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In Divide and Conquer, we will look at the theme of creative tension and whether just making us all get along with each other will really make things better…
In Divide and Conquer, we will look at the theme of creative tension and whether just making us all get along with each other will really make things better…
What’s Divide and Conquer about?
It’s satisfying to moan about how the various actors in the sector – the regulator, providers and planners – don’t work well enough together, and about how that harms outcomes, and about how things should be harmonious and that would help.
We’re not so sure.
Creative tension can be good, if it’s harnessed in the same direction. Not every part of the chain involved in creating something needs to be harmoniously aligned as long as there are checks and balances involved.
In our intermediated world, the industry puts together things it thinks planners want to use with customers, and the regulator oversees both bits. Most of the time we generally assume this works tolerably well, or at least isn’t broken enough to worry too much about, and we rely on the invisible hand of the market to sort things out. But does that really stand the test of scrutiny?
Consumer Duty highlighted the necessity of everyone working together in the interests of better client outcomes, but that doesn’t mean everyone should be in each other’s pockets. In Divide and Conquer, then, we will look at the theme of creative tension and whether just making us all get along with each other – be nice to your sister! – will really make things better. We’ll look at when things get out of balance – as they have done at times with platforms – and whether vertical integration, where that tension is arguably completely removed – is delivering better outcomes. We’ll look at the power balance between planners, the industry and the regulator and ask awkward questions when they’re necessary, and never, ever take things at face value.
We’ve said before that the entire sector is engaged in rearranging itself to acknowledge that planners now have the power the industry once had and so we’ll finish the day with tales from the front line, hearing from planners directly about how they deal with creative tension and still create amazing experiences for clients.
Before all that – and before lunch – we also offer a voluntary session, aimed at planners but open to everyone, which will be the World Premiere of our famous State of the Advice Nation annual adviser survey. This is year seven, meaning we’ve got plenty of trends to track. We’ll look at three of the key themes the survey highlights, and share some interesting data.
Business sessions will finish at 5pm or so; we’ll have a drink in the venue and then it’s over the road to the Lighterman for the afterparty.
This event qualifies for 4 hours of unstructured CPD.
THE PRACTICALITIES
The date to mark in your calendars is Thursday 6 February – join us in person on the day.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, tickets are free for advice professionals working at an advice firm; so advisers, planners, paraplanners, compliance and admin fill your boots.
Everyone else is asked to buy tickets at a cost of £100 plus VAT.
11am
Welcome to SOTAN Wave 7 – Your lang cat hosts
11.10am
Theme 1: Consumer Duty and client outcomes – Zara Okoro, JG Paraplanning, Samantha Gratton, Ellis Davis FP
11.30am
Theme 2: Positioning your IFA business between advice and planning. And client outcomes – Roddy Munro, Quilter, Victor Sacks, VS Associates, Dan Wiltshire, Wiltshire Wealth
11.50am Theme 3: consolidation. And client outc…you get it – James Wallis, Aristotle Financial Planning, +TBC
12:15 LUNCH
1.15pm
Welcome and Instructions For The Day… -Your lang cat hosts
1.50pm
Divide and conquer: the tribes are massing, feat. remarks from Sara Woodroffe, FCA – Verona Kenny, abrdn + TBC
2.45pm BREAK
3.20pm
Divide and conquer 2: when the balance is disturbed feat. Platforms Are Dead, 10 years on and a fireside chat with Steven Levin, CEO, Quilter
4.20pm
Divide and conquer 3: navigating division and still keeping clients at the heart – Caroline Stuart, Sparrow Paraplanning, Pete Matthew, Meaningful Money and Jacksons, Philippa Hann, Paradigm Norton
5pm
Conquering division – close – Your lang cat hosts
5.15PM DRINKS + SNACKS
6.15PM AFTERPARTY AT THE LIGHTERMAN
We provided the research for a report, in conjunction with Parmenion, which reveals how far short of expectations many adviser platforms are falling. The research found that over the last 12 months, 88% of advisers needed to apologise to at least one of their clients on behalf of a platform, and that poor service delivery from platforms impacts 91% of advisers every day.
We provided the research for a report, in conjunction with Parmenion, which reveals how far short of expectations many adviser platforms are falling. The research found that over the last 12 months, 88% of advisers needed to apologise to at least one of their clients on behalf of a platform, and that poor service delivery from platforms impacts 91% of advisers every day.
Service means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It’s so subjective it can be hard to put your finger on. This paper aims to challenge the status quo and inertia that’s built up in the sector for many years.
