FTAdviser Podcast

This year marks a decade since Vanguard's Lifestrategy range launched in the UK and to say the passive funds had proven popular would be to downplay the situation.The five multi-asset funds are now worth £29bn and earlier this year their monthly inflows hit £1bn.But Lifestrategy range, which costs just 22bps, isn't just popular with investors. Advisers have also flocked to the range over the course of the past decade, integrating it into their propositions. So, what effects has this had?This week FTAdviser digital editor Damian Fantato is joined by Graham Bentley, managing director of GBI2, and Mike Barrett, consulting director at the Lang Cat, to find out.They discuss whether Lifestrategy has changed the way advice is delivered, whether this has always been for the better and whether Lifestrategy's dominance is likely to continue.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.

Much has been made of the need to start saving as early as possible and to keep this habit going as long as possible. But when it comes to pension provision, are the current products available suitable for all generations? Is the current advice or perceived wisdom around pension planning as appropriate for someone aged 20 as it might be for someone in their 40s or 50s? And why should it matter how old someone is when it comes to having a proper conversation about long-term retirement provision?Joining Simoney Kyriakou, senior editor of FTAdviser, on this podcast to discuss all these issues and more, are Saksha Menezes, intern for FTAdviser; Sir Steve Webb, partner at LCP; and Robert Cochran, senior corporate pensions specialist for Scottish Widows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month the Financial Conduct Authority published its business plan for 2021-22, setting out how it plans to adapt itself to the "profound forces transforming the entire landscape of financial services". But what does this mean for financial advisers?The FCA has said it will be conducting a review into the scope and coverage of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Will this bring about the reform that advisers want? And what impact will the tougher approach on authorisations have?This week FTAdviser's digital editor Damian Fantato is joined by Tim Fassam, director of government relations and policy at Pimfa, and Neil Moles, chief executive of Progeny Group, to discuss these issues.They discuss what the FCA's cancelled suitability review means, whether the FCA's suggestion that it might shift the focus away from the FSCS onto capital adequacy will work and whether a tougher "authorisation gateway" can address issues such as phoenixing.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.

Last week the government announced a U-turn in its cladding guidance. It said leaseholders living in buildings under 18 metres tall would no longer need external wall application (EWS1) forms. Many leaseholders have found themselves “stuck” in properties deemed undesirable by lenders due to the risk of huge cladding removal bills - some estimated at as much as £70,000 - hanging over them.Now, high street lenders HSBC, Barclays, and Lloyds Banking Group have committed to reviewing their practices following the government’s new advice to “further unlock the housing market”.But why now? Will lenders really change their approach? And what are the issues which arise from a blanket-wide 'ban' on EWS1 forms for all buildings under 18m? This week, Ruby Hinchliffe, reporter at FTAdviser, is joined by Geoff Bramall, head of professional development at Legal & General Surveying Services, and Catherine Beaumont, a mortgage consultant at London Money.They discuss the government's "change of heart" on EWS1 forms, the fact they have seen no lenders make immediate changes to their risk appetites on these buildings, and the impracticalities of ignoring the clear need for EWS1 forms on some buildings.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.

Over the next few decades it is estimated that trillions of pounds will pass from one generation to the next: primarily from baby-boomers, who have ridden the wave of rising asset prices to their millennial children, who haven't always been as lucky.But ever since the pension freedom reforms of 2015, the big worry many savers have had is how they can turn their pension savings into an income so they can enjoy themselves in retirement.So what role does the pension have in the intergenerational wealth transfer? How can advisers help their clients make sure there are no nasty surprises on death? And what role does the adviser have in working with the whole family?In this edition of the FTAdviser In Focus podcast, Damian Fantato is joined by Gareth Davies, pension specialist at Scottish Widows, and Heather Owen, paraplanner at Quilter, to discuss these questions.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.

