Go where the risk is

So I just had a good chat with the entirely excellent Jun at Citywire about the FSA’s concerns on single platform usage, conflicts of interest, nasty letters and all that kind of thing. Also today, I read about FundsNetwork reanimating their £50/£100 bung for IFAs putting ISA cases onto their platform. And I’ve been hearing […]

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 […]

Don’t take us for idiots

In an earlier post, I had a bit of a go in an open letter at direct-to-customer platform giant Hargreaves Lansdown over their charging structure. Lots of people seemed to agree, and I’m pleased to say that…it’s made not the slightest bit of difference. That’s the power of social media. Or something. At the moment, […]

Don’t take us for idiots

In an earlier post, I had a bit of a go in an open letter at direct-to-customer platform giant Hargreaves Lansdown over their charging structure. Lots of people seemed to agree, and I’m pleased to say that…it’s made not the slightest bit of difference. That’s the power of social media. Or something. At the moment, […]

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 […]

An open letter to Hargreaves Lansdown

Dear HL Unlike many others in my sector, I’m a big fan of yours. I’m such a big fan that I’m a client – there, I’ve said it. And yes, I hold L&G and HSBC passive funds in my portfolio (such as it is). I’m not daft enough to think that I’m getting something for […]

Prix de l’ARC – Aegon hit the wrap market

So after writing up Cofunds‘ new charging structure a couple of months ago, I think I’d better do the same for the newest kids on the platform block, Aegon. Before I do, I think we should take a moment to congratulate Aegon on a) getting to market and b)being really open, upfront and transparent about […]

Prix de l’ARC – Aegon hit the wrap market

So after writing up Cofunds‘ new charging structure a couple of months ago, I think I’d better do the same for the newest kids on the platform block, Aegon. Before I do, I think we should take a moment to congratulate Aegon on a) getting to market and b)being really open, upfront and transparent about […]

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.