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Qwerty Dancing - 18th December 2008

Mobile phones are ubiquitous across financial services.  Many people carry two, one as a phone, the other a data device, such as a Blackberry or equivalent.  I have long believed that increasingly powerful mobile communications devices are likely, at some stage, to remove the need for people to carry around several kilos of laptop... more 

Knight RDR - 4th December 2008

Leaving last week's FSA conference on the retail distribution review, it was very obvious to me who was the clear winner of the contest - Stephen Hadrill of the Association of British Insurers.  On stage he played his part as The Joker, in a double act with Angela Knight of the British Bankers' Association, in the role of Catwoman.  It is clear that they... more 

An End to End Game - 20th November 2008 

Adviser firms are spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting a client management system.  In addition to the big three, 1st's Adviser Office, Intelligent Office from Intelliflo and Client Care Desktop from Capita Financial Software, others include Plum, JCS and SSP (formerly known as Sirius).  All have powerful off-the-shelf applications which can help advisers transform their businesses.  It is important to recognise that implementing any of these systems... more

Supporters' Clubs - 6th November 2008 

It is very clear that the major advice firms have begun thinking in very different ways about how they select the organisations they will be partnering with as suppliers in the future.  This is due in no small part to the retail distribution review.  In just under three weeks time, we will officially know what has increasingly become the worst kept secret in the industry - the FSA's plans for implementing the RDR.  There seems to be no shortage of leading industry figures who... more

Best of Friends - 23rd October 2008

Although the last 12 months have been tough for everybody in our industry, Friends Provident has probably had more than its fair share of challenges.  Newly slimmed down and with a dynamic chief executive in place, in recent months the company seems to have a more positive aura about it.  Indeed, I have heard some people arguing that Friends, having gone through the pain, in now in a very strong position for the future... more

Just Cause - 9th October 2008

In a recent study, my organisation identified that the potential market capitalisation of advisers in the retirement market over the next ten years could be as much as £7.5billion.  Given this is many times the entire market capitalisation of the quoted UK IFA sector, it is fair to say this area represents the largest single opportunity for the adviser community today.  As the baby-boomer generation approaches retirement... more

Re-reg Realism - 25th September 2008

Re-regulation facilities or, to be more accurate, the lack of them, continue to be one of the most emotive subjects in our industry.  It seems to have become more fashionable to lay much of the blame at the door of the regulator, citing a failure on its part to use treating customers fairly as a way to force platforms to deliver on this issue.  I believe that the FSA has armed the adviser community with a set of regulatory requirements which should be... more

Asset Arithmetic - 11th September 2008

The merits of investment in bonds v collectives since the changes to the tax regime have been one of the most intensely debated issues in our industry over the last year and an increasing number of tools are emerging to help advisers in making such comparisons.   Zurich, Clerical Medical and Standard Life have each had offerings in the market for some time and last week Fidelity FundsNetwork launched... more

Academy Awards - 28th August 2008

Positive Solutions has, without doubt, been one of the success stories of the last decade in the IFA market.  It has established a national IFA brand with over 1,700 advisers and a profit record that, even with a recent blip, puts most of the rest of the sector to shame.  Throughout this period, it has been a constant innovator and its latest launch, the Learning Academy, is no exception... more 

Zurich Builds a New Portfolio - 14th August 2008

Zurich has been a company that, when it came to e-commerce, delivered a great deal less than could be reasonably expected of such a global financial services provider.  However, 2008 has seen a radical transformation of its services and the company is now making up for lost time... more 

Select and Protect - 31st July 2008

When it comes to innovative use of technology, especially in the protection market, few companies have done more than Friends Provident.  The launch of its e-Select service in 2003 led the way in demonstrating the savings and efficiencies that can be achieved by using a powerful online underwriting engine to set up new protection policies... more

Standard in the Vanguard - 17th July 2008

In November 2002, Standard Life quietly started something of a revolution in the financial services market when it became the first UK life office to give free access to stochastic modelling tools.  This started a trend that has seen increasing numbers of firms put such tools at the heart of their advice process... more 

Riotous Assembley - 3rd July 2008

What does a life insurance company bring?  This is a question I find myself being asked increasingly by advisers, especially those that are moving their business model towards wrap.  These eight words, I believe, identify quite how much our industry has lost its way in the past two decades... more

Seeing the Potential - 19th June 2008

Moving 1,800 users ofa critical software system at the same time is a gargantuan task.  This is what True Potential achieved for Positive Solutions over the Christmas period.  I appreciate why, for business reasons, it had to be done this way but when I first heard that the switch was to be carried out... more 

Re-reg and Regulation - 5th June 2008

The thorny question of platform to platform re-registration, or rather the lack of it, is again attracting widespread commentary from many wrap providers.  The FSA has, in effect, raised the stakes with its requirement in its recent discussion paper FS08/01, Platforms and... more

Security Alert - 22nd May 2008

Over the last decade, laptops have increasingly become a key component of an IFA's equipment.  More and more firms are arming their advisers with mobile technology to give them access to detailed client records during client visits.  Even those advisers who... more

The Tipping Point - 8th May 2008

Although today working with a computer interface with icons, so-called graphical interfaces, is instinctive for most people, it was not always that way.  Eighteen years ago in May 1990, Microsoft released what is generally recognised as the version of Windows operating system 3.0 which really showed... more

Laundry List - 24th April 2008 

From an adviser perspective, antimoney-laundering checks must be one of the most frustrating parts of the business process.  A series of procedures have to be followed, usually involving the adviser firm having physical sight of a number of documents to confirm that the customer is who they say they are... more

Open Doors to Closed Books - 10th April 2008

Recent research by Ernst & Young has identified that there is over £250bn of assets in closed funds.  The reduction in number of providers is startling.  Open books have declined by over 70 per cent in the last eight years - 74 providers were open for business in 1999 and this total reduced to only 21 by last year... more

e-Learning Curve - 3rd April 2008

The finer points of tax rules on bonds are hardly a straightforward subject.  It is, however, something that everyone talking to clients about such products, both adviser and administrative staff, need to get their heads around.  With the Budget out of the way...

Get on the Right Frequency - 27th March 2008

Real e-commerce success stories are not as common in this industry as they might be.  When clear evidence emerges that an initiative is delivering benefits, it should be a cause of celebration.  This is what is being achieved with the delivery of online valuation... more

Understand and Deliver - 13th March 2008

The Thoresen report makes a compelling case for a fresh approach to helping consumers get a better understanding of their financial affairs.  The Treasury chose an industry practitioner to lead the work and the output shows... more

Tools for a Service Call - 14th February 2008

Identifying ways that as an industry we can deliver advice to those who cannot afford to pay for it must represent both the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity for our industry.  There is much valuable work going on... more

Conditions in the mortgage industry are tough and market volatility is having a significant effect in investor confidence so businesses must be able to operate efficiently.  I am excited by a wide range of new technology that will radically change... more