Kimberly Dondo speaks with Emma Boardwell, founder of Emotional Finance, and Tom Brown about Emma’s move from psychotherapy into financial advice and her mission to bring emotional literacy into the industry.

They discuss the emotional labour advisers carry, the need for clearer boundaries, how vulnerability should be handled, and why relational skills should be embedded in advisor training as technology automates technical tasks.

In this episode, Kimberley Dondo is joined by Ilana Miller from Royal London about centralised retirement propositions (CRPs): what they are, why firms are adopting them, and how Royal London published a fully worked, editable example to help firms create consistent, client-centred retirement frameworks.

The conversation highlights behavioural research showing fear and false confidence shape retirement choices, explains why CRPs should treat retirement as a journey (not a single decision), and offers practical steps firms can take to align principles, client needs, income strategies and ongoing support.

Hayley Rabbets joins MM Talks to introduce Evergreen, a Calton-backed initiative designed to support the full lifecycle of financial planners, from training and early careers through business growth and succession planning.

She discusses practical steps to close the advice gap, the role of coaching and education alongside technology, and the need for diverse, structured career pathways and community support across the profession.

In this episode, Shelley Read of Royal London explores the rising problem of economic and financial abuse — how partners or carers use money, benefits, property and debt to control victims.

She outlines differences between financial and economic abuse, highlights high-risk groups and common red flags, and offers practical advice for advisors, friends and family on spotting signs, supporting victims and signposting help.

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.