The last few years in markets have been dominated by wild swings in sentiment and returns, leaving investors generally wary and not a little weary as well. Equities, the asset class that most UK investors are familiar with, have oscillated sharply with the FTSE 100 producing returns anywhere from -23% to +21% for any given quarter over the last decade. An investor’s end experience has depended very crucially on exactly when they have invested – towards a market high or ...

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is making it obligatory for all banks, building societies and credit unions in the UK to prominently display, in every branch and on every website, how much compensation savers could claim in the event of an institution failing. This is part of a continuing effort by the FSA and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) to improve confidence around compensation by increasing awareness of deposit protection.

Proposals published in December 2011 require each FSA-authorised bank or ...

Thousands and thousands of clients across the UK have long-standing and happy relationships with their Independent Financial Adviser. However, the world of financial services is changing on December 31st this year, and it may be that your independent adviser is no longer fully independent after that date.

The Financial Services Authority is implementing the Retail Distribution Review (RDR as it’s commonly known) in December 2012, after which time advisers will either give ‘independent’ or ‘restricted’ advice. Simply put, ‘independent’ advisers will ...