IFA Talk

This episode of IFA Talk is brought to you in association with Wesleyan. In this week’s podcast, Jim Stacey, Investment Specialist at Wesleyan joins us to discuss how advisers can support clients with the emotional side of market volatility, particularly as they approach retirement. With recent Wesleyan research finding that 69% of advisers are expecting to increase their use of smoothed funds over the next 12 months, the conversation explores why helping clients stay invested through difficult markets may require advisers to think beyond traditional measures of investment risk. Talking to Matt Williams and Sue Whitbread, Jim shares his analysis about behavioural investing. Their conversation covers important areas including why investors continue to hold excess cash despite inflation and long-term growth opportunities, how advisers can help clients stay invested through market uncertainty, and what the Government’s push to encourage investing through ISA reform could mean for advisers and their clients. This discussion highlights the importance to advisers of understanding investor behaviour, managing their emotions and expectations, thereby helping clients to remain focused on their long-term financial goals. Listen to this episode of IFA Talk HERE

The 2026 Budget may have been a quieter affair than others in recent years, but there are still important implications for financial advisers and their clients. In this week's IFA Talk, Sue Whitbread and Matt Williams are joined by Rachel Vahey, Head of Public Policy at AJ Bell, to explore the key Budget announcements, including higher tax rates on savings interest and property income, changes to ISAs, the new Pension Tax Allowance and a whole lot more. They also look at what wasn't announced, including further changes to capital gains tax. Plus some snippets on what advisers should be keeping an eye out for in the months ahead, including the Pensions Commission and Dashboards. For more post-Budget analysis and coverage from industry experts, check out all the latest updates here https://ifamagazine.com/category/autumn-budget/ This episode is brought to you in partnership with M&G. Explore M&G’s Home of Retirement Planning here.  

In this episode of IFA Talk, Kevin Gray, Chief Investment Officer at Fortem Capital, explores how investors can diversify their portfolios as the traditional relationship between bonds and equities becomes less reliable. For decades, investors have relied on bonds to diversify equities. However, as this relationship becomes less dependable, advisers are having to reconsider how they manage portfolio risk. Kevin, who is also Chair of Fortem Capital’s Global Investment Committee, discusses where investors can look for alternative diversifiers and how different strategies can be combined within a portfolio. The conversation examines which diversifiers are particularly interesting in the current market environment, and how investors can build more resilient portfolios when traditional approaches prove less effective. Matt and Sue also ask Kevin whether trend-following strategies deserve their reputation as “crisis alpha”, exploring their potential role during periods of market stress. Also, you can listen to the full episode with Schroders’ Ella Davies, mentioned in this episode, by clicking here!

In the latest special Mortgage & Property edition of IFA Talk, the weekly podcast from IFA Magazine, we delve into the challenges of arranging specialist property finance and what brokers need to know when working on more complex cases. Joining Meg and Sue is Edward Matthews, CEO of MERA, who has worked in UK real estate lending since 2007 and has completed more than £700 million in transactions. Drawing on his extensive experience, Ed discusses why some property finance deals can prove difficult to place, particularly when cases fall outside the criteria of mainstream lenders. The conversation looks at the obstacles brokers can encounter when arranging complex finance, from closer scrutiny of exit strategies to cases involving unusual property types or specific challenges around the security. Ed shares examples of cases MERA has helped fund, including a brownfield site where flood-risk insurance presented a sticking point and a hostel with a limited trading history. This month’s episode also explores how brokers can assess whether specialist finance is the right solution for a client, what funders look for when reviewing applications, and why a clear understanding of the borrower’s circumstances, the security and the exit strategy is essential. Looking ahead, the discussion considers what the current lending environment means for brokers handling complex cases, where opportunities may lie for those with specialist market knowledge, and how brokers can prepare for cases that may prove harder to place.

