Attempting to launch a new financial advice firm is tricky at the best of times, but doing it during a global pandemic - amid lockdowns and social distancing - might be another level of challenge. And that's before you take into account the economic uncertainty which 2020 saw.

But this week on the FTAdviser Podcast, reporter Rachel Mortimer talks to two advisers who did just that. Joining her to discuss how they launched their firms during 2020 are Alister Gaines, a chartered financial planner at Akrivis Wealth, and Kat Tymon, director of Mansfield Money. They are joined by Heather Hopkins, managing director of research and consultancy firm Next Wealth.

They discuss some of the challenges faced by those launching an advice firm during the Covid-19 pandemic and how they were overcome.

After that, Rachel is joined by reporters Amy Austin and Imogen Tew to discuss the proliferation of scams and how the continued growth of ESG will affect advisers.

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.

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