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Aspen’s CEO, Andrew Spece, did a webinar recently with the Financial Planning Club on behavioural biases – a topic that the team at Aspen find deeply interesting. The patch of land that lies between psychology and finance, behavioural finance explores how humans interact with financial decisions when our minds are hard wired to process information…
Understanding concentration risk in emerging markets What is concentration risk? In essence, concentration risk is the danger that a portfolio relies too heavily on a small number of investments or exposures, making it vulnerable if those holdings perform badly. Why does it matter in an emerging markets context? One of the most important themes in…
Inheritance tax planning The inheritance tax (IHT) nil-rate band of £325,000 has been frozen since 6 April 2009. In addition, the Government has confirmed that IHT thresholds, including the residence nil-rate band of £175,000, will remain frozen until at least 5 April 2031. Furthermore, nearly all unused pension funds/death benefits will be included in an…
More than 25 new capabilities are landing by the end of the year, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) FE fundinfo has confirmed a major new phase of investment in Nexus for Financial Advisers, a unified, AI-powered workflow platform built on the breadth of the company’s data. The aim is straightforward: give advisers one connected platform…
Administration has a nasty habit of filling the time available. Time spent on data entry, chasing paperwork, switching between systems, producing reports manually and staying on top of compliance requirements has steadily expanded. Unfortunately, that means the enjoyable work – understanding clients, helping them make good decisions, being there at moments of uncertainty – tends…
Every UK Financial Adviser is aware of the proposed changes to the Inheritance Tax (IHT) treatment of unused money purchase pension funds from 6 April 2027. While much attention has focused on the tax implications, some fantastic work by a Chartered Financial Planner, Rhiannon Gogh (CEO of SENDA), got me thinking about how families can…
For professional advisers only. Every adviser has had the conversation. A client decides their cash should be working harder, and the only obvious answer is to move it off platform – out of sight, out of the financial plan, and into a bank account. The trouble is what that answer costs. Once money leaves the…
Advisors and investors have long returned to the traditional 60% equity/40% bonds portfolio to balance risk and return. However, with an increased emphasis on client composure and the investor experience, incorporating the LV= Fixed Term Investment (Protected Retirement Plan), or FTI, into your financial planning could allow you to strike a better balance. This article…
Most investment conversations still start with a risk profile. Low risk. Medium risk. High risk. Then a portfolio is selected, and the recommendation flows from there. But as highlighted during our recent conversation with Andrew Spence, Founder and Chief Executive at Aspen, and Lewis Brasseaux MCSI, Head of Distribution at Aspen, that approach does not…
In this Q&A, senior portfolio manager Daniel Nilsson – who started his career as an IFA – discusses some of the key changes in the investment world over the last decade. He also outlines what he would like to change about the industry if he could… What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry…
