Opinion
The risk of riding too high: The fall of Icarus
During this life in lockdown, I have found myself doing a lot of things I always thought of but didn’t get to until now – writes Andrew Morris, Product Specialist at Canada Life Investments. Recently, for example, I listened to Stephen Fry’s books, Mythos and Heroes, on audible whilst attempting to do yet another amateur […]
Intergenerational planning and investing in a sustainable future
£1trillion of assets is set to pass between generations over the next nine years¹ – but, according to research, 70% of family wealth is lost by the end of the second generation and up to 90% by the end of the third². The main contributor to this is a lack of communication between families – writes […]
ESG investing: 3 keys to manage rising risk in clients’ portfolios
Global appetite for environmental, social and governance concerns continues, of course, to grow – arguably exponentially. Governments and courts worldwide too are taking affirmative action. In February 2020, here in the UK, the Court of Appeal ruled that plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport were illegal, because they ran contrary to the government’s […]
Survey: Does financial advice have a positive impact at a time of crisis?
If you have ever experienced real panic, brought on without warning, it is extremely unpleasant, to say the very least. A suddenly increased heart rate. A horrible hot flush. You may quickly feel cold and begin to shake. In all, it is disorienting and difficult to focus. How do you react in that moment, under […]
A client’s eye view of Dynamic Planner: Two investors share their experience
It is typical on the Dynamic Planner website to read testimonials from advice firms, about their experience of adopting and using the system. But how do the clients of those same advice firms – people with their pensions and investments at stake – find it? What is their experience? Increasingly late last year, the industry […]
Sharp focus on retirement income as bigger Covid-19 picture develops
Advising clients on income in retirement suddenly became even more challenging this year. The coronavirus has influenced not simply the way clients of financial advice firms think about their money, but also their short and long-term health too. It has been a time for advisers to closely support their clients and ensure they fully understand […]
How resilient have clients been in 2020? 4 firms outline conversations they have experienced
It was one thing, of course, talking through the potential portfolio losses, in the comfort of an annual review – quite another to starkly report back actual losses to a client, running into several thousand or even tens of thousands of pounds. Below, four advice firms relay typical conversations they have had with clients, during […]
Mind the gap between a client’s attitude to risk and their financial resilience following a loss
By Louis Williams, Head of Psychology and Behavioural Insights Why do previously risk tolerant people panic and sell when faced with a significant portfolio loss? Such paradoxical behaviour has damaged both the overarching financial planning and investment process and also the adviser-client relationship, which lies at the heart of the industry. How might we help […]
Speculation surplus clouds outlook for recovery from coronavirus crisis
By Abhi Chatterjee, Chief Investment Strategist In the last six weeks, I have seen more from my home office desk than all the time I have previously spent in my career on trading desks. To recap, what have we witnessed? The single largest day increase in VIX since 1990 Two of the largest daily falls […]
What will the legacy of lockdown be? 6 advisers answer
It is estimated that roughly one in three of us globally are currently living in lockdown, to varying degrees, against the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Here in the UK, we are now entering week seven or week eight for many of us, since the first announcement from government on 16 March to, if […]