Our Blogs

Suitably Sustainable?

Mark Bradley - September 22, 2022

In August it became a regulatory requirement for Irish financial advisers to assess sustainability preferences for their clients as part of initial and ongoing suitability assessments. This is being driven by the EU as part of their Sustainable Finance Action Plan.

Awards shortlisting alert! PortfolioMetrix featured in two categories at the Schroders UK Platform Awards

The Schroders UK Platform Awards 2022 have released their finalists and we are delighted to...

“Multiple” layers of fees and the foundations of nonsense

In the latest edition of the Blue Chip Journal our CEO and CIO, Brandon Zietsman CFA CAIA, debunks...

The Key To Client Retention

This is a guest blog from Brett Davidson of FP Advance https://fpadvance.com/ as part of a series...

How To Move To A Recurring Revenue Business Model

This is a guest blog from Brett Davidson of FP Advance as part of a series of blog posts in which...

Is consolidation good news for your clients?

Thinking of selling your advice business? Maybe read this first.

A Client Advisory Board – bringing your clients closer to your business

This is part of a series of blog posts in which Mark Bradley (as my co-author) and I will attempt...

Twice as nice! PortfolioMetrix shortlisted again at Money Marketing Awards

Money Marketing has released the shortlist for their 2022 Awards, and we’re very excited to...

Client Segmentation – A key element in attracting more ideal clients

This is part of a series of blog posts in which Mark Bradley (as my co-author) and I will attempt...

Risk profiling tools can create more problems than they solve

Using a risk profiling tool should mean you have done all you can to ensure your clients are...

The Importance of having an Investment Philosophy

This is part of a series of blog posts in which Edden Kift (as my co-author) and I will attempt to...

Value Propositions: Do your clients truly understand your value...and do you?

This is part of a series of blog posts in which Edden Kift (as my co-author) and I will attempt to...

Sustainable investing is much more than risk management

Money Marketing recently carried an article (you can read it here) about NextWealth's report on...

Rebalancing a portfolio to manage investor composure

As anyone who has invested in equities over the long term knows, it can be a roller coaster at...

Practice Management - Areas of focus

This is the second in a series of blog posts in which Mark Bradley (as my co-author) and I will...

New ESG report is very data-rich…but not everyone wanted to take part

It’s great to be voted the best against such strong competition

It’s always great to win awards (and we have won quite a few in recent years) but I have to say we...

From behind the bar to raising it – how our ‘Captain Planet’ is making an impact

We were delighted to see Oliver Jones, one of our investment analysts, once again featured in...

ESG: let’s hear it for the bad guys

Last month I wrote a feature for FT Adviser about transition investing (you can read it here) and...

Why and how to “work on your business”

This is the first in a series of blogs in which Edden Kift (as my co-author) and I will unpack and...

Are CRPs CR*P? We asked some experts…

The topic for debate at our most recent Young(er) Adviser roundtable was Centralised Retirement...

Tech ‘future’ has been here for a decade

I was interested to read Ian Horne’s recent take on how technology is shaping investments in ...

Let’s Talk Investments Conference - The Paradox of Choice

This month I attended the ‘Let’s Talk Investments 2022’ Conference organised by Frank Mulchay of...

Three top awards for the team!

PortfolioMetrix scooped three wins at the 2022 Citywire Adviser Choice Awards last week.

Will Robo 2.0 spell the end for DFMs?

Following my recent blog looking at Robo 2.0 and whether advice professionals should be worried...

Inflation vs Expectations – The Central Banks’ Dilemma

“Highest inflation level in 30 years” headlines have made inflation the hottest topic in markets....

The importance of rebalancing a portfolio to manage investor composure

Rebalancing keeps clients’ portfolios in line with their recommended and suitable level of risk...

Robo 2.0: should advisers be worried?

Recently, FT Adviser ran an article that asked: “Will DIY platforms disrupt the advice sector?” As...

Does ESG mean compromising performance?

Back in August 2019 (remember back then, when nobody had heard the word Covid?) the Investor’s...

Why the FTSE isn’t a great benchmark for a diversified portfolio

UK retail clients often use the FTSE 100 or FTSE All Share as a benchmark for measuring how their...

8 out of 12 shortlists say we’re doing great

Great excitement at PortfolioMetrix HQ when we discovered we’ve been shortlisted in 8 out of the 12...

We’re investing in the future of advice – you could too

This year we’ve made a commitment to invest in the future of financial advice, through sponsorship...

Celebrating six successful years in Ireland

PortfolioMetrix celebrates six years of operating in Ireland this month (a third of which has been...

Networking: avoiding the curse of the clique

I recently chaired one of our regular “Women in Advice” sessions on the topic of networking and how...

Consumer Duty: we’re all in it together

The FCA’s first consultation for their proposed Consumer Duty regulation, due to be introduced in...

Advisers struggling to see the tech wood for the trees

Imagine you were tasked with planting a wood. No doubt you’d do your research and choose trees that...

