Removing the stigma

Dear Editor, Equity release can be a daunting subject for legal and financial professionals. The perception, rooted in the days prior to SHIP and FSA regulation, is often that these are complicated financial products aimed at vulnerable elderly clients. Even with all the innovations in the equity release market a stigma remains. Recent negative media coverage of equity release including a high profile spot on ITV's Tonight Show only compounds fears. So if legal and financial advisers are scared of equity release, what chance is there for the consumer? 2007 was a mixed bag for equity r...