Nobo-Advisers

Nobo-Advisers

Remember when ‘Robo-Advice’ was the future and was going to take over the bulk of the Financial Advice sector? So convinced of this were Investec, among a host of others, that they invested more than £32 million in a Robo-Adviser investment service. The bank have now...
MiFID 2

MiFID 2

The MiFID 2 rule requiring advisers to produce detailed annual reviews of investment portfolios from this year end, whether the client wants one or not, is causing some consternation among financial advisers. The detail required means that each review could take...
Triage (COBS 19.1.11)

Triage (COBS 19.1.11)

This word is normally used to describe a process of deciding the relative seriousness of patient conditions before deciding who gets treated first. Never the most sophisticated of wordsmiths, our regulator is using it to describe an initial conversation, without...
Private Money Laundering

Private Money Laundering

The National Crime Agency has warned private schools that they should show more of an interest in where the money used to fund their foreign students originates. They are pointing out that anyone in the regulated sector, which schools are, taking money from anywhere,...
Re-assessment Test

Re-assessment Test

The FCA and the CII have launched a new ‘Level 4’ test for practising advisers. This has to be applauded as many advisers have had no reassessment since first gaining their qualification. Some of our firms already conduct their own assessments, but this...
Not Good Enough

Not Good Enough

No one can accuse our regulator of not doing its bit to keep the unemployment stats down. In the last 4 years, the head count at the FCA has increased from 2,511 to 3,379. That’s 35%. Costs went up by a more modest 25% to £334 million. Frank Field, who chairs the Work...