The ESG devil is in the detail: how we decide what goes into our portfolios

With ESG becoming an increasingly important part of the client/adviser conversation, we would like...

Why some investment options are hard to swallow

There’s an excellent article by independent fund analyst Simon Evan-Cook on the Citywire Wealth...

The Bionic Adviser

Marc Westlake, Managing Director, PortfolioMetrix Ireland and qualified independent financial...

Initiative to encourage more women advisers

I was really impressed to hear about Dawn Patrick and her quest “to assist 500 women into IFA...

FASA: from zero to 5-star hero – thank you for voting for us!

When we received an email that PortfolioMetrix had won a Financial Adviser Service Award it came as...

Climate Change: Why COP26 Mattered

Following the conclusion of the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), much has already been...

Solving the big three problems of conventional multi-asset funds

Launching what must seem like the 974th multi-asset fund (MAF) in the UK market was going to be of...

Taking a step back – what does Net-Zero really mean?

“Net-zero” may be a concept you’re familiar with as this initiative has been featured in headlines...

3 reasons smaller DIMs are a threat to the big brands

A recent article in Investment Week (you can read it here) reported on a NextWealth report that...

Equity holding diversification and how to measure it

Diversification is something we consider essential but how can it be measured?

The outsourcing debate: where do you stand?

A Professional Adviser article about outsourcing by Fiona Tait from Intelligent Pensions caught my...

Why it pays to be a specialist

Having just experienced the thrills of the Olympics, a recent article written by my colleague...

DIY investing: threat or opportunity for ambitious advisers?

At our last ‘young adviser’ networking session we discussed the growth of DIY investing among young...

China’s crackdown is not a revolt against capitalism

I recently wrote an article for FT Adviser which looked at how China’s regulatory crackdown had...

We’re in the frame for two prestigious Money Marketing Awards!

There was much excitement among the PortfolioMetrix team when we heard we’d been shortlisted for...

How to thrive in a business world that’s never going back to ‘normal’

I recently blogged about attending this year’s Richmond PIMS forum, which was a marathon of 30...

The heat is on for ESG fund managers

As freaky summer weather and increasing global temperatures are blamed on climate change, the heat...

The questions you should always ask a DFM

The questions we ask potential business associates are crucial if we are to get the full picture...

Hat trick of wins at the Citywire Adviser Choice Awards

PortfolioMetrix is over the moon to have won three Citywire Adviser Choice Awards:

Tilting towards Value: is it a good idea?

Last month I wrote an article for New Model Adviser that suggested investors should be tilting...

Should UK investors stay close to home?

There is a widely observed tendency for investors to allocate more to their own domestic equity...

PIMS 2021: a return to face-to-face meetings

In spite of the government moving ‘freedom day’ from mid-June to mid-July, the organisers of the...

PMX among top 10 fastest growing MPS

The PortfolioMetrix MPS is among the top 10 fastest-growing, according to an article in Citywire...

Record gains for our CGT harvesting process

Back in 2017, we launched our automated Capital Gains Tax (CGT) allowance harvesting process with...

One man: 30 women – the day the tables were turned

At our inaugural Women in Advice event, I was the only man in a (virtual) room with 30 women who...

No business gain without some pain

One of the benefits of being part of a global group is that we can draw on the expertise of...

Two tribes needn’t go to war on passive/active investment styles

There was an excellent Money Marketing article by Alistair Cunningham from Wingate Financial...

Industry recognition for our newest board member

Investment Week recently announced its shortlists for awards and it was great to see that our...

How to Successfully Grow an Independent Financial Planning Business – Insights from South Africa

Last week I was delighted to be able to introduce a South African adviser partner of...

Investment Hokey Cokey…actions, not words are what really matter

Last week (21 May) Professional Adviser ran a feature I wrote about the (mis)use of the term...

Why financial planners need advisers

The way financial advice professionals describe themselves was the topic for an excellent article...

Virtual insanity?

We’re almost at the point where ‘business as usual’ can actually be just that – at least in terms...

Greener targets create ESG opportunities

Joe Biden’s statement that this will be a “decisive decade” for tackling climate change, made at...

How to make the fee conversation go away

I recently attended a one-day course on “Coaching skills for financial planners”, run by Jan...

Vanguard financial advice service…should advisers be worried?

The launch of the Vanguard Financial Advice Service was widely reported recently, with some...

ESG portfolios – we set out our stall

Earlier this week, my colleague Dave Chessell blogged about how advisers prefer to offer badged ESG...

Advisers seeing green with clients…but some providers make them see red

According to a recent article in Investment Week, advisers prefer badged/branded ESG funds to...

What’s worrying you? Don’t worry, we’ve got some solutions

It’s always interesting to read surveys that explore what financial advisers are finding...

Competition is coming…but we’ve not seen them yet

I read an excellent blog by NextWealth’s Heather Hopkins recently. In it, she looks ahead to five...

Judgement day for DFMs should be on value, not cost

An article about suitability of investment options and commoditisation of DFMs got the...

