Independent Financial Advice

It's been another busy (and in some instances raucous) year in financial services. While it's been a positive 12 months in many respects for advisers, the regulator has again come in for criticism...

Around two thirds of people disagree with the attitude to risk given to them by risk profilling tools, Axa Wealth has claimed.

Friends Life will widen its annuity product range and ramp up its consumer marketing next year in a bid to avoid losing its existing savers, and to capture more when it becomes an open market option (OMO) provider.

The Financial Services Authority's (FSA) failure to clamp down on poor financial advice in banks and promote independent alternatives shows it is ‘hostile to consumers', it has been claimed.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has criticised the Financial Services Authority's vision for simplified advice and called for a "triage" system to assess investors' suitability for the service.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it is likely to release further guidance on what is required to be independent post RDR after admitting some practitioners still have questions on the issue.

More people have used professional advice when considering financial products than a year ago but the majority still do not see it as necessary, according to research.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) will press ahead with plans to force pension providers and advisers to reveal the effect of adviser charging on pension plans at the point of sale.

Retirement Angels founder Alan Higham has written an open letter to pensions minister Steve Webb demanding pension reform that pushes people towards advice.

A UK ban on the payment of commission from providers to advisers who sell its products can go ahead unchanged and unhindered, the European Commission (EC) has said, quashing concerns a Europe-wide directive could scupper the requirements.