A very warm welcome to IFAM90 our summer issue for July/August. I suspect that by our next issue many of the questions we are pondering at the moment (about the impact on the economy, relaxing of social distancing, get-together bubbles and pubs and restaurants reopening) will have been answered for us. I am sure many of us with families will have already eyed up some “staycation” destinations, especially given that security and health checks at airports – for those braving flights to destinations abroad – are expected to be even more of a trial than usual. That said, spending money at home to boost those independent hoteliers and holiday centres seems like a good idea. The cover photo, in case you are wondering, is the glorious Kynance Cove in Cornwall and there are so many other stunning locations around the country for us to explore over the summer, so enjoy, wherever you choose to holiday!
Back to our packed magazine this month and continuing with our Insurance Doctor series, in this issue Daniel West takes a look at the implications of the FCA’s decision to ban contingent charging on defined benefit transfers (DBTs). Veronique Chapplow, Investment Director at M&G Investments, has provided answers for us to the key questions advisers and planners have around impact investing. John William Olsen, Fund Manager at M&G, explains in detail how investors can use the M&G Positive Impact Fund for social and environmental benefits. We bring you the second extract from our MPS report, authored by Tony Catt, and in this issue we look at MIFID II and PROD. Later in the magazine, John Bennett, Head of Adviser Proposition at Sparrows Capital explains the efficiency of MPS with a focus on the cost of delivery for advice firms.
Tony Beaven’s article looks at the differences between the UK and Australian financial planning sectors and outlines the key qualifications, legislative and structural differences in practice. GrowthInvest’s David Lovell offers a timely and topical take on what he describes as a watershed moment for adviser businesses, especially in the world of alternative and tax efficient investing. Chris Mellor, Invesco, gives us a detailed overview of why synthetic replication has recently gained equal footing with physical replication for index exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Inflation prospects amid the pandemic is the subject of Andrew Patterson’s (senior economist at Vanguard) interesting take on what we might learn from the US economy.
Richard Harvey paints a picture of reputations crashing all around us in recent months and while he thinks some of these are ultimately redeemable, he believes advisers who don’t “fess-up” to the FCA on mis-selling final salary pension scheme opt-outs, won’t get off so lightly. We get a peak under the bonnet at CoInvestor’s digital investment platform as we talk to CEO Chris Sandfield, who explains the joined up thinking behind its genesis.
Stay safe and have a wonderful summer.
With very best wishes,
Alex Sullivan
IFA Magazine