PA Awards: all the excitement with none of the hangover

With my dinner jacket hanging forlornly in the wardrobe, as it has for the past year, I did manage...

Eggs in one basket – even free-range ones – is not a good strategy

The phrase “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” has been around since at least the 17th century...

Navigating the labyrinth of investment fee charging

Back in 2018, the MiFID II directive looked like it would put an end to any confusion around what...

You get what you pay for…and good advice does not come cheap

Last month, Professional Adviser reported on the 12 recommendations that the Personal Investment...

Three reasons why ESG investing is not a fad

I was recently asked to produce a video for the “Unique Manager Showcase” series to answer the...

Avoid the business bottlenecks

I came across a very interesting tweet recently. It was addressed to a highly respected financial...

When standing still means going backwards

Recently an acquaintance told me about an adviser friend who hasn’t taken on any new clients since...

Recognition is rewarding

It may be cold outside but the PortfolioMetrix team still has a warm feeling due to receiving...

Is this an investment revolution?

Are we witnessing a paradigm shift in the way younger people regard finance? The...

The fee debate continued: will the regulator force advisers to change?

In last week’s blog, I asked if it was perhaps time for advisers to increase their fees. It seems...

Should advisers increase their fees?

An article by independent consultant Malcolm Kerr caught my eye recently. Upbeat and optimistic...

Urgent need to check your client agreement…or get it checked for you

A recent article in Money Marketing highlights a subject that I know many advisers are rightly...

Take control and save yourself from Covid Groundhog Day

The start of 2021 may feel a bit like Covid Groundhog Day but remaining positive and focusing on...

Three wise men and women

Our industry is full of inspiring individuals and barely a day goes by without some new nuggets of...

Don’t fall foul to the ghosts of Christmas past

Like a dropped pack of cards, 2020 took the old order of traditional working practices and left...

The Coaching Way of Being

This year I have listened into a number of webinars from other jurisdictions such as the US, South...

Top business-building tips from active advisers

We regularly bring together a group of Millennial-age advisers to share insights and discuss issues...

In not out: four reasons savvy advisers use an investment specialist

Choosing to use a specialist firm to manage clients’ investments is not an easy decision for many...

PIMS 2020: less is more

Last week I attended the annual PIMS conference. Obviously, this year was an entirely virtual event...

Survey shows trust is at the heart of the adviser/client relationship

The results of a survey we and some of our adviser partners ran recently made some headlines last...

Recognition for our investment ‘heavyweight’

For the third year in a row, the PortfolioMetrix UK Head of Investments, Nic Spicer, has been...

Avoiding a business lockdown lull: advisers give their tips

As England settles into a second lockdown and other parts of the UK grapple with how life should...

Fantastic Four in Top 100

The Citywire New Model Adviser Top 100 has been announced and we’re delighted to see four of our...

FCA focus on ‘sustainable finance’ set to increase

Last week’s SRI Services online conference, held during ‘Good Money Week 2020’ put a spotlight on...

Passive ESG under the PMX spotlight

With so much interest in ESG investing at the moment, Oliver Jones from our investment team...

Should advisers come down a level?

The American publication, Visual Capitalist, recently wrote about the hierarchy of financial needs...

Video Analysis: ESG in Investing

Nic Spicer provides a brief summary of what you can learn from our white paper, ESG in Investing ...

Platform reviews and the dangers of doing nothing

When was the last time you reviewed your platform choices? The recent market insights report, from...

Helping advisers to navigate the ESG minefield

Recently we’ve focused a lot on ESG and why advisers need to get on board with it for a number of...

Impacts of a changing world…insights from our Investor Forum

Getting together with our adviser and paraplanner partners for our Investor Forum is an annual...

The ESG frenzy continues: €105bln in 8 months.

ESG fund launches are all the rage at the moment, but governments are also getting in on the act...

Prepare for ESG compliance

With the clock ticking on new regulations that will require advisers to evidence that they have...

ESG: how to get ready ahead of new regulations

New regulations are coming in 2021 that will require advisers and financial planners to evidence...

Virtual shouldn’t mean remote

We can safely say that many firms across myriad industries are reviewing the way they work, with...

Too many platforms?

According to a report featured in a recent Money Marketing article, advisers think there are ‘too...

Jack of all trades means master of none

The recent Lang Cat report Better, Stronger, Faster: How do we rebuild centralised investment...

2020: the tipping point for investing responsibly?

Great news hit my inbox at the end of last week: PortfolioMetrix has been shortlisted in the ...

Financial advice: doomed to shrink or poised for expansion?

A recent survey by CoreData into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the UK financial advice...

Matchmakers – The value of a Centralised Investment Proposition

As written in the Harvard Business review “we’re living in the matchmaker economy. It is a bigger...

Better than “business as usual”

I’m not sure what I expected from the Covid-19 lockdown but signing up multiple new adviser...

PI renewals and the need to review DIM agreements

Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance can be a significant expense to any business. For financial...

Video Analysis: Value of Advice

Why have we written the Insider’s Guide to the Value of Advice? Watch Ben Peele’s full video...

