You wouldn't hire a barrister to do a conveyancing job yet, in financial planning terms, day in day out, highly qualified financial advisers the length and breadth of the country continue to do just that by carrying out their own account admin.

Draft units for qualifications designed specifically to meet proposals in the RDR have been agreed and are set for consultation.

Sesame has stressed it sees platforms as "very important" to the future of retail distribution as the final details on a takeover of support services provider Bankhall are hammered out.

Zurich appoints a new CEO in a quieter week on the appointments front.

A sales tip its IFA creator calls ‘The Plug' has won a nationwide competition inviting advisers to share their most successful strategies and tips for selling protection.

A protection and investment IFA is calling on providers to help him adopt a uniform charging method across both sides of his business.

A pensioner's birthday wish was ruined this week when Phoenix Life insisted on imposing a £16,500 hit on his pension pot in a fresh row over market value reductions (MVRs).

Income and profit at Swiss insurance giant Zurich suffered significant declines in H1 2009 compared with the first six months of 2008.

Russell Investments, fresh from launching its first fund range to the UK retail market, has launched a website for financial advisers designed to guide them through the current economic and regulatory turbulence.

It never fails to surprise me just how hard it is to ensure customers understand exactly what they've bought.