Independent or tied? The best advice may lie somewhere in the middle

Frequently, rather more heat than light emerges in discussions on the subject of independent and restricted advice. Some suggest the distinction will have completely disappeared within the next five years, while others remain adamant that, having nailed their colours to the mast of independence, it is a principle they will not relinquish. Certainly, with the advent of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR), the dividing line has become increasingly blurred. From a pragmatic standpoint, the questions to be considered are straightforward: how does the adviser’s choice to opt for indepe...