Market impact of coronavirus, retrospective look on pensions freedom and value of personalised advice to clients and IFAs No images? Click here 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 the market impact of coronavirus, a retrospective look on pensions freedom and the value of personalised advice to clients and IFAs. THE KEY BUDGET CHANGES ON THE IFA AGENDA The key announcements made in the Budget that will impact IFAs and their clients comes in the context of a massive fiscal boost for the economy of £30bn and a remarkable increase in regional, housing and infrastructure spending of more than £600bn over the life of this Parliament. "CORONAVIRUS" COVID-19 - PUTTING RECENT MARKET FALLS INTO CONTEXT Two weeks ago, the S&P 500 Index fell 11.4% in a single week. Since 1926, there have been only 15 other instances where the US benchmark was down 10% or more from Friday close to Friday close. Falls of such speed and scale offer little by way of a pattern as to “what happens next”. So, what is the investment outlook? WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT... THE PENSIONS FREEDOM Five years on from the introduction of pension freedoms, we can now see clearly the effects– both in terms of headaches caused and opportunities created. With the next development coming this August, when providers will have to offer default fund options to non-advised investors, what lessons should we be reflecting on? WHAT HISTORY TELLS INVESTORS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS Luckily for investors, history – and the market – has a pattern of repeating itself. And amidst the current COVID-19 outbreak, the 2003 SARS epidemic can provide some useful insights. So what does the data tell us about potential solutions to the market uncertainty that coronavirus is producing? Independent Financial Advisers are now under more pressure than ever to justify their value. So, what are the features and benefits to communicate to clients and how can we do so in a way that resonates with them? During stressful times and market volatility, confidence is key… HOW TO STOP CLIENTS FROM WALKING AWAY Building a wealth advice business can be a rewarding career but how do you maximise the value of your business? Clients value a personalised wealth management service and a lot don’t feel like they are getting one - to maintain client satisfaction and loyalty, perhaps it’s time advisers started working smarter, rather than harder… 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 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. |