Opinion

Snow bound a couple of weeks ago, I set to musing about the FSA's paper on pension switching advice and the recently issued suitability assessment template.

I remember a recent blog where an adviser had a pop at me for having a go at investment bonds because I said they were often mis-sold.

The second half of 2008 was a real turning point for structured products (which I will henceforth refer to as 'protected investments' - surely the most appropriate name for this particular product genre given the protection they have provided to investors...

UK economic prospects look absolutely awful: Commercial development activity has collapsed, unemployment is rising and business confidence is plummeting.

A lot has changed since the Beatles released their love-song about ageing, "When I'm Sixty-Four" (England were Football World Cup holders for a start!).

Past excuses for train delays such as 'leaves on the line' or 'the wrong kind of snow' have long since passed into urban legend as people lament the travel chaos in the UK caused by sudden bad weather.

With ever-increasing life expectancy, people are facing a longer retirement - potentially lasting 30 years or more. Managing a finite pot of money over this time would prove a challenge for most. Conventional retirement income products don't stand this...

I am continually amazed how, over the years, IFAs have managed to employ so many different techniques to build client portfolios.

Recently there has been so much doom and gloom, especially now we are officially in a recession, and I feel that many of my past blogs were a bit sombre as a result.

2009 will be an interesting year for SIPPs. The collapse of interest rates will mean increased clarity in fee structures as certain providers won't be able to prop up their cheapish looking fees by relying on taking up to 1.5% of the interest rate earned...