Adviser independence worry over platforms use

Defaqto says the advisers who remain concerned could be confused by the lack of clarity from the FSA on the issue of independence when using platforms. Martin Bamford, director at Informed Choice, says the platforms/independence issue is a grey area. "I think there are multi-levels of independence but for a platform specialist there are only two that matter, one being the tax wrapper and one being the underlying structure of funds," he says. "Most of the platforms I am aware of satisfy the second, they offer access to a sufficient wider range of funds so you can continue playing wit...