Articles by Scott Sinclair
Advised sales set to slump after bumper 2014 - FCA data
Drop is similar in non-advised arena as annuity sales slide
Decade-old document suggests most women aware of SPA reform
Former pensions minister Steve Webb unearths archived 2004 research
Financial planning service for over-50s launched
A financial planning and investment service offering regulated advice, guidance and execution-only services to the over-50s has been launched in a joint venture between Tilney Bestinvest and Saga.
Ten ways robo-advisers will impact human advisers
The rise of robo-advice has been described as the "most significant development in the delivery of financial advice in the last 30 years", but how exactly might it affect traditional advice? FinaMetrica has produced a list of ten possibles...
Robo-advice: Report detects 'elephant in the room'
'Perpetual thorn' in advisers' side could also sting robos, report suggests
Simon Glazier named Chartered Financial Planner of the Year
Carbon Financial Partners picks up the corporate award
Royal London chief renews attack on plan to tax pensions like ISAs
The chief executive of life and investments provider Royal London has renewed his criticism of proposals to tax income saved into pensions like an ISA.
SunLife enhances heart attack definition under critical illness
SunLife has announced changes to its critical illness cover (CIC) in line with updated best practice published a year ago by the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
FOS lead ombudsman challenges 'myth' of consumer favouritism
Caroline Mitchell speaks out
Platforms are finished, hard-hitting report suggests
Price and proposition pressures weigh on platforms, but do retirement reforms offer hope?
FCA: Concerns linger over adviser payments despite inducements ban
Regulator 'encouraged' by adviser firms' response but fears potential for bias remains in some firms
Vanguard step closer to active fund launches in UK
Index fund pioneer eyes 'handful' of funds within next year
Judge rejects claim IFA should have 'corrected' pre-2008 crash advice
Couple lost £43k in 18 months on £700k investment as banking crisis emerged
Enter your firm for a Professional Adviser award
Do you have an exceptional, repeatable, client-centric advice process? Show us...
A complaints long-stop: Five options on the table
The govt and FCA are consulting on the options for a time bar on complaints against financial advice
Old Mutual Wealth launches planning tool to complete retirement income suite
Provider brands retirement income offering IncomeSelect
Professionaladviser.com - new look, new feel, new aim
Introducing the new look - and fully 'responsive' - Professionaladviser.com
Pension transfers: Four ideas for speeding them up
A mandatory requirement on providers to use Origo's Options Transfers service is among the suggestions for improving the efficiency of pension transfers.
Providers confused on pension transfer advice rules
Some providers that insist regulated advice be taken by customers seeking to transfer out of their pensions are unsure why they require it, research suggests.
IFP board votes 'yes' to CISI merger
The Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) board has voted to proceed to the next stage of its proposed merger with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), despite misgivings from some members.
Advice firm IFS adds two funds to Sentinel range
Advisory group Independent Financial Solutions (IFS) has added two funds to its Sentinel range.
Revealed: The ten best adviser websites 2015
Revealed: The ten best adviser websites 2015
Adviser noticeboard: Post-it note size stuff for IFAs
Post-it note size stuff for IFAs and paraplanners
Join us for The Seven Wonders of Adviser Tech event
Join us on 29 September in London to hear in person how one award-winning IFA used technology to build an advice proposition for the mass market...
'Immense': Members react as IFP proposes merger with CISI
The Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) is proposing to merge with the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) in a bid to accelerate the growth of financial planning in the UK.
Event: Do advice firms need centralised retirement propositions?
In the wake of the pension freedoms, do advice firms need a centralised retirement proposition and, if so, how might that differ from an investment proposition? Come along to the 2015 FE Investment Summit next month to find out...
IFA submits portfolios for independent verification; gets top marks
An independent advisory business is set to submit its investment portfolios for regular scrutiny after independent tests were carried out on a trio of live client cases.
Call for 'safe harbour' for advisers as rules reviewed
The introduction of ‘safe harbour' legislation for financial advisers would be a welcome step towards rebalancing liability between advisers and clients, according to one stakeholder, after the government announced a major review looking at how advice...
Four advice gap pioneers the government must speak to
Four advice gap pioneers the government must speak to
Govt says savers in a muddle over mandatory advice rules
The government is seeking views on whether retirement savers are aware of when independent financial advice must be taken before accessing their pots, following the pension freedoms introduced in April.
St James's Place acquires Rowan Dartington in £34m deal
St James's Place (SJP) has agreed a deal to acquire stockbroker and discretionary investment manager Rowan Dartington Holdings in a deal worth up to £34m.
First financial planning model for people with sight loss launched
The first financial planning proposition for people with sight impairment has been launched.
'Pay more commission' protection plea made
Protection providers should pay intermediaries more commission to help the industry experiment and grow, according to the founder of a comparison service.
FSCS payouts for SIPP-related claims against IFAs jump 50%
The average compensation payout for a SIPP-related claim against failed IFAs rose almost 50% in 2014-15 against the previous 12 months, prompting a £20m interim levy on life and pensions advisers.
The best adviser websites: 25 contenders
The best adviser websites: 25 contenders
Summer Budget 2015 as it happened - tailored coverage for financial advisers
Welcome to Professional Adviser's as-it-happened coverage of the summer Budget 2015 - with a slant, as always, towards those announcements, issues, outcomes and views affecting UK financial advisers...
FOS rulings: Professional Adviser calls for evidence of inconsistency
Professional Adviser calls for evidence of inconsistency
New IFA using face aging app to encourage savings habit
A new advisory business is using a popular face aging app to show clients what they will look like in 30 years, after evidence suggested consumers' attitudes to long-term savings shift if they see an older version of themselves.
Bold and brilliant adviser websites: Think yours is one of them?
Professional Adviser is on the look-out for bold and brilliant adviser websites. Does yours deserve our attention?
Pension reforms: CII considers exam for frontline provider staff
The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) is considering launching a qualification for product providers' staff who are likely to deal with at-retirement customers.
Are defined benefit transfers worth the risk for advisers?
Are defined benefit transfers worth the risk for advisers?
Stewart Ford launches £650m damages claim against FSA and PwC
Stewart Ford is seeking £650m in damages from the financial regulator and administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for "causing" the collapse of Keydata, the investment firm he founded and which attracted almost £500m of investors' capital.
FCA: We're primed for robo-advice
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has laid the groundwork for firms to come to market with ‘robo-advice' models, its director of strategy and competition Chris Woolard has suggested.
Pensions minister Altmann hopeful on 'second hand' annuity market
New pensions minister Ros Altmann has said she is hopeful existing annuitants will get the opportunity to sell their right to an income for a lump sum.
Advisers not winning clients via Pension Wise, says APFA
Advisers' contribution to funding government retirement guidance service Pension Wise should be reduced because they are not benefitting from its existence as much as anticipated, according to the Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA)....
FCA bans adviser for UCIS recommendations to low income clients
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has banned and fined a financial adviser for making unsuitable recommendations of high-risk and often unregulated investments.
Hargreaves Lansdown slapped with £4.6m FSCS bill; attacks 'extremely frustrating' system
Hargreaves Lansdown has attacked the current Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) levy system as "placing an unfair burden on reputable and blameless firms" as the group anticipates a £4.6m bill.
Revealed: The number of advice firms lost each year to client claims
More than 600 adviser firms have been declared in default by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the last five years - an average of almost 130 each year - as the impact of a number of high-profile investment failures continues to take...