IFA Talk

This week on IFA Magazine’s IFA Talk podcast, we explore what keeps advisers loyal to discretionary fund managers, how retirement income planning is evolving, and whether smaller independent IFAs can still compete in a rapidly changing advice market.

To discuss this further, Meg Bratley and Jenny Hunter are joined by Ian Kloss, Head of Intermediaries at RBC Brewin Dolphin, to unpack some of the biggest themes currently shaping the adviser landscape.

What does this episode feature?

The conversation explores what really strengthens long-term relationships between advisers and DFMs, and why factors such as service, trust, communication and consistency are often just as important as investment performance.

In the latest special Mortgage & Property edition of IFA Talk, we explore one of the more underserved areas of the UK mortgage market, with a particular focus on Islamic finance, homeownership accessibility and the growing role of specialist lending solutions.

To discuss this important topic, hosts Matt and Sue are joined by Sakeeb Zaman, Founder and CEO of StrideUp, one of the UK’s leading Islamic fintech businesses. As conversations continue around underserved borrowers, financial inclusion and innovation across the mortgage sector, this episode examines how shariah-compliant finance is evolving and what advisers and brokers should understand when supporting clients with specific faith-based requirements.

Highlights include:

· The current challenges facing Muslim borrowers in the UK mortgage market

· How brokers can better support clients seeking shariah-compliant finance solutions

· The balance between fintech innovation, scalability and remaining fully faith-aligned

· Why transparency and education remain crucial within Islamic finance

This episode provides valuable insight for advisers, brokers and mortgage professionals looking to deepen their understanding of Islamic finance and the wider conversation around accessibility, inclusion and innovation within the UK housing market.

This week on IFA Talk, Sue and Matt are joined by financial planner, Craig Palfrey, Founder at Penguin, for a conversation that goes far beyond the technical side of estate planning.

With pensions facing IHT from 2027 and intergenerational wealth planning becoming a growing focus for advisers, Craig explains why the real value of financial planning increasingly lies in human engagement, behavioural coaching and building long-term relationships with clients AND their families.

The discussion also explores why emotional intelligence and communication skills are now just as important as technical expertise, if not more so, how advisers can use AI in practical ways without losing the personal touch, and what the best advice firms will look like over the next five years.

Along the way, Craig shares practical ideas and processes advisers can implement within their own firms to strengthen client relationships and create financial plans built to stand the test of time.

In this month’s special New Insurance & Protection edition of IFA Talk, we unpack how organisations are using AI, with the help of Vitality AI’s CEO, Emile Stipp.

Together, we unpack whether the true extent of AI benefits is being overlooked, in favour of just praising its efficiency. We also discuss how AI can improve customer communication and outcomes, and what that means in the context of Consumer Duty.

Emile also reveals how Vitality AI’s extensive range of data and their recent partnership with Google can help shift insurance from reactive to proactive, before answering the big question, is there enough trust in AI today to make all of this a reality?

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, we explore how advisers can support client outcomes in an increasingly uncertain and volatile market environment.

With geopolitical tensions and global events continuing to drive market movements, advisers are once again helping clients navigate periods of instability. In this conversation, IFA Magazine’s Matt Williams and Jenny Hunter are joined by James Tothill, Investment Specialist at Wesleyan, to unpack what this means in practice for advisers and their clients today.

The discussion begins with how clients are reacting to ongoing volatility and the risks associated with short-term decision-making. As markets shift, the temptation to act quickly can be strong, but as the episode explores, these decisions can have lasting consequences for long-term financial plans.

Diversification remains a central theme, but the conversation moves beyond theory to focus on what effective diversification really looks like in today’s environment. The episode also highlights the challenges advisers face when supporting more sensitive clients, particularly those approaching or in retirement, where sequencing risk and emotional responses to market movements can be more pronounced.

The discussion is full of practical and implementable solutions as James shares insights into how smoothed funds can help manage volatility and support more consistent outcomes over time, as well as how advisers can assess suitability in the context of evolving client needs.

