Stop right there: When (and why) advisers have to say 'no' to clients

Telling clients their investment idea is a 'no go' is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it

Laura Miller
clock • 8 min read

Nobody likes to be told they are wrong. Fewer still want to pay for the privilege. But for advisers that's sometimes the best deal they can ever offer. Laura Miller reports...

Growing up, we are told ‘no' quite a lot. No, you can't have sweets before dinner. No, you can't stay up and watch TV. No, you can't have a £120 bomber jacket even if everyone else is wearing it because in a month's time they won't be and it will gravitate to the bottom of your wardrobe never to be seen again. No is restrictive when we want to be free. Being told ‘no' doesn't get any easier when we are adults, even when it's for our own good. As the field of behavioural economics is increasingly revealing, we are not always rational beings and don't always recognise what is best fo...

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