A low speed train crash

So it’s been ages since I last posted, most remiss of me, sorry for causing an aching void in your lives, that sort of thing. It’s been a busy old time at the lang cat; we’ve been involved in all sorts of fun stuff from TCF reviews of platform literature right through to proposition development […]

IMMIGRANTS IN SEX PENSION ROMP RIP-OFF SHOCKER!!!!

Sorry, came over a bit Daily Express there… A few stories have been smashing into each other (in my head, at least) over the last few days. First, LV= (how I do hate that equals sign) dipped a toe into the post-RDR insured pension space with their new low-cost adjunct to their SIPP.  The trolls […]

Will platform margins really halve in 3 years?

Hmmm! The redoubtable Southampton-based platform behemoth Skandia has started 2012 in characteristically robust fashion by jack-in-the-boxing on Citywire and predicting that platform margins will halve by 2015. According to Skandia, the market is at 30-50bps now, and will be at 20-25bps by 2015. Only 10 platforms will survive. Cue the Destiny’s Child song of your […]

Will platform margins really halve in 3 years?

Hmmm! The redoubtable Southampton-based platform behemoth Skandia has started 2012 in characteristically robust fashion by jack-in-the-boxing on Citywire and predicting that platform margins will halve by 2015. According to Skandia, the market is at 30-50bps now, and will be at 20-25bps by 2015. Only 10 platforms will survive. Cue the Destiny’s Child song of your […]

Bosh, bish, the end of commish

Busy week this week. Now the FSA have only gone and published their latest Consultation Paper (CP) on the treatment of legacy assets as far as commission and adviser charging are concerned. The paper’s title is CP11/26 and it turns out to be rather important. First off, if you’re looking for it you can find […]

Bosh, bish, the end of commish

Busy week this week. Now the FSA have only gone and published their latest Consultation Paper (CP) on the treatment of legacy assets as far as commission and adviser charging are concerned. The paper’s title is CP11/26 and it turns out to be rather important. First off, if you’re looking for it you can find […]

The right number of platforms to use

So this is something that came up in the sessions I did last week at the PFS conference (and a very good conference it was). How many platforms should an IFA practice use? My glib answer on the day was 2.8. The real answer though is only a little less glib. You should use the […]

The right number of platforms to use

So this is something that came up in the sessions I did last week at the PFS conference (and a very good conference it was). How many platforms should an IFA practice use? My glib answer on the day was 2.8. The real answer though is only a little less glib. You should use the […]

Active Member Discounts – Oops! We Did It Again

I don’t do much writing on pensions these days, but before all the platforms stuff I was a corporate pensions dude and once you’ve been there, it never leaves you, sort of thing. So I was fascinated to see that the issue of Active Member Discounts (AMDs) on group pensions is rearing its head again. […]

Active Member Discounts – Oops! We Did It Again

I don’t do much writing on pensions these days, but before all the platforms stuff I was a corporate pensions dude and once you’ve been there, it never leaves you, sort of thing. So I was fascinated to see that the issue of Active Member Discounts (AMDs) on group pensions is rearing its head again. […]

Impact of poor service

/ White papers

The Impact of Poor Service

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.

Impact of poor service

/ White papers

The Impact of Poor Platform Service

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.

/ White papers

Answering the Call

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.