COVERT CONSULTATION COMPLICATIONS
I’ve been reading about Kim Philby lately, the so-called Cambridge Spy who fooled the British Intelligence Service for decades as he passed information to his KGB handlers. Secrecy, covering his tracks and passing communications in a manner that meant they would go undetected by all but the intended recipient were all in a day’s work. […]
MID-TERM DATAGASM – THE LANG CAT 2016 INFOGRAPHIC
SLAB: Standard Life and Aberdeen get it on
I don’t know how your weekend was, but I suspect it was more fun than the lawyers, bean counters and PR people at Aberdeen and Standard Life had. Out of the blue, the news was broken by @MarkKleinmanSky around lunchtime Saturday, and from there things have moved rapidly to the point of the merger recommendation […]
PLATFORMS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
If it was a human, the platform sector would be studying for its A levels (or Highers, if it lived in Scotland). It would have started drinking about two years ago, wouldn’t be able to get a Glastonbury ticket for love nor money and would be seriously confused at the concept of a telephone that’s […]
PUNS ABOUT SPECIALIST SIPP DUE DILIGENCE ARE HARD TO FIND
Here at the lang cat, we’re no strangers to banging on about due diligence. We’re also not above making suggestions as to how it could be that little bit better/less painful for all concerned. But our feline musings have traditionally been aimed at platforms. While no-one could accuse the regulator of being overly specific in […]
A real person writes
Every so often we get emails from real people. Normally they are from a nice chap in Nigeria offering the chance of a life changing investment opportunity, but whenever we appear in the consumer press the queries normally arrive shortly after. One such email is below, shared in full with the kind permission of the […]
Guess who’s back, back again
The last few months have been an exciting time for Leith’s leading * platform and investment consultancy. We’ve never been busier, and increasingly we are convinced that most of our core markets are about to be disrupted. The recent FCA Asset Management Study is without doubt my favourite read of the year, a real page […]
Where are the customers’ yachts?
So, exactly a year after the terms of reference were published, the FCA has lifted the lid on the asset management industry’s Pandora’s box in what could well (and hopefully will) prove to be a landmark market study. If ever you had any doubts of the depth & range of issues, 689 pages of documents, […]
Orange is the new black
So, 9th November proved to be another standout day in what is turning out to be a stunning year in 2016. A man with no previous experience and a history of <snip : lang cat lawyers> was elected to become POTUS. The world collectively drew breath and waited to see what happens next. Within financial […]
HULK SMASH SECONDARY ANNUITIES!
Perhaps I was having a grumpy day (a blip in my otherwise sunny persona) when I wrote/ranted about the truly horrible prospect of a secondary annuity market. Or perhaps it was just a natural reaction to that horrible prospect. In any case, a few aspersions were cast in my direction suggesting I was trying out […]
