Our regular round-up of the latest insights on investment distribution

Ascentric's parent company,Royal London, sold the client book of its D2C proposition Fundsdirect in 2015, signalling a clear intent to concentrate on providing services to the intermediary market. However, we have seen a shift away from advisers using Ascentric as...

In last week’s email, we hinted that robo-advisers could be coming to an office near you and asked if this posed another threat to the retail advice sector? We have long said that so-called “robo-advisers” (automated tools guiding investors to decisions) are a boon...

This week Jeremy Fawcett (@jfawcett), Head of Direct, reveals the results of our recent test driving exercise for direct platforms… Today we publish our latest D2C update on the investor experience and we’re seeing improvements. It’s fashionable to bash financial...

This week Heather Hopkins (@heatherahopkins) and Sophie Huang consider fees, transparency and the case for financial planning. How do IFAs select DFMs? A round of golf, a dinner a few times a year – these are some of the ways that the old school DFMs describe their...

Click here to read our view of Alliance Trust Savings' adviser platform proposition. The flat fee model is gaining traction and the firm is increasingly focussed on adviser platform assets. We expect to see some acquisitions in the near future for this ambitious...

Today Platforum recognises the leaders in the retail investment platform market for excellence in the eyes of customers. Platforum awards are unique in that they are based on research and reflect the opinions and experiences of actual investors and financial...