Tom Ellis: Commission-based advice is back? How words can confuse

Advice or guidance?

Tom Ellis
clock • 10 min read

Financial planning app Multiply may have you thinking 'free', commission-based advice is making a comeback this summer. But, writes Tom Ellis, this story of a confusing three days paints a rather different picture

When I received a press release on Monday saying financial planning app Multiply had been approved by the FCA and was going to put "a full personal financial adviser in everyone's pocket", you can imagine I was more than intrigued. In fact, the firm says its robo-adviser would be the only app to explore "your whole financial life across a wide range of products - from pensions and investments to savings and insurance". So confident of its disruptive potential, it even offers a dig to human financial advisers, saying it would review your financial situation every time your life changes...

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