How to design your future…think outside the box

When it comes to structuring a business for long term success, it’s worth thinking outside the box....

Agent as Client…advisers putting themselves at unnecessary risk

Whenever I see articles that aim to explain the differences between Agent as Client vs Agent of the...

Four ways to improve your business

Everyone’s busy but sometimes it’s good to take time out to delve into a topic that has the...

Winners and losers…judgement day for slow adaptors

To say that business operating models have come under pressure over the past couple of months is an...

Two award-winning CIFP firms choose PortfolioMetrix as investment management partner

Two award-winning Chartered Independent Financial Planning (CIFP) firms have chosen PortfolioMetrix...

Skeleton in the Closet?

We use the FE Analytics tool a lot within PortfolioMetrix and recently whilst using it I thought it...

How do you quantify the value you add?

Asking advisers how they quantify the value they provide to their clients can sometimes lead to...

Active vs Passive Investments: Much ado about nothing or a worthy debate still?

Safe to say that, since the time of Bulls and Bears, there’s been a fair amount of debate around...

What’s in a name…the ESG challenge

Before the world paused due to Covid-19, the headlines were full of warnings that we all need to...

ESG and the post-pandemic world

Everyone is currently focused on the adverse economic effects of social distancing but the...

Time to take stock and reflect

With the first tentative steps being taken to open the UK for business after the Covid-19 lockdown,...

A Mixed Bag

The investment advice industry in Ireland has gravitated over the last decade or so towards the use...

The silver lining of the current lockdown

There has been a lot written about the impact COVID-19 is having on people across the globe so I...

SA needs to ease the corona lockdown as decisively as it imposed it

Policymakers must not give way to emotional diatribes built on pseudoscience, from both inside and...

Are advisers overcomplicating investment management?

Money Marketing’s latest annual DFM Satisfaction Survey makes for interesting reading and throws up...

Mass customisation – why going live with Nucleus is good news for advisers

Last week we announced that Nucleus has enabled access to our Core discretionary offering (in...

Addressing the difficult questions: we have some answers

How long can governments meet their promises, are companies shedding jobs rather than furloughing...

Working remotely means we can’t be remote

While the work we do is very serious at any time – and even more so in the middle of a worldwide...

What did you say…?!

In September 2019 we invited all of the business owners at our partner adviser firms to tell us...

The COVID19 conundrum – when do we start easing measures?

We understand the advantages of flattening the curve from a health care system perspective and have...

A time of turbulence but not without hope

Last week was quite a week. As parts of the UK economy shut down (first offices, then schools,...

Life under “social-distancing” and why it matters

These last several days have been a challenge for my children as we enforced strict social...

Adviser Partner Benefits

You can also watch our Business Development Managers, Kristen de Wet and Jacob Robertson, present...

Is outsourcing investment right for you? Take our quiz to find out…

The question of outsourcing the investment part of their role is something of a Marmite topic –...

Progressive Investment Proposition

There appears to be a lot of focus in the first half of this year on DFM’s and outsourcing parts of...

Maintaining your composure in the face of COVID-19

Maintaining composure in turbulent markets is not easy. Doing so when events take us into...

Six reasons why PortfolioMetrix is bang on trend

In a world dominated by technical innovation, organisations that gather FinTech data and...

Five in a row for Regional Star Award shortlist

For the fifth year running PortfolioMetrix has been shortlisted for the Citywire Wealth Manager...

Coronavirus and the markets

1 MARKET UPDATE

It’s not us, it’s them…celebrating independent endorsements

When Mandy Rice-Davies said “Well, he would, wouldn’t he?” during the trial of Christine Keeler, it...

Irish Commercial Property Funds in the Spotlight

Earlier this month two popular property funds in Ireland the Irish Life Irish Property Fund and...

Centralised Investment Propositions – the pros and cons

We’ve written before about the risks facing advisers where your proposition is based solely upon...

Reasons to be cheerful, parts one to four

Many congratulations to our partner relationship team for picking up Best Client Engagement in the...

Time to be on your (Van)guard as US giant flexes UK muscles

January’s news that Vanguard has been granted approval to provide investment advice in the UK not...

Portfolio risk descriptions – fact or fiction?

What’s in a name? Quite a lot if it’s a risk descriptor for a portfolio of funds. Most come with...

How will you compete?

Undoubtedly one of the biggest stories so far in 2020 in the financial services world (and we’re...

What’s your strategy for change?

Change is on many people’s minds at this time of year but thinking about doing things differently...

And the Oscar goes to…

It’s award season but not just for the film world. We’ve started 2020 with the news we’ve been...

A world of opportunity

Towards the end of last year, I wrote an article about how world events, particularly those that...

Income alone not always best for outcome

Income investing, the practice of constructing portfolios to target a specific yield, is popular,...

The risks of fund picking

The world of financial planning has changed significantly in Ireland in recent years. Back in the...

Don’t look back in anger

As another year draws to a close, we’ve been reflecting on the tenacity of our adviser partners and...

