Cathi Harrison, CEO of Verve and the Verve Foundation, explains how the foundation evolved since 2021 to attract and train new talent for the finance sector. She discusses program redesigns, a new recruitment platform, and bootcamps to help advisers launch independent firms.

The episode covers key challenges like competent adviser status, industry bottlenecks, the role of independent academies, and the impact of AI on training and job roles. Cathi also shares her personal journey as an entrepreneur and how she balances leadership with family life.

In this episode, Andy Brown and Mark Baldwin explain how product design—especially smooth funds—acts as behavioral insurance to help investors avoid knee-jerk reactions to political and market volatility, bridge the gap between annuities and drawdown, and keep retirement plans on track.

They discuss diversification, creating constructive friction, the advisor’s role in changing the conversation with nervous clients, and how smoothing strategies can reduce anxiety while preserving growth potential.

The advice gap remains a significant challenge for the UK financial sector, with 90% of people currently making major financial decisions unsupported. The advice gap remains a significant challenge for the UK financial sector, with 90% of people currently making major financial decisions unsupported.

In this episode of The Advice Shift, Mark Baldwin and Andy Brown from Phoenix Group discuss why the industry's obsession with complex mathematical formulas often creates a barrier to trust. We tackle the "Great Compromise"—the fundamental tension between the desire to save for the future and the immediate need to feel good today.

By examining AKG research on the rising cost of living, we discuss how advisers can keep clients focused on long-term objectives during times of financial stress. Learn why making retirement feel less distant and more human is the key to closing the advice gap and building lasting client relationships.

In this episode, Mark Baldwin from Standard Life discusses NextWealth research showing that technical skill alone isn’t enough—advisers must understand clients’ emotions and behaviours to create financial plans people will actually follow.

Topics include the iceberg analogy, retirement choices since pension freedoms, and practical, small steps advisers can take to ask better questions, build emotional connection, and combine modelling with coaching.

The Advice Shift Podcast

In this episode of Money Talks, Kimberly Dondo is joined by Fiona Hanrahan and Justin Corliss from Royal London to explain the impact of frozen tax bands through April 2031 and the rising problem of fiscal drag.

They walk through adjusted net income, the high‑income child benefit charge, practical pension strategies (including third‑party contributions and salary exchange), and a clear case study showing how pension payments can reduce tax and protect family benefits.

Kimberley Dondo, Tom Browne and Dan Cooper discuss a busy start to 2026, focusing on the shortage of women in financial advice, where fewer than one in five advisers are female, the perception problem that deters candidates, and the need for better visibility, mentoring and events like the Women’s Symposium.

They cover recent major deals — NatWest’s purchase of Evelyn Partners and Schroders’ takeover — and explore what consolidation means for banks, advisers and targeted support as the wealth-management landscape shifts.

They also air frustrations with archaic practices like wet signatures, the disconnect between systems, and debate AI hype, ethics and regulation, while previewing upcoming coverage around International Women’s Day and sector events.

In this episode, Kimberley Dondo sits down with Fiona Hanrahan and Justin Corliss from Royal London to tackle one of the most frequent technical queries as the tax year-end approaches: carry forward.

With the annual allowance now at £60,000, Justin and Fiona explain why carry forward remains a vital tool for clients, despite the recent increase. They dive into the complexities of calculating unused allowances from the previous three tax years, the crucial differences between individual and employer contributions, and the "gotchas" involving the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA) and the tapered annual allowance.

Listen to the full series here.

Whether you are looking to maximise contributions for company directors or ensuring a client doesn't inadvertently trigger a tax charge, this conversation provides a practical roadmap for getting the calculations right.

Adviser Resources

To help with your year-end cases, visit Royal London for a range of technical support tools.

MMTalks launches 2026 with the Money Marketing team discussing the risks of advisors building in-house platforms, geopolitical shocks from Trump and their muted market impact, the rise (and possible burst) of the AI bubble, and whether virtual work experience helps or hinders new talent entering financial services.

They also cover sector trends to watch this year — pensions, regulation, tokenisation and semiconductors — and share personal resolutions and predictions for the year ahead.

Kimberley Dondo and Dan Cooper wrap up 2025 with a deep dive into the year’s knottiest topics. From the "fatigue" surrounding the advice/guidance boundary to the confusing world of crypto regulation, the team asks: is the industry ready for what comes next?

They also tackle the big macro questions: Is the Triple Lock unsustainable? Is Trump worse for markets than Truss? And will we really see a "crypto adviser" in 2026? Tune in for the analysis, the debates, and the predictions.

How do you convince a client to consolidate their "shoebox" of old pensions when 59% are happy to just "leave it"? In this episode of The Money Marketing Podcast, in association with Royal London, we look at the actionable takeaways for advisers from the Workplace Pensions Report 2025.

Clare Moffat (Royal London) breaks down the barriers stopping clients from picking up the phone. We discuss the upcoming changes to salary sacrifice (and the new £2,000 NI cap), the confusion surrounding the "megafunds" proposals, and how to use the Retirement Living Standards to reset unrealistic income targets.

We discuss:

Read the full report: To see the full breakdown of consumer trends and stats, download the Royal London Workplace Pensions Report 2025 here.