Our regular round-up of the latest insights on investment distribution
D2C guidance: less conviction, more in-house
Most D2C services provide guidance in some way, frequently in the form of select lists and investment solutions – either ready-made portfolios or funds. Guidance is growing in importance. This is partly because it helps first-time investors – at a time that...
Changing dynamics in the UK adviser platform market
The adviser platform market is more sluggish and less competitive than one might have expected from the number of players and the greater ease of moving assets between platforms. A steady but slow decline in platform charges has continued in the last couple of...
‘Old’ and ‘new’ ESG: how financial advisers can help investors
The adoption of ESG by financial advisers is uneven across the UK. Many are still in reactive mode or deal with ESG with a compliance mindset. However, a small but growing number are making genuine efforts to educate clients. A key aim for this group of ‘ESG...
Retirement advice – product or planning problem?
We have seen a steady evolution in UK financial advisers’ propositions since pension freedoms with a tightening up of processes for clients in decumulation. This has included more cash flow planning, and greater emphasis on performing fuller and more proactive...
ESG investing: time for fund providers to abandon the gold rush mindset
Climate change news stories are increasingly impacting investor decisions, while financial advisers continue their gradual but inexorable advance in the adoption of ESG investing in the UK. An avalanche of fund launches, marketing initiatives and PR campaigns by...
Game on – the underlying megatrends of digital investing
A year ago, GameStop symbolised the ‘democratisation’ of investing. However, a recently published book suggests it was ‘The Revolution that Wasn’t’, with no power shift towards ordinary investors. In the UK, elevated share trading coincided with the arrival of a...