Many in the advice profession have debated the benefits of face-to-face versus digital advice for several years. But over the past 18 months, many advisers have been unable to offer face-to-face advice and many robo-advisers have retreated from the market after finding the market wasn't as big as they thought.So what does the future of advice look like? M&G Wealth, which is currently expanding into the advice market after launching last year, believes the answer is hybrid advice. But what does that mean, and can other advice firms imitate its approach.This week, Damian Fantato, digital editor of FTAdviser, is joined by Richard Caldicott, deputy chief executive of M&G Wealth Advice, Terry Donohoe, European chief executive of Ignition - which is working with M&G Wealth on its hybrid advice proposition, and Sam Turner, a consultant at Altus Consulting who has recently written a white paper on the issue of hybrid advice.They discuss what, if anything, went wrong with pure robo-advice, what hybrid advice actually consists of and why it's different to just calling clients on Zoom, how algorithms can be used and what impact hybrid advice can have on fees, charges and the type of clients served.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.

According to data published by the government, in 2018-19 there were more than 34,000 taxpayers who reported their pension contributions exceeded their annual allowance - with excess payments amounting to £817m.Savers also struggle to stick within the lifetime allowance with more than 7,000 people exceeded the allowance, incurring a tax charge.This week reporter Amy Austin examines why so many savers struggle to stay within their allowances and why the number of people exceeding them has continued to climb.She is joined by Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell, and Rachael Hall, a financial adviser at Sandringham Medical.They discuss how government policy has contributed to this problem, why the problem might get worse rather than better in the short term and why the issue is leading to savers leaving their pension schemes.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.

The Great Wealth Transfer is about to begin in earnest, where a predicted £5.5trn is set to pass from older to younger generations over the next couple of decades. While this may well bypass the so-called 'squeezed middle' - or Generation X - the financial services industry is well aware of the need to help all generations understand the value of money.But what we are also starting to see is the importance to advisory firms of getting more young people into good savings habits, and reaching out across generations to help today’s less wealthy youth become tomorrow’s wealthy pensioners. And educating them on the importance of compound interest, education and communication across the generations are vital components of this.Joining senior editor Simoney Kyriakou on the latest FTAdviser In Focus podcast to discuss these issues are: Roy McLoughlin, associate director of Cavendish Ware; Kay Ingram, director of public policy for LEBC, and Effie Datson, global head of family office for Barclays Private Bank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the course of the past 18 months, the government has spent a lot of money to get the UK through the Covid-19 pandemic. But Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the Exchequer, has made repeatedly clear that the bills we have racked up during this period will soon be coming due.This puts into sharper relief the debates around tax which have been rumbling on in the background for several years. Reforms to capital gains tax, inheritance tax and pensions tax relief are often discussed, but might they finally become reality?This week FTAdviser's digital editor Damian Fantato is joined by the Office of Tax Simplification's Bill Dodwell to discuss some of the recent reports the body has published for HM Treasury on CGT and IHT, as well as its recent proposals to move the beginning and end of the tax year.They discuss whether the OTS proposals on CGT would lead to a significant tax rise and whether they will lead to more people paying that tax. They also discuss whether the OTS will be pursuing the work is has considered conducting on the taxation of trusts.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.

The year 2020 was a landmark one in lots of ways, including for ESG investing - if for no other reason than it finally put to bed the idea that you need to choose between investing ethically and investing for performance.But where next for ESG? In this podcast, sponsored by BMO Global Asset Management, FTAdviser digital editor Damian Fantato takes a look at what the future might hold for these mandates. He is joined by Keith Balmer and Simon Holmes, portfolio managers at BMO, and David Macdonald, founder of financial advice firm The Path.They discuss whether the outperformance seen in 2020 was a flash in the pan, how regulatory developments will affect ESG and how these funds might evolve.Listeners to this podcast will qualify for 30 minutes of CPD by banking it on ftadviser.com.After listening to this podcast, you will be able to:Understand what changes there have been to the advice process regarding ESG investingDescribe how ESG investing might evolve in the next few yearsIdentify how investor demands are changing in relation to ESGThe FTAdviser Podcast is the 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.