PortfolioMetrix Post UK Election Outlook

No doubt your inboxes are already full of post-election commentary. There is a quick review of the...

New PROD toolkit is key to compliance

Our toolkit, entitled A ‘PROD’ in the Right Direction, which is designed to help advisers achieve...

A second PROD for advisers

We’ve had a good response to the news that we’re publishing a practical guide to PROD on the 11...

Need some help with PROD? Look no further…

Do you need a prod about PROD? The Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook – known...

Time to take responsibility for our world

With weather patterns creating havoc across the globe and our oceans full of plastic, many people...

Do your clients truly understand your value…and do you?

I was recently approached by one of our adviser clients who appeared quite flustered. The...

Why you need a Centralised Investment Proposition

Financial advisers in Ireland today invest a lot of time and energy seeking an edge. You are...

Let the dentists take the pain, not advisers

Last week I broke my tooth (on a chickpea, the perils of healthy eating!) and had to see a dentist....

Send out a search party…no one is looking for you!

Some recent surveys in the trade press may be causing the brows of more than a few financial...

No CIP makes PROD compliance even more tricky

A blog by Abbie Knight from Discus caught my eye recently. In it she covers Central Investment...

Eggs, baskets and a "team of teams".

No, this isn’t another post about Woodford Investment Management. There’s been enough in the news...

What value do you add?

Going back in time, traditional brokerage consisted of product sales. Sitting through provider...

Why a natural yield investment strategy can be bad for clients’ long-term wealth

When it comes to clients wanting an income from their investments, constructing portfolios that...

Woodford funds continue to keep the media busy

The news last week that the Woodford Income Focus fund was being closed to withdrawals to prevent a...

Be careful what you ask for…

One of my key reasons for joining PortfolioMetrix was the great feedback on them from their adviser...

The evolution of MPS…and the Spartacus effect

Last week I attended Platforum ID: the investment distribution conference which took place in...

Revealed - the secret to long-term investment success

What’s the secret to successful long-term investing? I wish I could reveal some jaw-dropping...

The Risk v Return Challenge

Your clients expect you to deliver a decent return for them, but they also expect you to do so...

Robo no substitute for advice

Six, seven years ago, a couple of fledgling “robo” firms with direct-to-client business models were...

The Value of a CIP for advisers

A Centralised Investment Proposition (CIP) is a standardised investment approach that allows...

Tomorrow’s world arrived yesterday

Congratulations to Citywire New Model Adviser, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year....

Beware the disruptors… they’re coming to get you

The summer holidays are always a good time to take a bit of time to reflect…whether about life in...

One thing financial advisers must do to keep wealthy clients from walking away

Most experienced advisers will have well-tested strategies for keeping clients loyal but the latest...

Are tech-savvy advisers killing robo advice?

Recently, Money Marketing reported on the difficulties being experienced by the robo-advice...

Award for ‘third way’ is cause for celebration

We’ve won another award! This time recognising and rewarding our technical innovation. Last...

Agent as Client - is your firm at risk?

Who would have thought that two words could be the difference between a financial advice firm being...

Automation and the dangers of one size fits all

“Stack them high, sell them cheap” was the business philosophy of Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco...

Mass Customisation Innovation award shortlisting confirms our leading position

What does it mean to us to have been shortlisted for the Investment Marketing and Innovation Award:...

Trust and the legacy of the Woodford fund

My colleague, Olivia Geldenhuys, wrote an article recently for an international trade publication...

Liquidity and avoiding the pitfalls of the Woodford Equity Income fund

The headlines surrounding the suspension of the Woodford Equity Income fund and its eponymous...

The secret to managing client composure

On a scale of one to 10, how worried are you about the world? Chances are your level of anxiety...

Fear and (Dys)functionality

Who of us have not pondered acts of bravery and thought, “Would I have been able to do that?”...

Death knell for robo advice?

Is robo advice a fad or a service ahead of its time? It’s a question I asked myself when I read...

Defaqto’s highest ratings are the icing on the cake

It’s been quite a year so far at PortfolioMetrix. Not only have we picked up some more awards,...

In-house or out-sourced: the investment dilemma facing advisers

We recently attended the Money Marketing Interactive event where our UK MD, Mike Roberts, was on...

Will Money Marketing’s new DFM Centre cure outsourcing research headaches?

With a plethora of discretionary fund/investment managers operating in the UK, advisers looking to...

Does a low-cost business model come at too high a price?

Good financial advice comes at a price. But if cost is the main message advisers focus on when...

On South Africa’s energy crisis

Fire is a critical tool in veld management. Even with healthy veld, a periodic burn helps to remove...

Savvy people use financial advisers…and they’re richer for it

What makes someone decide to get financial advice? It seems it’s not about how much wealth they...

Another award? Fingers crossed.

On Thursday Citywire’s Wealth Manager magazine will announce the winners of its Regional Stars...

Outsourcing investment: Money Marketing dives into the debate

There’s an interesting video discussion about the future of DFMs and outsourcing investment on the...

