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In the coming months the Financial Services Authority (FSA) will be spending a great deal of time and money educating consumers on changes to the way people receive financial advice and deal with financial advisers. These changes have come about following the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) which was launched by the regulator

Big stuff in the news from the FSA today about an index tracking investment philosophy and independence. They seem to have forgotten about their conclusions as to the value of active fund management. The following exchange took place during a hearing of the House Treasury Committee at Westminster on 3rd May 2006.

The financial services industry loves it’s 3 letter acronyms or initialisms to be precise. It’s no wonder the public are ITD (in the dark). The Regulators don’t help, but it wasn’t the FSA. Before them it was the PII (and before them – the LIA). The FSA’s days are numbered –

It seems that regulatory changes to increase professionalism and transparency of financial advice is what people need if they are to have confidence in seeking professional help with their finances. In the latest YouGov poll conducted as part of Financial Planning Week, which is running from

The FSA has recently alerted consumers to a host of unauthorised firms, some of which may be targeting UK consumers. The regulator has said that investors should exercise caution if they have invested money with these companies, or are considering doing so, warning they will not be covered by the

It seems that scandals are endemic in the UK’s financial system at the moment.  They’re no longer the preserve of the banks either. Earlier this week BBC’s Panorama programme exposed what financial planners have known for a while: Banks sell products Banks are massive sales organisations Banking “advisers” are rewarded with commission and bonuses

Researchers in San Francisco have unearthed a genetic dimension to investment risk.  The implications of these findings to risk assessment in financial services could be significant but will probably stop short of advisers swapping the risk profile questionnaire for a DNA swab. In a paper titled “Serotonin and Risk