Sean McKinven's Newsround: 30 March

Hello.

If I asked you to picture a red bing, would you know what the hell I was talking about?

Well, I should hope most Scottish lang cats would, as at least four of us live or have lived in the council area which has the Five Sisters red bings on its logo. The red bings of West Lothian are five piles of spent shale ash. You pass it on the M9 and on the Glasgow to Edinburgh train. They look like five big mounds of earth, but they also appear to have some maddening ecological quality which, considering the environmentally damaging act of their creation, was a surprise.

I remember in primary school, some random turned up to our class with a load of CDs of Scottish-y tunes that you’ve never heard of. Among the tracks was one that sounded like it was performed by a children’s choir and had the refrain: “The red bings of West Lothian were made for me and you”. I suppose it is one thing to honour and have reverence for a landmark the industry that defined the area, but there’s something that speaks to a more west coast gallusness of making five shale dust knuckles your notable landmark just miles away from a city with a pretty famous set of hills just outside it and a peak of volcanic rock right in the centre.

It has made me meditate a bit on my encounters with Scottish culture down the years, a culture that has a lot of quirks you may not be aware of. My first work experience was a stint in a Glasgow music studio where I recorded a bunch of MCs rapping over hardstyle beats. There is a version of one I recorded on SoundCloud actually.*

I was reminded yesterday of a poem I wrote in primary school. It was customary to recite Scottish poetry once a year and I thought I’d give it a dabble to avoid doing the ones that had been assigned.

It was called ‘Thistle do nicely’, written at about age nine, about a sentient thistle complaining about the weather. One thing lead to another, and at a full school assembly they asked me to read it out. I seem to remember sitting there very cherry faced as the deputy head read it out for me. Not that I’m bitter or anything.

Aspects of any culture, core, parochial or otherwise, form an important tapestry of the thing they represent (CRINGE). Sometimes there’s a value in recognising the odd kinks throughout a place and how it can all build a richer picture (CRINGE).

Anyway, the lang cat has been shortlisted for the Headline Money Awards in the PR Agency of the Year category. It is a shortlisting which recognises work in PR, but part of the strength of the lang cat is it is interconnected and all aspects of the business work with and for each other.

Individual strengths come together, whether its our equivalent hardstyle MCs or quirky geographical landmarks, Along with the more obvious and core stuff, like haggis and Munros, they all go into the secret sauce. Much hard work is put in across the business, with everyone doing jobs small and large that converge to make the lang cat worthy of recognition. The fact that all aspects of the business – even the Scottish and English bits – are interrelated whilE having the space to do what they do best is its strength.

I am not really sure how to tie this off; maybe an achievement shared is the best kind (CRINGE, but true).

*Parental Advisory: If you are able to make out any words they are likely to be bad ones.

The news:

LANG CAT & CLIENT MENTIONS

The Lang Cat ‘AdviceTech Catwalk’ competition opens for entries – Wealth Investment News

Get your entries in.

Source: Wealth Investment News

How to choose the perfect fund for YOUR stocks and shares Isa: The best-buy deals experts love the most

Steve pops up in this one.

Source: This is Money

This easy switch could boost your Isa by £60,000 (if you avoid a common trap)

Steve pops up again, with our pricing tables also used.

Source: The Telegraph

Good ‘bedside manner’ is still underrated in financial planning

Christian Markwick, now of Clifton Wealth Partnership, writes about the value of advice, with a mention of our advice gap research.

Source: IFA Magazine

Exclusive: Aberdeen boosts SIPP range to support income strategies

Now includes cash solutions through fixed-term deposits and notice accounts, the Wesleyan With Profits Smoothed Fund, and the Prudential Guaranteed Income Plan.

Source: Money Marketing

Ben Kumar: War. What is it good for? (One year later…)

Absolutely nothing. 7IM’s head of equity strategy talks defence investing.

Source: Money Marketing

Guardian updates adviser portal to provide real-time view of policies

Source: FT Adviser

Advisers: Are you even taking your own advice?

Pilot’s CEO Nick Ryan man the proliferation of personal and professional subscriptions.

Source: Professional Adviser

‘Everyone is launching an MPS without thinking where the market is going’

Alex Funk of PortfolioMetrix discusses his career and MPS.

Source: FT Adviser

Steve Watson: Engagement still key despite VFM progress

Cushon on the value for money framework.

Source: Corporate Adviser

ADVISERS

IHT changes are coming, but are advisers ready?

Source: Money Marketing

INVESTING & WEALTH MANAGERS

Almost three quarters of savers would abandon moving investments due to delays

Some 70% of respondents abandon a switch when the process is too slow or complicated.

Source: FT Adviser

Tatton CEO: FCA should look at agent-as-client DFM models

Paul Hogarth on his concerns about responsibilities in the MPS market.

Source: Citywire WM

Alistair McQueen: Financial inclusion – We’re all in this together

Aviva’s call to improve consumer confidence.

Source: Money Marketing

What history can teach us about the potential impact of AI on economies

I must admit, I wasn’t expecting to see a fund manager advocating being more like Friedrich Engels.

Source: FT Adviser

REGULATION & POLICY

FCA conduct breach reports rise 10% as firms tighten oversight

Firms are also responding to an increased scope for non-financial breaches.

Source: Money Marketing

FCA to review £674m adviser trail commissions

The regulator asks the industry if the practice should be stopped.

Source: Citywire NMA

From finfluencer to fully qualified – but why I won’t be seeing clients

As the article points out, if more than two-thirds of the most-viewed finfluencer TikToks broke FCA rules, maybe the poor reputation of finfluencers is well-earned.

Source: Professional Adviser

FSCS chief executive unveils five-year plan for the lifeboat scheme

Source: FT Adviser

Palantir extends reach into British state as it gets access to sensitive FCA data

So much excellent news on this *checks calendar* Monday morning.

Source: The Guardian

FCA: ‘It would be fantastic if firms could use their influence on social media’

I read that headline in the tone of a sarcastic American teen. Literally.

Source: FT Adviser

FCA: Platform cash margin must be consumer duty compatible

I am sure there will be feelings on this.

Source: Citywire NMA