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, the weekly podcast from IFA Magazine, in this episode of IFA Talk, David Jane, Multi-Asset Fund Manager at Premier Miton Investors, discusses how investors can navigate changing markets, find diversification and balance the growing demand for retirement income with investment risk. With the traditional relationship between equities and bonds becoming less reliable, multi-asset investors face fresh challenges when building portfolios. Joining Matt Williams and Jenny Hunter, David explores where investors can look for diversification and how inflation, interest rates and government debt are shaping fixed-income strategies. Opportunities in multi-asset investing The conversation also examines the factors driving demand for retirement income and how multi-asset solutions can help meet investors’ needs. Looking ahead to the next 12 months, David considers the biggest opportunities and risks facing multi-asset investors, including which asset classes he is most optimistic about. Be sure to check out this episode and all other episodes of IFA Talk on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon!

In this month’s special New Insurance & Protection episode of IFA Talk, the weekly podcast from IFA Magazine, we look at one of the key regulatory developments shaping the protection market: the FCA’s Pure Protection Market Study. From the distribution of life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection to the persistent protection gap, we explore the issues raised by the study and what could come next. To discuss this, Meg and Sue are joined by Justin Harper, Chief Marketing Officer at LifeSearch, who brings more than 30 years of experience in the protection sector. Drawing on his experience helping people understand and engage with protection, Justin shares his perspective on the FCA’s findings and the challenges and opportunities facing the market. The episode examines the protection gap and how advisers and distributors can encourage more people to consider their protection needs. Justin also discusses the adviser and distributor journey, including where the process of accessing protection could be made more straightforward without compromising the quality and suitability of advice. Looking ahead, the conversation considers what the FCA’s proposed measures could mean for advisers, distributors and providers, and what changes the study could bring to the wider protection market.

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, the weekly podcast from IFA Magazine, we explore the importance of critical thinking and human judgement as AI becomes increasingly embedded in financial advice. Joining co-hosts Meg and Jenny are Nick Ryan, CEO of Pilot Financial Systems, and Michaela Pashley, Managing Director of Practical Financial Exams and Pilot’s Compliance Officer, who bring complementary perspectives from financial technology, compliance and adviser assessment. Drawing on their experience across financial technology, compliance and adviser assessment, they discuss why critical thinking remains such an important skill for advisers, particularly as AI tools become more widely used. The conversation looks at where critical thinking can fall short in practice, whether professional judgement can be taught and developed, and how advisers can distinguish between information that appears convincing and advice that stands up to scrutiny. Nick and Michaela also consider what experienced advisers bring to the table that AI may struggle to replicate, and why professionals need to be equipped to question AI-generated outputs rather than simply accept them. The episode explores how advisers can make effective use of AI while retaining the human judgement, analytical skills and professional responsibility that underpin good advice. Also, you can listen to the full episode with Schroders’ Ella Davies, mentioned in this episode, by clicking here!

In this month’s special Tax-Efficient Investment edition of IFA Talk, the podcast from IFA Magazine, we’re exploring Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) and what their long-term performance can tell advisers about the role they play in clients’ portfolios. Joining us to share his insights is Peter Hicks, VCT Analyst at Chelsea Financial Services. He explains how VCTs differ from other investments, including how investors subscribe, the new five-year holding period  and the buyback process when they sell. He outlines some practical points which advisers and clients need to understand, and where people often go wrong. Peter also shares the results of Chelsea Financial Services’ new research, which looks at dividends paid alongside changes in net asset value, and highlights just how significant the tax-free income some VCTs have delivered over the past decade, with some returning more than 90% of their starting NAV through dividends while also delivering strong overall returns. He also discusses the cut in upfront relief from 30% to 20% alongside higher investment limits, answering how these changes are shaping the market, and whether there is any evidence that the lower relief is putting investors off. And finally, with the research showing a wide divergence in outcomes over what has been a difficult decade for UK smaller companies and AIM, Peter shares how advisers should choose between VCTs, along with the amount a client should realistically hold.  

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, the weekly podcast from IFA Magazine, recorded in partnership with M&G, we explore how advisers can take a more personal, purpose-led approach to retirement planning and help clients make meaningful decisions about their money and their future. In this week’s IFA Talk podcast, brought to you in partnership with M&G, