RETREAT!

Nine companies have been named Adviser Firm of the Year in their respective regions at the Professional Adviser Awards 2014.

Consumers priced out of full advice may yet be able to seek the expertise of an adviser via a chargeable "dip in, dip out" information-only model, according to Cofunds distribution director Andy Coleman.

Nine independent financial advisers were among the 35 businesses to pick up a Gold Standard Award 2013.

Legal & General (L&G) is "demanding" the government lowers a pension charge cap to 0.5%, but one expert says imposing a cap simply pushes costs elsewhere and would leave hundreds of thousands of businesses "to pick up the bill".

The swell of new regulation in financial services "frightens" people away from seeking financial advice, while the proliferation of various fee structures is proving a "nightmare" for those who do engage, according to St James's Place CEO David Bellamy....

The Upper Tribunal has upheld a decision by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to fine investment adviser Westwood Independent Financial Planners £100,000 for mis-selling geared traded endowment policies (GTEPs).

Most American expatriates have at least questioned their US citizenship due to the impact of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), a survey suggests.

ARMCHAIR CRITIC

AFH Financial Group has acquired Herefordshire-based IFA Robert Magee & Associates in a deal worth £486,000.