Our regular round-up of the latest insights on investment distribution

Asset managers regaining the initiative

Pre-RDR, much of the ‘power’ in the market was held by asset managers: they charged the fees and remunerated advisers/platforms via rebates/commission. The RDR flipped this on its head. Now it is the advisers who are firmly in control, setting fees and choosing –...

Where have all the advisers gone?

Recruiting advisers and other experienced staff ranks as one of the biggest challenges that advice businesses now face, according to many of the owners and managers of advice firms we have spoken to in our research at Platforum. In fact, we discovered that half of...

What is the D2C future of investment trusts?

If investment trusts wanted to shout about the merits of the closed-ended structure, they’ve had two excellent opportunities of late, with the Woodford gating and a similar episode for several property funds following the 2016 EU referendum result. However, they’re...

Can the FCA tame the DIY decumulation market?

Nearly a third of pension drawdown sales are non-advised. This figure rises sharply if you also include first-time access as a full cash withdrawal, annuity purchase and simplified withdrawal under the UFPLS rules. Perhaps it is time for this significant swathe of...

European platforms: in a different class

We’re seeing a slow rise in the use of clean share classes across Europe, challenging the existing business models of many platforms. And, unfortunately, we can’t look to the UK for a hint of where we’ll end up. While clean share classes are more or less ubiquitous...