Who’s been IFA Talk-ing this month? A roundup of our October episodes

October was once again a busy month in the IFA Talk studio, where we welcomed a host of guests to discuss the big topics. IFA Magazine’s regular podcast, IFA Talk, continues to be an essential resource for financial professionals.

Whether you want to refine your expertise, explore innovative solutions, or just get some inspiration from leading voices in financial services, IFA Talk offers short, snappy episodes perfect for on-the-go learning and professional development. We really love recording them, and we hope you find them just as useful!

Along with our regular weekly series, which you can check out every Wednesday, we also brought you a full house of our special editions of IFA Talk. Our Tax-Efficient Investment (TEI), New Insurance & Protection (NI&P) and Mortgage and Property Investment (M&PI) specials allow us to provide our valued listeners with a wider range of

Let’s look back at what we brought you in October, along with a sneak preview of what to expect in November.

Are pension transfer woes over?

We kicked off October by welcoming Anthony Rafferty, the CEO of Origo. Anthony joined us to dive into the topic of pension transfers, answering what has changed as technology has progressed.

He revealed whether the pensions dashboard, after all the delays, is finally back on track, and explained what it could mean for advisers, providers and consumers.

Avoiding a retirement income shortfall

After that, we dived into the topic of retirement income with the help of Gill Millen, Managing Director at Bowmore Financial Planning. Gill revealed to us how advisers can help their clients avoid a retirement income shortfall, citing the company’s recent analysis which showed that many clients are contributing far below the recommended levels. Gill explained how advisers can utilise this data to encourage clients to boost contributions and engage with their pensions earlier.

Raising your emotional intelligence

This month, we also brought you a fascinating discussion on the art of emotional intelligence (EI), outlining how it can greatly boost adviser success. Joining us to do so was James Woodfall, a former financial planner and founder of Raise Your EI.

James explained how emotional intelligence gives advisers a competitive edge in today’s market, along with outlining the ways in which advisers can support their clients through uncertain times.

Delivering value through multi-asset investing

Our readers will no doubt be familiar with Scottish Widows, so we were thrilled to welcome their Head of Investment Solutions Mithesh Varsani into the studio to discuss the topic of multi-asset investing. Mithesh discussed the evolving multi-asset landscape and the role of the Scottish Widows Managed Growth Funds in supporting advisers and their clients.

He revealed why multi-asset investing remains so critical in today’s market, and how Scottish Widows’ long history and investment expertise can help advisers meet clients’ evolving needs.

Should paraplanners receive more FCA recognition?

The final regular series edition of IFA Talk this month saw Panacea Adviser’s CEO Derek Bradley join us to dive into the world of paraplanning, following their recent survey titled ‘Should Paraplanners be more formally recognised by the FCA?’. Together, we explored how paraplanners roles and responsibilities differ from advisers, along with the contrasting views on regulation among insourced and outsourced paraplanners.

Special editions

Along with our regular weekly series, we also brought you several special editions. Firstly, we continued our New Insurance & Protection (NI&P) series, this time being joined by The Exeter’s Head of Protection Distribution, Jamie Page. Jamie revealed why certain groups continue to be left behind when it comes to protection, and what the industry can do as a whole to ensure we see real change moving forward. 

After that, the second edition of our Tax-Efficient Investment (TEI) podcast since the rebrand (7^th in total) saw Praetura Investment’s Jon Prescott reveal how advisers should be preparing for IHT and pension reforms. Jon explained how advisers can adapt their business relief strategies amid tighter rules, and why timely action is essential ahead of the 2026 changes.

Finally, we rounded off the month by once again jumping into the lending space as part of our monthly Mortgage & Property Investment (M&PI) series. To do so, Inspired Lending’s Chief Executive Officer Gavin Diamond sat down to share his expert insights into how bridging and specialist finance can empower advisers to deliver tailored solutions for clients with diverse and evolving financial profiles.

Looking ahead

We have plenty more on the agenda in November, both on IFA Talk and our new series over on Wealth DFM, known as Wealth DFM Talk.

As part of our regular weekly series, we will be joined by Marlborough’s Eddie Kennedy, Sparrows Capital’s Arnie Millington and LV’s Adam Ruddle, while we will also welcome Toyin Oyeneyin for the latest TEI special, along with CIExpert’s Paul Roberts on our NI&P series, and more!

We look forward to bringing you more exciting, informative podcasts as the months roll on.