Advisers under fire for poor investment knowledge

“Advisers should not run money” is a quote from a ‘no holds’ barred’ article that criticises...

Awards and why winning matters

We’ve won another award and it feels great! This time PortfolioMetrix won Best Discretionary...

Is your CIP about to crumble?

Reading Mark Polson’s latest missive in Money Marketing, it seems that many advisers are treading a...

Risks and opportunities for investors beyond Brexit

2018 ended with an awful quarter for global markets, capping off the worst year for world markets...

Will you be a financial business winner or loser this year?

Britain is (finally) back at work. In offices around the country there is a focus on the future,...

‘Free’ financial advice always comes at a cost

The wait is over… a well known Robo adviser firm in the US has launched its eagerly awaited Free...

Concerns about the Wisdom of the Collective*

The last couple of years haven’t been a great ad for democracy. The Brexit and Trump phenomenon is...

Riding out the storms

The grey clouds of Brexit and other political storms may be directly overhead but here at...

Why IFAs should dare to outsource their Investment Management

Just recently, there’s been a spate of articles in the financial trade press highlighting the...

Composure in tough market conditions

A rough year

Smart, not hard

Putting the hours in has always been linked with success in business but these days it’s not about...

Thrills and chills at the PA 360 North event

The Professional Adviser 360 North event in Warrington (17 October) was excellent, with a packed...

Outsourced investments and fees: advisers can square the circle

‘Advisers shun DFMS to justify fees’ is the headline in a recent Portfolio Adviser article. The...

The platform debate and why it’s not wise to put the cart before the horse

I’m off to Warrington soon to attend the Professional Adviser 360 North event on 17 October. The...

Time to crack open the Champagne

We won! Having been shortlisted for three Citywire Investment Performance Awards 2018, we are...

It’s all in the planning next week

Next week will see me heading to Birmingham to attend the Financial Planning Annual Conference (1-2...

Lots to discuss at MMI Harrogate

Last week my colleague, Bruce Ely-Johnston, and I attended the Money Marketing Interactive event in...

See you in Harrogate this Thursday?

I spend a fair amount of time on the road with my job, usually visiting advisers in their offices....

Segmentation and its role in attracting the right clients

Updated: 23 March, 2020

Recommendations built on misaligned assumptions are a risky business

If you are using a third-party risk profiler to assess your clients’ risk appetites and an...

Advisers need a process for change

In a study by Platforum, as reported in Portfolio Adviser recently, it found that advisers are...

Quants and Quals in fund selection

We have our brains and our hearts, the former being a complex organ capable of learning, computing...

Free for all in the fund industry

How low can you go could be the new mantra among the behemoths of the passive fund world, now...

Summertime and the living is…slightly uneasy

In spite of the lovely warm, sunny weather, the political and economic storm clouds are definitely...

FCA acts on labelling disconnect

It’s been a bugbear for PortfolioMetrix for many years so we’re delighted the FCA has decided to...

No ‘land of the free’ for advisers

In the week that Donald Trump is due to arrive in the UK (Friday 13th!), my thoughts naturally turn...

Don’t sacrifice clients to win the compliance war

I was interested to read a Professional Adviser article where one adviser firm is considering...

Agent as Client still causing confusion

I was interested to read a recent article by Alan Hughes in Money Marketing which highlighted the...

No chance of being tee’d off at PIMS 2018

The greens looked in great shape from afar but there was no time to get the golf clubs out at this...

Adam Smith and the pin factory

I was talking with an adviser recently and recalled Adam Smith’s visit to a pin factory described...

Let’s not mention the golf…

This week I’ll be heading off for two days at a luxury hotel set in 300 acres of lush Hertfordshire...

Why it’s never wise to get caught with your hand in the fire

Do you ever remember using the excuse ‘but everyone else was doing it too’ when caught doing...

What would Mary Berry do…?

It’s Easter and my healthy eating intentions are being compromised by the aroma of hot cross buns....

Bond bombshell?

There’s no doubt that bonds are not looking particularly attractive at the moment. Whilst equities...

The Devil’s in the Detail

How is MiFID II for you? Many advisers spent the latter part of 2017 working out what they should...

Are you sitting (too) comfortably?

As I look out on a snowy landscape, delivered courtesy of the ‘beast from the east’, I’m extremely...

Bitcoin – The One-Liners

There’s a lot of buzz around cryptocurrencies and their place in the financial landscape (the...

Blame it on the KIDs

A blog by FinaMetrica, specialists in risk tolerance tools, caught my eye recently. It focuses on...

Don’t be shy about technology … even if you are retiring

I was interested to read an article by Malcolm Kerr in a recent edition of Money Marketing in which...

Special Report: The Problem with Cryptocurrencies

Society has been abuzz with a slew of new jargon such as blockchain (originally block chain),...

Avoiding the crash and burn of investing for performance

Being custodians of your clients’ money carries much responsibility and, ultimately, it is...

Is outsourcing investment management value for money?

Does outsourcing to a discretionary fund manager (DFM) or discretionary investment manager (DIM)...

