FT Adviser

For years UK equities have been seen as laggards compared to the US. The UK market has been seen as too focused on value stocks such as banks and oil companies, with the focus on equity income often coming in for criticism. Indeed during 2021 investors pulled £4.4bn from UK equity funds.

But has this changed? Since the beginning of 2022, amid rising inflation and interest rates, the Nasdaq has fallen by 12% and the S&P 500 has fallen by 6%. Meanwhile the FTSE 100 has remained stable, rising by a little under 1%.

This week reporter Sally Hickey is joined by Ed Smith, co-chief investment officer at Rathbones, and Louise Kernohan, manager of the BNY Mellon UK Equity and BNY Mellon Sustainable UK Opportunities funds.

They discuss the what might happen to UK equities if US growth stocks continue to struggle, whether the UK remains too focused on income stocks, why fund managers often appear so much more bullish on the UK than investors and whether attempts to encourage more growth stocks to list in London are likely to 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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme levy may be one of the issues which most vexes advisers who run their own firms.

Indeed the overall FSCS levy has increased in nominal terms from less than £300m in 2011-12 to an expected levy of £717m in 2021-22.

The Financial Conduct Authority has accepted this situation is not ideal and it has admitted the burden of the levy has fallen on firms which have done nothing to bring about these liabilities.

So now the regulator has set out plans to address this by tackling the root cause of high FSCS costs through a more stringent appointed representative regime, reforms to prudential rules and the prospect of a risk-based levy.

This week FTAdviser digital editor Damian Fantato is joined by Tim Fassam, director of government relations and policy at Pimfa, and Claudia Clay, risk and regulatory director at The Private Office, to discuss the proposals.

They discuss the FCA's proposal that high-net worth individuals could be ineligible for compensation, whether the scope of FSCS protection should change and whether a risk-based levy is ever likely to see the light of day.

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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As interest rates start to rise, the prospect of lockdowns recede into the past and global economies reopen, the high-growth nature of emerging markets may become particularly relevant.

But investing in emerging markets is not without risk and this week, FTAdviser special projects editor David Thorpe is joined by Fahad Hassan, chief investment officer at Albermarle Street Partners, Gustoavo Medeiros, head of research at Ashmore, and Zehid Osmani, who runs the Martin Currie Global Long-term Unconstrained Equity fund, to discuss the outlook for these regions.

They discuss whether above-trend economic growth will necessarily be positive for emerging market equities, how tightening monetary policy in the developed world could affect emerging markets, and whether the outlook for China or the US will be more influential on emerging markets during 2022.

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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2021 was a busy year for mergers and acquisitions in the financial advice market, with consolidation fueled by private equity money continuing apace.

As well as the traditional consolidators, there is now a group of start-ups looking to build national financial advice businesses through acquisition.

But how much longer can this go on for? This week FTAdviser reporter Sonia Rach joined by Louise Jeffreys of Gunner & Co and Heather Hopkins of NextWealth to find out.

They discuss what is currently fueling the pace of M&A activity in the financial advice market, what might bring this activity to a halt and what the financial advice market might look like once it does start slowing down.

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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we head into 2022, the pandemic is still ongoing. Variants are still being discovered. Travel plans are changing all the time. The UK and indeed most countries around the world have moved to hybrid working. Meanwhile, advised clients have moved house, saved money, lost money, taken out protection plans, reassessed their retirement goals and now many may feel they are at a crossroads. Where do they go from here? What new plans will they have to make in 2022? Guiding them on their journey are trusted professionals, whose own working models have changed over the past two years.

Tim Morris, IFA with Russell & Company, and Chris Jones, proposition director, for Dynamic Planner, discuss these topics and more with FTAdviser's senior editor, Simoney Kyriakou, in this latest In Focus podcast.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The start of 2022 has been an improvement on the start of 2021 - if nothing else because we can leave our homes.

But last year was eventful despite the ongoing fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. Consolidation activity continued at pace, with private equity continuing to play a major role, and last year's tax reforms will give advisers plenty to think about.

So what does 2022 have in store for advisers this year? FTAdviser's digital editor Damian Fantato is joined by reporters Amy Austin, Ruby Hinchliffe, Sonia Rach and Sally Hickey to find out.

They discuss the FCA's continued crackdown on defined benefit transfers, the growth of cryptocurrencies, how ESG regulation could affect advisers over the next year, and what other areas the FCA can be expected to focus on.

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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The past couple of years have been difficult for many people in the UK and elsewhere. As a result, people have changed their plans and found their financial futures altered. So what happens when clients change their minds - either because they have to, or because they want to?

How should investment portfolios be structured to help cope with big life-changing decisions? How can investors ride out the sort of pandemic-induced volatility seen in 2020 without being spooked? And can technology help provide the answer? This podcast aims to discuss these questions and more. Joining Simoney Kyriakou, senior editor of FTAdviser, are three panellists: Symon Stickney, chief executive of digital investment specialist Collidr; Jessica Ayres, financial consultant for Timothy James & Partners; and Tony Stenning, chief executive of derivatives specialist Catley Lakeman.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been a decade since Nutmeg launched as the first major British robo-adviser and since then, many start-ups have entered this space with the intention of disrupting investing but not all have succeeded.

After several years of many private equity-backed launches, the number of new robo-advisers being launched has dried up and, if anything, the space is contracting. UBS Smartwealth, Investec Click & Invest, Moo.la and Scalable Capital have all quit the UK retail market. And earlier this month Canadian robo-adviser Wealthsimple joined them, by selling its client book to focus on its North American arm.

In the last FTAdviser Podcast of 2021, reporter Ruby Hinchliffe is joined by Mike Barrett, consulting director of the Lang Cat, and Simon Bussey, director of wealth at Altus Consulting, to discuss what impact robo-advisers have had and what the future might have in store for those which remain.

They discuss how the robo-advice proposition has evolved, why some of these companies have found themselves offering advice or B2B services, and whether the 'hybrid' model can prove successful.

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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The collapse in bond yields and the dominance of stocks which pay little in the way of dividends has forced many medium risk investors to confront the dilemma of whether accept a lower yield or take on more risk.

In this edition of the FTAdviser Podcast, sponsored by Schroders, special projects editor David Thorpe examines what these investors can do to square this circle.

He is joined by Andrew Marsh, manager of the Artemis Income fund, Darius McDermott, investment adviser to the Chelsea multi-manager range, and Vincent McEntegart, manager of the Aegon Diversified Monthly Income fund.

They discuss whether traditional ways of thinking about risk remain valid following the pandemic and the unprecedented monetary policy it prompted, whether the dividend stalwarts of the past - such as oil or mining companies - can overcome the challenges they face, and whether investors simply have to accept a lower yield.

The 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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pensions minister Guy Opperman has said his next plans for reform involve legislating for simpler pension statements, including a "statement season" when everyone receives their pension information at the same time of year.

Opperman said he wanted it to become normal for people would meet in a place such as a pub and have a frank conversation about their pensions with their friends.

But should this be Opperman's priority? And what impact, if any, could pension statements and a "statement season" have?

This week reporter Amy Austin is joined by former pensions minister and current partner at LCP Steve Webb and Tom McPhail, director of public affairs at the Lang Cat, to discuss the proposals.

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.

The FTAdviser Podcast is designed to inform regulated UK advisers on a range of topics, covering investments, pensions, regulation and other key issues.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.