Welcome to the Embark monthly newsletter. Covering a wide range of issues and topics relevant to financial advisers, articles are written by contributors from Embark’s businesses, as well as other partners and providers. These articles are intended for regulated financial advisers and intermediaries only. In this edition, we cover topics including the implications of Covid-19 for ESG, investment fund performance, the new economy and investment implications. It would also be remiss not to mention that we recently completed the acquisition of Zurich’s Investment and Retail Platform and its Authorised Corporate Director (ACD) & Investment Management businesses, which will now operate under new brands: Advance by Embark and Horizon by Embark respectively. You can read more about that here. GLOBAL PANDEMIC: HOW THE CRISIS CAN BE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE By Phil Bungey, Advance by Embark The present crisis has driven an immediate widespread adoption of technological solutions by financial advisers in order to stay connected with their clients. Having adapted quickly to these new circumstances, it begs the question of whether more fundamental changes are here for good – and if so, what they might look like in practice… PANDEMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE By David Sheasby, Martin Currie (a Legg Mason Affiliate) The Covid-19 crisis has wrought havoc on supply chains, corporates and the global economy over the past month. In the process, the often overlooked ‘social’ aspect of ESG has been brought centre-stage, while corporate resilience issues loom large on the ‘governance’ agenda. And although emissions have plummeted, the ‘environment’ component is by no means solved... THE COVID-19 CRISIS: HOW HAVE INVESTMENT FUNDS FARED? By Peter Toogood, Embark Group 2020 began with a buoyant outlook, until Covid-19 hit. We look back at the factors driving fund performance since the crisis and fund manager responses, alongside our views on whether to deploy active or passive approaches during periods of dislocation… PLANNING YOUR RETIREMENT PLANNING: WHAT DOES A GOOD CENTRALISED RETIREMENT PROPOSITION LOOK LIKE? By Dan Norman, TCF Investment Against the backdrop of an ageing population and a significant decline in the number of retirees with final salary pensions, the FCA is looking closely at how this market operates. So what key areas do advisers need to be aware of, and what does that mean for building a strong Centralised Retirement Proposition (CRP)? CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: WHICH SCENARIO SHOULD WE BE PREPARING FOR? By Asim Javed, Alpha Beta Partners From the lows recorded a month or so ago, equity markets and most notably the US market, have made a strong recovery, despite there being no immediate sign of a vaccine to combat Covid-19. There are 3 scenarios that could play out from here - the most likely is the "corrugated one", which offers opportunities for those seeking medium to long term growth... INVESTMENT IDEAS FOR THE NEW ECONOMY By Ronan Kearney, Altium Investments The impact of Covid-19 has accelerated some key changes in Western economies, in work, leisure and shopping behaviour. Some areas will be badly affected – the woes of UK retail shops has been well documented. However, for others, such as European and UK logistical development, demand is growing rapidly. Significant opportunities exist for investors in this new economy… SMART INVESTORS KNOW THAT FINANCIAL ADVICE IS THE BEST ROUTE TO WEALTH By Dave Chessell, PortfolioMetrix With the rise of ‘self-help’ in managing finances, many investors are taking financial decisions into their own hands. However, those who engage with a financial adviser over the long term are shown to increase their wealth significantly more than those who decide to go it alone. For advisers looking to expand, targeting people who have a high degree of financial capability could prove a rewarding strategy… We hope you enjoy the newsletter and welcome your feedback on what you would like to hear from the Embark Group. Kind regards, Phil Smith e marketing@embarkgroup.co.uk From time to time we would like to send you other communications from the Embark Group. Please click here if you’d like to receive these. Embark Group Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales and is the holding vehicle for all companies in the Embark Group. Company Registration number: 03578067. All subsidiary companies that provide regulated services are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Details of the Embark Group companies, their regulatory status and registration numbers are available on our website embarkgroup.co.uk. |