Author: Aisha Mahmood

Chancellor John Healey’s budget on 28 October is set to offer modest relief to households and small businesses under what he has described as a promise of UK budget breathing space, according to The Guardian. The statement is expected to be relatively low-key, raising a few billions in taxes (including on banks) and returning some of that revenue to consumers, while deferring several major spending decisions to a spending review in 2027.For UK savers watching the fiscal backdrop closely, the key question is how much headroom the Treasury retains against Labour’s fiscal rules after a difficult period for the public…

intelliflo’s acquisition of Mabel Insights hands the advice-technology group full control of the UK’s largest freely accessible database for managed portfolio services (MPS) and multi-asset solutions, folding whole-of-market research and due diligence directly into the workflow advisers use every day. The intelliflo Mabel Insights acquisition completes a transition from commercial partnership, with the two systems already integrated so client details and portfolios move between them without rekeying.For advisers running discretionary or model-portfolio strategies for clients, the practical change is that Mabel’s portfolio comparison tools, client outcome modelling and branded recommendation reports will no longer sit outside the core platform. Ownership…

Foster Denovo revenue growth extended to a ninth consecutive year in 2025, with the financial advice group reporting a 15% rise in revenue to £49.3m and a 30% increase in assets under management (AUM) to £2.2bn. The results reflect a combination of completed acquisitions, practice buy-outs and accelerating investment in technology infrastructure.AUM expansion and the investment management build-outThe AUM figure of £2.2bn spans the group’s Dynamic Portfolios and Sequel Investments businesses. Dynamic Portfolios alone reached £1.42bn by the end of 2025, up 41% from £1bn a year earlier. That rate of AUM growth will catch the eye of advisers considering…

The question of AI for financial advice has moved from abstract debate to something far more personal for many people working in and around the financial services industry. One writer at Money Marketing has set out, candidly, how her relationship with artificial intelligence shifted from scepticism to cautious reliance, and her conclusions carry a lesson for anyone thinking about where AI fits in a properly managed financial life. From Scepticism to Selective Use Her early encounter with ChatGPT left her unimpressed. The output was basic, the language stilted, and, crucially, no sources were given for the information it produced. For…

Liam Coleman has been appointed Liam Coleman FOS chair on a permanent basis, taking up the role on 10 October for a three-year term after the Financial Conduct Authority secured Treasury approval for the appointment. Coleman, who had been serving as interim chair for the previous year, brings a career spanning financial services, regulation and public sector leadership to one of the most scrutinised bodies in UK retail finance.For investors and savers who rely on the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) as a backstop when disputes with their banks, insurers or investment providers go unresolved, the stability of leadership at the…

The Financial Conduct Authority has put forward an FCA 90-day illiquid fund notice requirement that would fundamentally change how retail investors access their money in property and other hard-to-sell asset funds, under consultation paper CP26/35. For anyone holding such funds inside a SIPP or general investment account, understanding the proposal’s scope and timeline is more pressing than it might first appear. What the FCA is proposing The rules, as drafted, would apply to non-UCITS retail schemes (NURS) where at least 50% of assets are invested in inherently illiquid holdings. Those funds would be required to offer redemptions no more than…

The Financial Conduct Authority has published a consultation proposing a minimum 90-day notice period for redemptions from property and other illiquid retail funds, a move that would directly affect SIPP holders, platform operators and model portfolio providers who currently access these assets through daily-dealing vehicles. The FCA illiquid retail funds proposal was released on 8 October 2026, according to Apolifina, and sits within consultation paper CP26/35.What the FCA illiquid retail funds proposal actually requiresUnder the proposals, non-UCITS retail schemes (NURS) with at least 50% of assets invested in inherently illiquid holdings would be required to offer redemptions no more than…

The Money Marketing Awards 2025 have recognised standout performers across the UK financial advice profession, with the latest results pointing to firms and individuals shaping the quality of retirement and wealth planning available to savers. For investors relying on professional advice to navigate pension drawdown, inheritance tax planning and income sequencing in later life, the firms and advisers being recognised at industry level are worth understanding.Money Marketing Awards 2025: retirement advice in focusWingate Financial Planning has been named Best Retirement Advice Firm at the Money Marketing Awards 2025, one of the most closely watched categories in the profession given the…

Brooks Macdonald CFO appointment brings a seasoned finance director to the helm of the listed wealth manager, with Money Marketing reporting that Lucy Tilley will take up the role on 12 October, replacing Katherine Jones, who has stepped down from the board with immediate effect.Jones joined Brooks Macdonald two years ago. Her departure is described as immediate, with no transition period disclosed. For long-term shareholders accustomed to monitoring the governance of their holdings, an unplanned CFO change at a wealth manager is the kind of event worth pausing over, even when a capable successor is already named.Tilley’s background spans wealth…