The Platform Revolution

Technology has revolutionised all our lives in a very short space of time. Just look at smart...

MiFID II reporting and the 10 per cent rule

Navigating investment markets is tricky, and this is particularly true of the eerily quiet markets...

Is the DIY investment model holding your business back?

Platforum, the research and insights company that works with UK platform providers, fund managers,...

Keep talking

A recent email I received had a link to the findings of a survey conducted with 1400 advisers in...

Discretionary permissions: big win or small window of opportunity?

According to a recent article in Money Marketing, more advisers are looking to bring investments...

Riding the winds of change - Central Investment Propositions and why your business needs one

Leading advisers are always looking for ways to future-proof their businesses, improve their...

Value in Europe

Developed European equities have had a pretty good run recently, with the MSCI Europe in euros up...

Everyone loves an ice-cream

During my working days, I get to speak to a lot of financial advisers and most are grappling with...

Eurozone Investing - Cautious Optimism

Things are looking up for the eurozone economy, no doubt aided by market-friendly election results,...

Home cooked or half baked?

A few weeks ago, an email from Platforum landed in my inbox which featured a list of stats about...

Health warning for adviser DFM/DIM contracts

Last week an article in FP Today, the daily news website for financial planners, paraplanners and...

Real value of advice is in planning, not sales

Financial advisers – or financial planners as many prefer to be called – belong to a profession...

The Pitfalls of Commercial Property Funds

Commercial property has been marketed as an asset class with an attractive yield, low volatility...

Read the small print or risk a fine

Last week the Personal Finance Society (PFS) announced an addendum to their Good Practice Guide...

Trump as an antidote for Trumpism

People who choose not to follow the news, domestically and globally, are missing out on the finest...

Not all about the money

Jam today but what about tomorrow?

Interesting headline in last week’s Citywire Wealth Manager: Trusting the unknown: 91% of people...

D2C and the model portfolio dilemma

Vanguard’s recent launch of an online investment platform for UK mass-market investors at a lower...

Income alone not always best for outcome

Income investing, the practice of constructing portfolios to target a specific yield, is popular,...

All at sea when it comes to change

So, I survived the marathon that was the PIMS conference last weekend, onboard the good ship...

Thoughts from a parallel universe

The demands of daily business can be brutal: task-driven and a whirl of meetings and follow-ups....

Elephants and the need to change

This week we held the first The Mix Forum, which brought together advisers and a specialist panel...

A tax break for the smaller investor

PortfolioMetrix recently launched a new process that harvests Capital Gains in a portfolio to make...

The best possible mix-up

HOSTED BY PORTFOLIOMETRIX & PRAEMIUM Tuesday, 25 April 2017 from 08:30 to 13:30 (BST) London,...

Problem Number One and End-game Optionality

Political developments over the last several days have us riveted and this will be true of your...

Stick to the road…

Last week PortfolioMetrix announced the launch of the Select range of model portfolios. Why is this...

And the winner is...

It’s the start of a new week but the team at PortfolioMetrix UK is still basking in the glow of...

Too risky?

Keep calm and carry on. Never has this well used retro phrase seemed more appropriate bearing in...

Economic fallout of “Trumpism” and portfolio positioning

We don’t really know what’ Trumpism’ means in any practical sense. The utterances of this...

Green light for ethical investing

After months of work we’ve launched our Ethical Emphasis investment range, for use alongside our...

Charity begins at home

This week we announced that we’ve reduced our fee in the UK by over 40% for registered charities....

A little less conversation, please

As I’ve documented in my last couple of blogs, I’ve made some changes to my lifestyle to help me...

No gain without pain

Almost three weeks into ‘dry’ January and the strategy of no alcohol and eating healthily is paying...

Just call me Parker m'lady

After the excesses of the festive period I’m having a dry January and February. This has pleased my...

Secret agents with no licence to thrill

I’ve just unwrapped my office Secret Santa present and I’m disappointed. It was beautifully...

Grassing on the competition

Two articles caught my eye last week. The first was an interview in Professional Adviser with the...

PortfolioMetrix Special Report - Trump, Brexit and the Demise of Openness

The Trump victory has left educated people around the world dumbfounded and markets have swooned....

Seeing red for all the wrong reasons

The past couple of weeks have found me knee deep in paint cans at home and it’s left me slightly...

Death of the DFM

“The DFM sector is over-crowded and the old style ‘bespoke’ DFM model is looking decidedly...

Don't expect your GP to perform heart surgery

Full steam ahead on platforms

The latest news from PortfolioMetrix is that Aegon has added us to their platform, joining...

How to wave goodbye to insistent clients

How would you react if someone grabbed your smartphone and ran off with it? Would you give chase,...

Of Quants and Quals

We have our brains and our hearts, the former being a complex organ capable of learning, computing...

Pass the pyjamas

If you’ve taken a look at our new website, you’ll have noticed we’ve got quite a few videos...

