IFA Magazine’s final magazine issue of the year takes stock of a 2025 that kept everyone on their toes and looks ahead to the New Year. Advisers have again been the steady hands guiding clients through it all, and this edition is built to help you step confidently into 2026.
We open on page 5 with our conversation with BNY Investments’ Andrew Stephens, offering a clear, grounded look at how advisers are building resilience, where active management earns its place and why flexibility is shaping fixed income strategies for the year ahead.
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The forces shaping 2026
On page 10, we bring together reflections on 2025, a year defined by stealth taxes, complexity and clients needing more reassurance. Alongside this is a roundup of industry views on what may lie ahead in 2026.
Page 14 takes you into Morningstar’s 2026 Outlook with Dan Kemp, who cuts through the clutter with a simple message that preparation beats prediction. On page 18, we break down the Autumn Budget 2025, not dramatic but full of shifts advisers will need to translate, from frozen thresholds to subtle policy tweaks.
The month in your ears
If you like your insight delivered on the go, turn to page 22. Matt Williams rounds up the latest IFA Talk episodes so you can catch the gems whether you are commuting, multitasking or finally taking a proper lunch break.
What good advice looks like
On page 24, I explore how advisers can bridge generations as financial education improves in schools. On page 28, Andrew Gething tackles the question of multiple vulnerabilities and Consumer Duty.
If platforms are part of your world (and whose world are they not part of), page 30 features Linda Johnstone on balancing bold innovation with rock-solid reliability. Page 32 brings you Patrick Murphy’s reflections on half a century in the profession and why he believes the future is unmistakably hybrid.
Thinking beyond the balance sheet
Turn to page 34 for Rachel de Souza’s look at how families are rethinking wealth transfer, long-term planning and emotional readiness. On page 38, Andy Zanelli gives trusts a timely rethink as IHT pressure shows no sign of easing.
Tools that help, not replace
Page 40 sees Laura Cornely explore how automation can help close the widening advice gap when used wisely. On page 43, Matt Duncan looks at how AI can support advisers without losing the human warmth clients rely on.
Mortgage and property pace problem
For mortgage and property specialists, page 53 features Atom Bank’s call to speed up the slow homebuying process that advisers and brokers know all too well. We also share our 2026 property outlook, covering affordability, rates and regulation.
Across every section of this issue, one thing is clear. Advisers are being asked to do more, and you are rising to it. So, settle in, grab a coffee and enjoy the issue. Here is to a clearer, steadier and more confident path to 2026.
Jenny Hunter
Deputy Editor, IFA Magazine
