TRAP: The Real Adviser Podcast 80 - The Girl's Got Verve
Sep 25, 2025
Cathy Harrison, the Founder and CEO of Verve, shares her inspiring journey in the finance world. She explains how the Verve incubator supports new advisers in launching independent firms, highlighting its cohort model and Royal London sponsorship. Cathy discusses the Verve Foundation's initiatives aimed at increasing access to finance careers, especially for women. She also touches on her multiple brand-building experiences and the future vision for Verve's integrated tech solutions. A must-listen for those interested in innovation in financial advice!
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Question Framing Drives Outcomes
- Quilter retired a leading responsible investment questionnaire and now advises focusing on issues that matter to the client.
- Framing of questions previously channelled clients toward active management and ESG, revealing product-driven bias.
Write And Use An Investment Philosophy
- Maintain a clear, documented investment philosophy to filter unsuitable opportunities quickly.
- Use that philosophy to refuse high-commission, unregulated deals that conflict with long-term indexed approaches.
Irish Loan-Note Collapse Example
- Carl described Arena Capital raising loan notes via IFAs and now facing a large deficit and examinership.
- About 190 intermediary firms sold these unregulated notes, leaving many clients exposed and unpaid.
