The landscape of financial planning is evolving globally, and the UK’s financial intermediaries licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) should take note of a critical precedent set in the US. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (AICPA’s) victory in the United States against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has broad implications for … Continue reading Lessons from the US: What UK Financial Planners Must Learn to Protect Holistic Planning
Tag: finance
Understanding the Difference: Generic vs. Specific Financial Advice for Finfluencers
Brits! As a finfluencer, your platform holds great influence, especially over young and often vulnerable audiences. But with this power comes the responsibility to understand where you stand in terms of financial regulation. Knowing when you are providing generic financial information and when you are crossing into the territory of specific, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) … Continue reading Understanding the Difference: Generic vs. Specific Financial Advice for Finfluencers
The Difference Between a Conduct Regulator and a Professional Body in Financial Services
When you step into the world of financial services, it's easy to see how confusion can arise between the roles of a Conduct Regulator and a Professional Body. Let’s clear that up. If you’re a financial services professional, you are (hopefully!) qualified and an active member of a professional body. These professional bodies bind their … Continue reading The Difference Between a Conduct Regulator and a Professional Body in Financial Services
Financial Planner Engagement: A Pathway to Professional Success Without Product Selling
In today’s rapidly evolving financial services landscape, many aspiring financial planners find themselves disillusioned with traditional career pathways that focus on sales targets and commission-based incentives. At the Academy of Life Planning, we offer a different approach—one that champions the role of the financial planner as an independent professional, not a product salesperson. Here, you … Continue reading Financial Planner Engagement: A Pathway to Professional Success Without Product Selling
The Comfortable Lie of Bundling Advice and Product
There’s a silent deception happening in the financial advice industry—one that blends the lines between advice and product sales. This is where advisers, who double as product distributors, create what they call "adviser alpha." The supposed value they claim to add often revolves around investment management. Yet, retail investment management has long been commoditised, with … Continue reading The Comfortable Lie of Bundling Advice and Product
Exploring the Threshold Hypothesis: Can More Money Really Buy Happiness?
For years, we’ve been told that money can’t buy happiness. But if that’s the case, why do so many of us strive to earn more, save more, and invest more? What if there’s a point where income does contribute to happiness, but only up to a certain level? This question has been explored in depth … Continue reading Exploring the Threshold Hypothesis: Can More Money Really Buy Happiness?
What the Financial Advice Industry Can Learn from MiFID II’s Unbundling of Research and Trading
In 2018, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) brought about significant reforms in the institutional investment world by mandating the unbundling of research and trading costs. Before this, asset managers often paid for both services through opaque, bundled fees, which obscured the true cost to clients. MiFID II forced these costs to … Continue reading What the Financial Advice Industry Can Learn from MiFID II’s Unbundling of Research and Trading
AI in Financial Services: A Double-Edged Sword for the Underserved
The firms regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) play a critical role as manufacturers and distributors of retail financial products. However, only 8% of the population can afford to access these services via intermediaries, leaving 92% underserved. This gap has led many distributors to explore new ways to reach this community, and artificial intelligence … Continue reading AI in Financial Services: A Double-Edged Sword for the Underserved
Stamping Out Investment Fraud: The Case for Separating Advice and Product Sales
Investment fraud remains a serious problem, with millions of pounds lost to fraudsters every year. In the first half of 2024 alone, £56.4 million was stolen, despite a 29% drop in the number of investment scams compared to last year. While some progress has been made, the truth is, we're not moving fast enough. The … Continue reading Stamping Out Investment Fraud: The Case for Separating Advice and Product Sales
The Finfluencer Dilemma: Navigating Social Media Advice Safely
In today’s digital age, social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are buzzing with financial tips and investment strategies from a new breed of content creators known as finfluencers. While it’s fantastic to see financial topics becoming more accessible, it’s crucial to understand the difference between information and advice. This distinction can help you … Continue reading The Finfluencer Dilemma: Navigating Social Media Advice Safely
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