Observations on the Financial World

By Grant Ellis Let’s face it – Financial Advisers have a bit of an image problem. In the public’s mind they probably rank alongside bankers, second-hand car dealers and estate agents in the trustworthiness stakes, and every investment fraud and mis-selling scandal that’s gleefully reported by the press does nothing to improve this. Then there’s the thorny issue of fees, and the anecdotal view that Adviser fees are unjustifiably high, and that they’re all simply out to line their own pockets at the customer’s expense. So, is this image and reputation deserved? Should Financial Advisers be viewed with suspicion or is this all a myth? Let’s take a look at a few facts. In 2017 the ILC-UK published its report The Value of Financial Advice, which quantified, for the first time, the real value of taking financial advice. The results strongly demonstrate the positive value of financial advice for consumers – both amongst those who are wealthy and those less well-off too. The report concluded t...

The Ugly Truth About Investment Loyalty | Independent Financial Adviser   By Grant Ellis I’ve been a Manchester City fan since 1970. I chose  to support  them as all my friends were either Leeds United or Manchester United fans, and Manchester City were  an   attractive footballing alternative who were having a bit of success at the time, winning the league and the FA Cup in consecutive years. However, just as I formed my allegiance to them their success dried up and apart from a couple of cup runs they remained  relatively unsuccessful  until 2011. You know what it’s like though - once you’ve made your choice of team it’s incumbent upon you to stick with them through thick and thin. After all that’s what supporting a football team is all about; you make your choice, and for better or worse you remain loyal to them whatever happens. Just imagine though if I’d been prepared to switch my support between different teams over the years based on their perfo...