RDR-friendly qualification for advisers launched

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A qualification focusing solely on the "practicalities" of financial advice and meeting the Retail Distribution Review's (RDR's) expected benchmark standard has been launched.

Following a pilot, the ifs School of Finance has unveiled the Diploma for Financial Advisers, which will be deemed QCA Level 4 and made available to IFAs with at least 12 months experience by the end of the year. It will be only the third available qualification at the Level 4 standard - which has been earmarked (page 16, 3.10) in the RDR as the level all UK advisers will need to reach – with the Institute of Financial Planning’s CFP and the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Diploma in Financial Planning the alternatives. But the School says the qualification, unlike its Level 4 counterpa...

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