RDR

Advisers waiting for 'alternative' assessments for obtaining QCF Level 4 could be hampering their chances of being qualified before the RDR deadline, Zurich UK Life's intermediary sales director Richard Howells says.

The Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) has approved the final QCF Level 4 standards with new guidelines for giving specialist advice.

IFAs face a "race against time" to get in shape for the RDR, with some exhibiting glaring gaps in their knowledge of new qualification requirements, recent research suggests.

A platform pricing regime based solely on unbundled charges will be detrimental to consumers and remove choice, warns Cofunds.

FSA plans in the RDR to recognise trade bodies only if they meet a strict set of criteria will likely result in higher fees and lower membership, threesixty warns.

Solicitors will have to battle it out with banks, supermarkets and insurance companies for legal business from Q4 next year, leading some to suggest they will be more eager to link up with financial advice firms.

The Retail Distribution Review has set the clock ticking for those giving regulated advice and sales guidance on retail products, says Matt Smith

IFA network Financial Ltd is hosting a technical roadshow designed to help advisers prepare for the RDR.

It's clear that the baby boom generation are a key part of an adviser's business model, as it's the section of the population with the most disposable income and the greatest savings.

Richard Howells, intermediary sales director at Zurich UK Life, says advisers need to start considering their post-RDR business plans now to steer clear of future strategic problems.