Investing in the profession

The seemingly "endless" list of industry qualifications such as the ISO22222 and the BS8577 are becoming a "cash cow" and are "unnecessary", says one adviser.

Following reports that Skandia is in talks to buy a share in Caerus Wealth, chief executive, Keith Carby, has insisted to IFAonline that the management at Caerus is "not in exit mode".

The Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) has been approved as an affiliate member of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the standard setter for global securities markets.

The Finance & Technology Research Centre (F&TRC) has soft launched a free software comparison tool to help advisers compare available software according to their own priorities.

Bournemouth-based MFP Wealth Management is the first advisory firm to have been awarded the BS8577, a certificate demonstrating the firm has attained operational excellence as defined by the British Standards Institute.

The Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) has named Barry Horner as its board chairman of the FPSB council for 2014.

A former IFA leading a campaign to rebuild consumer trust in financial services has called on the incoming Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to publicly back its agenda.

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DOES SIZE MATTER?

LINDA WOODALL