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Advice market review must go to heart of financial planning

Internal succession can be a very effective exit strategy for financial advice firm principals if the right approach is taken. Phil Billingham shares his insight...

Troubled overseas property group Harlequin is encouraging investors to use compensation payouts to reinvest in its scheme - at the same time as it fights a settlement deal it reached with unhappy investors last year.

A mandatory requirement on providers to use Origo's Options Transfers service is among the suggestions for improving the efficiency of pension transfers.

The regulator has said it understands advisers' concerns about their liability for simplified advice, saying it has made the issue a core part of the Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR).

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.

National Chartered financial planning firm Fairstone Financial Management has backed the ambitions of its advisers who want to achieve individual Chartered status with the launch of an online training academy.

The regulator is likely to shrug off calls from the Financial Services Consumer Panel (FSCP) to create a quality rating for firms, on the grounds it does not have the resources to take on the burden, a law firm has said.

Fund factsheets from eight of the ten best-selling fund groups contain performance data that is six weeks out of date and fails to reflect recent market turmoil, according to research by a fintech firm.

Aegon has said it will leave life company trade body the Association of British Insurers (ABI) at the end of the year, and instead lobby the government and regulators directly.