FTAdviser Podcast

In this episode of the FTAdviser In Focus podcast, in partnership with Wisdom Tree, we take a look at governance - the G in ESG. Whether it is diverse representation on boards, strategic considerations, political lobbying or cyber risk management, governance plays an important role in how businesses are being run. Done well, corporate governance could mean long-term better performance for a company, but done badly it could have dire consequences for the business and its investors. Discussing governance are Lidia Treiber from Wisdom Tree and Diana Rose from ESG consultancy Insig AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few weeks ago the Spring Statement was expected to be an uneventful macroeconomic update, but the war in Ukraine and spiralling cost of living meant chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak had to take action.This he did by cutting the national insurance contribution threshold by £3,000, cutting fuel duty by 5p a litre and pledging to cut the base rate if income tax to 19p in 2024.In this week's podcast, FTAdviser news editor Amy Austin talks to Claire Trott, divisional director of retirement and holistic planning at SJP, and Chris Etherington, private client partner at RSM, about what these announcements mean for advisers.They discuss the importance of communicating these changes and their implications to clients and the need to now maximise salary sacrifice and allowances. They also examine the fact the income tax rise will not be applied to dividend income and how this might mean those living off investment income in retirement are hit harder than buy-to-let landlords.The FTAdviser Podcast is the weekly podcast for financial advisers, brought to you by FTAdviser. Each week, FTAdviser is joined by guests from the industry to discuss the week in news and pressing industry issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK investors put £37bn into environmental, social and governance funds during 2021, continuing the trend of these funds attracting huge amounts of money.But at the start of 2022, rising inflation and interest rates meant the growth stocks which tend to populate ESG funds underperformed. Indeed the MSCI ACWI ESG Universal index has outperformed the MSCI World index in each of the past five years but so far in 2022 it is lagging behind.This week FTAdviser reporter Sally Hickey is joined by Ben Yearsley of Fairview Investing and Ryan Hughes, head of investment research at AJ Bell, to discuss whether this is just a bump in the road for ESG or whether it's something more severe.They also discuss what it tells us that ESG inflows have not slowed down despite the recent underperformance, whether ESG and growth are necessarily intertwined, and what advisers and clients can learn from this period.The FTAdviser Podcast is the weekly podcast for financial advisers, brought to you by FTAdviser. Each week, FTAdviser is joined by guests from the industry to discuss the week in news and pressing industry issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Impact investing is a term within the ESG eco-system which describes investing only in the instruments of companies that have a measurably positive impact on society. This distinguishes impact investing from other forms of ESG, which can be more focused on excluding companies on the basis of specific harm caused. But impact investing does have the same challenges as any other kind of ESG investing, in that clients face the risk of being left over exposed to a narrow range of sectors. In this FTAdviser Podcast, contributing editor David Thorpe speaks with Neil Goddin, impact investment fund manager at Artemis, and Steve Kenny, commercial director at Square Mile Consulting, on the the future of impact investing. This podcast is part of the Despatches series, sponsored by Artemis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month, the government has finally succumbed to pressure from the industry and included paid-for adverts in the scope of the online safety bill.Essentially, this means social media platforms and search engines will have a legal duty to prevent paid-for fraudulent adverts appearing on their services. This is in the hope that fewer people will be scammed via this method.This week FTAdviser news editor Amy Austin talks to Tom Selby, head of retirement policy at AJ Bell, and Tim Fassam, director of government relations and policy at adviser trade body Pimfa, about whether these proposals will work.The FTAdviser Podcast is the weekly podcast for financial advisers, brought to you by FTAdviser. Each week, FTAdviser is joined by guests from the industry to discuss the week in news and pressing industry issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the FTAdviser In Focus podcast we discuss how advisers can use Venture Capital Trusts and Enterprise Investment Schemes to make some last minute tax savings for their clients as we approach the tax year end. Both offer generous tax breaks while promising to be socially rewarding. But what are the perks and pitfalls of working with these assets, and should you ever let the tax tail wag the investment dog? We are joined by Moray Wright, CEO and co-founder of Parkwalk Advisors, Sarah Barber, chief executive at Jenson Funding Partners, and Stephen Page, founder and CEO of SFC Capital. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is no secret the UK housing market is facing one of its biggest supply crises yet. At the start of this year there were 350,980 properties for sale in the UK, 36 per cent fewer than at the start of 2020.As the number of houses available to buyers remains low, house prices have simply continued to rise. In this podcast, FTAdviser is joined by Imran Hussain, a Nottingham-based broker at Harmony Financial Services, and Ellie Bateman, policy officer at Propertymark - the professional body for estate agents. They discuss the housing supply crisis in its current state, and what can be done to solve it.The FTAdviser Podcast is the weekly podcast for financial advisers, brought to you by FTAdviser. Each week, FTAdviser is joined by guests from the industry to discuss the week in news and pressing industry issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Allowances and exemptions can amount to considerable savings and should be considered by every adviser looking to optimise tax savings ahead of the tax year end.But what's on offer, how can they be combined and should advisers prioritise one over the other? Carmen Reichman chats to Shaun Moore, tax and financial planning expert at Quilter, about which allowances advisers should be looking at and how they can help reduce the tax burden for their clients. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abridged advice was launched in 2019 to help clients decide whether to go ahead with a defined benefit transfer as part of the Financial Conduct Authority's bid to put an end to unsuitable DB transfers. But has it worked?This week FTAdviser news editor Amy Austin is joined by Fiona Tait, technical director of Intelligent Pensions, and Simon Harrington, senior policy adviser at trade body Pimfa, to discuss whether it has worked.The FTAdviser Podcast is the weekly podcast for financial advisers, brought to you by FTAdviser. Each week, FTAdviser is joined by guests from the industry to discuss the week in news and pressing industry issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are fast approaching the end of the tax year. The tax burden is at its highest in 70 years and from April household incomes are further squeezed by higher rates of National Insurance, higher energy bills and a stubbornly high inflation rate.So what do advisers make of this? What are the tips and tricks for some last minute savings and what does every adviser need to know about the tax year end?Speaking on this week's FTAdviser In Focus podcast are: Paul Stocks, IFA at Continuum, Helen Howcroft, managing director at Equanimity, and Martin Bamford, director of client education and a Chartered Financial Planner at Informed Choice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.