Prompted by the Consumer Duty, there is a good deal of discussion about the nature and value of financial advice. The industry is squarely focussed on value and good outcomes for clients and many financial advice firms are taking a fresh look at the service offered to clients.

• What goes into delivering the best possible outcomes for the best possible value?
• When is it worth adding to the fees clients already pay to bring in a partner to deliver the investment proposition: what does it deliver for the firm or for the client in terms of added value or efficiency savings?

Perceptions of working with an investment partner can be very polarised. Some firms are already advocates of the benefits. Others are strongly opposed, generally because they consider that the cost and/or the loss of control over investment decisions outweigh any efficiency or risk gains.

We have conducted the following research with the support of Charles Stanley to shine a light on how best to approach and shape a successful outsourced investment partnership.

How can this report help you?

For those firms who are re-evaluating current partnerships or contemplating a new partnership, we share insights into how other firms are approaching the due diligence process, and what’s working well or not so well. We also explore lessons in successfully onboarding a new partner and managing the ongoing relationship.

We hope this guide is useful for any firm who may be exploring how to get the most value out of current partnerships or perhaps seeking new ones.

You can download a copy of the report for free by completing the form. 

Methodology

The findings presented in this guide are based on qualitative research conducted by NextWealth between 7th February and 13th March 2023. The research consisted of in-depth interviews with 15 financial advice firms, selected independently by NextWealth to represent a range of businesses by size (AUM and number of advisers), directly authorised or appointed representatives and with a variety of investment models from those managed by an in-house investment committee to those where investments are fully managed on a discretionary basis by an investment partner.

What’s next?

Our Managing Director, Heather Hopkins, will be continuing the conversation on the 21st of June at a webinar hosted by Charles Stanley. She will be discussing the findings from this research as well as looking at the next stage of Consumer Duty and how to prepare for this. If you would like to join,you can do so here.