Page 11 - Dan Murrell News Today

Two pieces of recently published research confirm that a lack of trust towards the advice community continues to dog our profession.

If these illiquid, high-risk investments go south and savers lose out, the press will have a field day and we will have another pensions scandal on our hands.

An older age and weathered look in the advice space is well placed to soak up the trials and tribulations of complicated lives and make them easier.

One of my various bizarre, masochistic hobbies is reading those LinkedIn lists of ‘traits of successful advisers’ to see how many I don’t have (spoiler alert: usually all of them).

Should we be advising early mortgage repayments ahead of investing? It is an age-old question and individual circumstances will determine the right answer. However, given current interest rates, available mortgage deals, inflation and the like, now is a good time to consider what action to take here.

In the world of financial advice a quiet revolution has been happening. But the recent change to focus on the wellbeing of the client and not just on their money seems as natural a development as taking to the air.

Perhaps counterintuitively, allying with men is the way forward for women advisers in search of equality

Readers have to beware the inherent conflicts of interest in investment journalism, and remember that the voice with nothing to sell is often the hardest to hear.

I strongly believe there is a greater prize to be won here: wholesale reform of the disclosures regime, which needs to be simplified considerably.

The facts show that more people are saving more in pensions today than ever before. Great. Yet, despite this transformation of participation, the facts also show the general public’s understanding of pensions has not budged in a decade.