Riding it out on a mattress full of cash

I was interested to read a recent article on FTAdviser.com (Brexit sees surge in insistent clients...

Long Roads, high hopes and Bob Marley

Long roads, high hopes and Bob Marley

Conviction - Blessing or Curse (or both)?

I found myself pondering why “high-conviction” appears so prominently as a virtue in the marketing...

Getting Lucky*

Fancy performance statistics should carry a health warning when it comes to picking a fund manager....

EU Referendum

In March I wrote a piece about Brexit for Ftadviser.com (Brexit: a leap in the dark, 10 March 2016)...

Marathon Man - Dave Chessell reports on his time at PIMS

I feel like Eddie Izzard. Well, not exactly. While Eddie recently completed 27 marathons in 27 days...

Bad Timing

Recent Investment Association fund flow data make for interesting reading. According to the IA, net...

Kick the tyres of the tyre kickers

An article featuring the results of a survey that asked advisers about their attitudes to...

A dose of your own medicine

Following on from my blog last week [Kick the tyres of the tyre kickers] which referenced the fact...

Going for an eyebrow lift

It’s interesting that some excellent independent advisers are selling up to large insurance...

Partners with no interest make the best relationships

I’m pleased to say we have great relationships with the financial advisers who choose to use our...

The Balanced Funds that short-change Investors

Here at PortfolioMetrix our investment philosophy is fundamentally risk-based because we believe...

I'm interested in

Suitably Sustainable?

Awards shortlisting alert! PortfolioMetrix featured in two categories at the Schroders UK Platform Awards

“Multiple” layers of fees and the foundations of nonsense

The Key To Client Retention

How To Move To A Recurring Revenue Business Model

Is consolidation good news for your clients?

A Client Advisory Board – bringing your clients closer to your business

Twice as nice! PortfolioMetrix shortlisted again at Money Marketing Awards

Client Segmentation – A key element in attracting more ideal clients

Risk profiling tools can create more problems than they solve

The Importance of having an Investment Philosophy

Value Propositions: Do your clients truly understand your value...and do you?

Sustainable investing is much more than risk management

Rebalancing a portfolio to manage investor composure

Practice Management - Areas of focus

New ESG report is very data-rich…but not everyone wanted to take part

It’s great to be voted the best against such strong competition

From behind the bar to raising it – how our ‘Captain Planet’ is making an impact

ESG: let’s hear it for the bad guys

Why and how to “work on your business”

Are CRPs CR*P? We asked some experts…

Tech ‘future’ has been here for a decade

Let’s Talk Investments Conference - The Paradox of Choice

Three top awards for the team!

Will Robo 2.0 spell the end for DFMs?

Inflation vs Expectations – The Central Banks’ Dilemma

The importance of rebalancing a portfolio to manage investor composure

Robo 2.0: should advisers be worried?

Does ESG mean compromising performance?

Why the FTSE isn’t a great benchmark for a diversified portfolio

8 out of 12 shortlists say we’re doing great

We’re investing in the future of advice – you could too

Celebrating six successful years in Ireland

Networking: avoiding the curse of the clique

Consumer Duty: we’re all in it together

Advisers struggling to see the tech wood for the trees

The ESG devil is in the detail: how we decide what goes into our portfolios

Why some investment options are hard to swallow

The Bionic Adviser

Initiative to encourage more women advisers

FASA: from zero to 5-star hero – thank you for voting for us!

Climate Change: Why COP26 Mattered

Solving the big three problems of conventional multi-asset funds

Taking a step back – what does Net-Zero really mean?

3 reasons smaller DIMs are a threat to the big brands

Equity holding diversification and how to measure it

The outsourcing debate: where do you stand?

Why it pays to be a specialist

DIY investing: threat or opportunity for ambitious advisers?

More reasons to question solely relying on a purely active or passive investment strategy

China’s crackdown is not a revolt against capitalism

We’re in the frame for two prestigious Money Marketing Awards!

How to thrive in a business world that’s never going back to ‘normal’

The heat is on for ESG fund managers

The questions you should always ask a DFM

Hat trick of wins at the Citywire Adviser Choice Awards

Tilting towards Value: is it a good idea?

Should UK investors stay close to home?

PIMS 2021: a return to face-to-face meetings

PMX among top 10 fastest growing MPS

Record gains for our CGT harvesting process

One man: 30 women – the day the tables were turned

No business gain without some pain

Two tribes needn’t go to war on passive/active investment styles

Industry recognition for our newest board member

How to Successfully Grow an Independent Financial Planning Business – Insights from South Africa

Investment Hokey Cokey…actions, not words are what really matter

Why financial planners need advisers

Virtual insanity?

Greener targets create ESG opportunities

How to make the fee conversation go away

Vanguard financial advice service…should advisers be worried?

ESG portfolios – we set out our stall

Advisers seeing green with clients…but some providers make them see red

What’s worrying you? Don’t worry, we’ve got some solutions

Competition is coming…but we’ve not seen them yet

Judgement day for DFMs should be on value, not cost

PA Awards: all the excitement with none of the hangover