I am particularly pleased for us to be receiving the Gold Standard Award for Independent Financial Advice.
This is the fourth time that Informed Choice has received this most prestigious award and it is a reflection of the efforts all of our staff put in to constantly striving to be better at what we do.
The presentation of this award in the middle of UK Financial Planning Week, promoted by the Institute of Financial Planning, is also timely.
Financial Planning is a service that adds real value to people’s lives.
Despite what some claim it is not simply a service for the high net worth citizens of this country. Financial planning and financial advisory services need not cost a fortune, there are many levels of service available.
What I would say is that these services are best delivered by qualified and experienced practitioners.
I would go further and claim that such practitioners are almost exclusively to be found in the independent financial advice sector. The public is at long last recognizing that if they require high quality and truly impartial and whole of market advice that this is not available from their banks.
Unfortunately the banking sector is too focused on product sales.
Financial products may be an important part of the advice process but they should only ever be seen as a possible outcome and not an absolute part of the process.
