RDR

The Association of Financial Mutuals (AFM) has welcomed the FSA's exemption of Holloway protection products from the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) but said the ‘limited' concession does not go far enough.

The FSA is set to extend the list of RDR-ready qualifications with the addition of three possible routes, including one work-based assessment.

Intelligent Pensions (IP) is offering non-advisory ‘lay advocate' roles to IFAs considering exiting the industry due to the pressure of the RDR.

IFAs have been told they must make significant changes to their businesses over the next 12 months if they want to be prepared for RDR.

Cirencester friendly has called on the government to play its part in supporting simple financial products by publicising those that already exist.

The FSA says a study conducted in Australia seven years ago provides the 'most relevant' evidence of a link between higher qualifications and better financial advice. Yet some of the highest qualified planners made the poorest recommendations. IFAonline...

Helen Morrissey talks to Almary Green's Carl Lamb about how he thinks the retail distribution review will affect the advisory community

At first we thought we'd been asked to list our greatest heroes and villains of all time. Gene Hackman and Vladimir Kozak (Google him) were on that list. Turns out we had to limit it to 2010 and financial services…

For those who missed it, and for those who enjoyed it so much they want a second look, here are the presentations from Lansons' Richard Hobbs, M&G's Anthony Doyle and Highclere's Alan Lakey.

An increasing number of IFAs are trying to build passive portfolios just using ETFs, which can only be done through wrap platforms, BlackRock says.