First of all: welcome back to IFAonline, which is looking to another year of change (hopefully, perhaps, at not too great a pace!) spurred on by market and regulatory forces.
It's that time of year again when we all take stock on the wind down to Christmas, and look back at the past 12 months to see whether the year has really been as good or bad as it felt at the time.
Although two issues, pensions and housing, have received their fair share of coverage this week, it seems as if MPs have chosen the easier routes to voters hearts and minds.
Punters have barely had pause for breath before being hit with the next big political question of pensions, which the government seems to have firmly knotted to the next general election.
Judging by the amount of feedback unleashed following publication of the first Pensions Commission report the issues may actually be heading towards some sort of positive outcome.
Hecklers got it all wrong at yesterday's conference speech by Tony Blair.
Risk management seems to be the hot topic that no-one in the industry can really agree on.
Plans from the Life Insurance Association and the Society of Financial Advisers to merge as the Personal Finance Society present a significant shift in thinking about the image of the financial adviser.
The latest bulletin from the Pensions Policy Institute - looking at longevity and living beyond the State retirement age - sparked a discussion on the IFAonline desk questioning whether IFAs are missing a future business opportunity.
Fears over the short-term state of the housing market have been sparked by a number of differing monthly indices, reports and surveys, all suggesting some change is ongoing.