Wilde, from the Tax Department of UK law firm Shoosmiths, where he heads up the firm’s EIS and VCT practice.    With the reduction of VCT tax relief from 30% to 20% next year potentially driving more interest t...

This week on IFA Talk, Deputy Editor Jenny Hunter and Editor Sue Whitbread are joined once again by James Giblin, Fund Manager at L&G, and someone who’s had a front-row seat to one of the most unpredictable market years we’ve seen in a while. With 2025 almost behind us, the timing couldn’t be better. James shares his take on what’s really been driving markets this year, how investors can keep...

The latest New Insurance & Protection special edition of IFA Talk explores how insurers are reshaping protection in 2025, and what this means for advisers and their clients. In this episode, hosts Meg Bratley and Sue Whitbread are joined by Paul Roberts, Propositions and Distribution Director at CIExpert. Paul shares his expert insights into how the industry is developing more comprehensive co...