A timely and practical listen for advisers supporting clients through uncertain markets.

*** This episode was recorded on the 22nd of April 2026

In this month’s special Tax-Efficient Investment edition of IFA Talk, we welcome Gresham House’s Anthony Crosbie-Dawson to the studio.

Together, we discuss the UK ‘timber gap’, a long-term investment which creates an interesting opportunity for investors and one that’s highly tax-efficient.

Anthony reveals how recent Budget changes have impacted the appeal of forestry to investors, highlights the inheritance tax benefits as well as the broader tax-efficient environment for forestry , and outlines the key attractions of investing in UK timber, along with a discussion about the main risks that investors face when investing in long term, illiquid assets such as forestry.

We also break down the pricing in secondary forestry funds, with Anthony explaining what is driving this market, and who this form of investing is most suitable for. Lastly, Anthony looks ahead, sharing his long-term outlook for the UK timber industry.

Now live: The latest episode of IFA Talk is available to listeners. This week, we explore how bespoke portfolio services and tax-efficient structuring are helping advisers deliver better client outcomes in an increasingly complex environment.

To unpack this, Meg and Sue are joined by Adam Temple, Senior Investment Director - Head of London at Brooks Macdonald. As the firm celebrates 35 years of serving clients, Adam shares how its bespoke portfolio service is designed to help advisers deliver more tailored, tax-efficient solutions while adapting to ever-changing client needs and market conditions.

This week’s conversation covers:

You can explore Brooks Macdonald’s Bespoke Portfolio Service range mentioned within the podcast here:

https://www.brooksmacdonald.com/financial-advisers/services-funds/bespoke-portfolio-service

This week on IFA Talk, in partnership with Evelyn Partners, we take a deep dive into passive investing, and how it has evolved over the years.

Joining Matt and Sue to unpack this is Dan Caps, who heads up Evelyn Partners’ Index MPS proposition. Dan guides us through the changes to passive investing over the years, looking at not just costs, but some of the other factors which are drawing investors towards those passive investment strategies.

He also alleviates some of the concerns around concentration and index construction, revealing how companies like Evelyn Partners can ensure that portfolios remain resilient despite the challenges they face.

Now live: the latest New Insurance & Protection special episode of IFA Talk turns its attention to inheritance tax planning and the growing role of protection-linked investment solutions.

In this episode, hosts Meg Bratley and Jenny Hunter are joined by Gordon Pugh, Investment Director at Blackfinch Investments. Gordon discusses how advisers are approaching inheritance tax (IHT) planning today and explores the concept of insured IHT investing in practice, including how it can support more confident client decision-making.

Highlights from this week’s episode

Key takeaways for advisers

Gordon closes the discussion with practical insights and top tips for advisers navigating inheritance tax planning conversations in today’s environment. This episode provides a timely and practical look at how advisers can help clients approach inheritance tax planning with greater confidence, clarity and structure, particularly where investment and protection solutions intersect.

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, in partnership with Minerva Fund Management Solutions (Minerva), we explore how some firms are rethinking the structure of their investment proposition, using a unitised investment solution.

Today, advisers are faced with more choice than ever when it comes to investment propositions, including in-house advisory, MPS and bespoke DFMs. There is no shortage of ways to deliver investment outcomes for clients.

But with that choice, complexity can follow. For some firms, there is a sense that none of the existing options quite strike the right balance between control, consistency and scalability. But is there a middle way?

Joining us to break this down is Minerva’s Managing Director, Chris Edmeades. He outlines where growing advice firms typically start to feel pressure in their investment approach, the limitations of traditional advisory, model portfolio and outsourced solutions, and what a middle ground might look like in practice using a unitised fund approach.

Chris also reveals how firms can retain control while improving efficiency and governance, along with the types of firms this approach may suit best.

This episode offers a practical and thought-provoking perspective on how advisers can structure their investment approach for the future.