Thousands of miles, hundreds of advisers, one word repeated: Suitability

Thousands of miles, hundreds of advisers, one word repeated

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The regulator is not here to protect advisers; it is here, rightly, to champion the needs of the consumer, writes Jamie Farquhar, and that should be the industry's guide for understanding its rules on suitability

We recently finished a tour with the Sense Network and, after travelling 2,000 miles to see 200 advisers across eight venues, one overriding theme came through loud and clear (though admittedly we asked some leading questions): suitability. It is abundantly clear that, while there is a drive towards the de-risking and operational efficiency that a combined attitude to risk (ATR) and centralised investment proposition (CIP) strategy affords, there is also a strong sense of unease over where the regulator will go next on suitability. Benjamin Franklin said nothing was certain except deat...

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