Investing in the profession

Ashcourt Rowan has appointed a new group head of marketing as part of its national expansion plans.

Online videos will be the way one adviser plans to set himself apart from his peers in the New Year.

Advisers can choose to remain haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past or embrace the ghost of Christmas future, says Aegon's head of Business Brain, John Joe McGinley.

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WHAT I REALLY THINK

AXA has expanded its sales force to meet increased demand from advisers and their clients for unit-linked guaranteed products.

One London-based adviser has said that an unseen restrictive covenant in a contract with his appointed representative (AR) firm means that he is prevented from working for one of the biggest networks in the country forever.

Santander is to suspend its team of 800 advisers while they undergo an intensive training programme to ensure they are fully skilled for the Retail Distribution Review (RDR).

Some large adviser networks may be forced to "tackle" their independent advisers and switch to a restricted advice proposition in order to survive, according to one chief executive.

Plan Money has partnered with an aggregator and launched its first automated, non-advised proposition for protection business.