Greg Davies: Training the elephant in the suitability room

Question of translation

clock • 4 min read

It is perfectly possible for advisers to be happy with both their risk-profiling and investment processes, writes Greg Davies, but how do they know they can trust the map linking the two?

On one side of the suitability dancehall stand investors. On the other, investments. In the middle, responsible for finding everyone a suitable dancing partner, sits an enormous elephant. The elephant wants to help but it does not know how. This makes everyone very embarrassed. They struggle to even look at the beastly blockade. Matching investors to investments, they conclude, is best not thought about too hard.  On the surface, suitability is simple. Profile an investor, map that profile to a portfolio and check in periodically. Yet few ‘solutions' offer any credible means of accomplis...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Investment

Darius McDermott: The line between resilience and risk

Darius McDermott: The line between resilience and risk

'Trump has, for the most part, chickened out'

Darius McDermott
clock 29 July 2025 • 5 min read
Watch Professional Adviser's Working Lunch with Baillie Gifford - A compelling opportunity: The UK is on offer

Watch Professional Adviser's Working Lunch with Baillie Gifford - A compelling opportunity: The UK is on offer

Catch up on the discussion

Professional Adviser
clock 29 July 2025 • 1 min read
Advisers look to capital accumulation in Q2 2025

Advisers look to capital accumulation in Q2 2025

Interest in inflation protection nudges up

Jen Frost
clock 18 July 2025 • 3 min read