How can we improve adviser professionalism?

This is the message of the current regulatory changes and consultations like Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) and the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The public needs to believe the existence of high professional standards in the industry and they understand that qualifications mean knowledge. So in spite of many advisers’ reservations about study and exams, it is right that the RDR steers towards higher minimum qualifications for advisers. It is true that qualifications are no substitute for experience so the FSA must avoid a baby and bathwater situation but there’s no escaping that p...