IFA Magazine’s latest webinar has, yet again, proved very popular with advisers and paraplanners. For today’s gathering, we invited expert MPS managers to explore in some detail the processes and strategies involved in this important investment sector. The experts entered a full, frank and highly eloquent discussion about not only what they do but also how and why they do it. They also gave us a very broad insight into where they see the biggest opportunities and risks in the current market environment.
The webinar was ably chaired by Chris Curtis, part of the Business Development team at ARC. Chris was joined by Freddy Colquhoun, Investment Director at JM Finn; Alex Funk, Chief Investment Officer at Schroders; and Chris Bishun, Investment Solutions Director at Brooks Macdonald. Our thanks go to Chris and all our experts for their time today and for giving us such a clear look behind the scenes as to what is driving investment into and within MPS.
You can catch up with all the discussions and watch the webinar HERE
Here are just a few pointers as to some of the themes discussed to whet your appetite:
- Incorporating ESG into the MPS process. All managers were united in their views of how important ESG has become – and that’s not just about COP26. An enlightened discussion took place highlighting how it was new money coming through from intermediaries into sustainable investments – it’s not just about switching out of more traditional investments. Demand is definitely increasing, particularly with younger demographics. MPS from an ESG perspective clearly is adapting and definitions, clarifications and communication about exactly what clients what is key – and it is certainly not a ‘one size fits all’ matter.
- Communicating with clients and the opportunities in the MPS space. Experts highlighted how providers and intermediaries are working together. They reminded us how information is flowing on a regular basis, how meaningful discussions are taking place and strong relationships are established. It’s a partnership approach. In this way, MPS is clearly becoming more and more integrated as a core element of the financial advice proposition to clients as the wide range of services reflects its importance.
- The current & future environment around the MPS process. There was a candid assessment of the risks and opportunities which the managers are currently seeing.
- The current market outlook – where are the biggest risks and biggest opportunities that managers are seeing? Our experts’ views on the market outlook was particularly enlightening – even discussion of the so called ‘Pret a Manger’ index courtesy of JM Finn’s Colquhoun! And if you want to know about TINA or even TRINA, it’s worth tuning in. As you’d expect, the inflationary situation gets a lot of air time –and experts are even talking turkey and Santa. We’ll leave it to your imagination until you can catch up with the full conversation yourself.
- Alternative investments and how to incorporate them into MPS. Given the negativity around bonds, this theme engaged a lively discussion as the managers highlighted just how they are allocating “non cash, bonds and equity” exposure and maximising diversification.
Click here to watch the webinar
