Expanding South Coast-based wealth manager and adviser firm Skerritts Group has acquired Horsham-based Financial Planner Mercier Allen & Associates. Chartered Financial Planning firm Skerritts says the deal, for an undisclosed sum, will boost its expansion plans in the South where it has acquired many firms in recent years. The purchase of Mercier Allen and Associates […]

There was a stark reminder this week that the cost of economic crime is hitting everyone in the pocket and financial advisory firms will be no exception. The FCA confirmed this week that its new Economic Crime Levy will begin in July, with some regulated large firms facing bills of £250,000 a year. While financial […]

Advisers are more frequently recommending onshore open-architecture bonds, annuities and more sophisticated investment products. According to data provider Defaqto’s newly published annual Investment Bond Service Review for 2023, there is a growing trend for advisers to recommend onshore bonds. The company said that this year has reinforced two emergent industry trends: firstly, that open architecture products […]

Quilter has warned that more than 1.1m taxpayers could be dragged into higher rate tax bands by 2027. New data from HMRC has revealed that the number of higher rate taxpayers is rising rapidly and rose by 100,000 between the tax years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. As a result 4m are now paying higher rate tax. […]

A new professional body to help promote compliance with the FCA’s new Consumer Duty requirements has been launched in London today. The Consumer Duty Alliance (CDA) will aim to build a “sector-wide alliance” of good practice and a directory of services to support members and the wider market. The FCA’s new Consumer Duty requirements, requiring […]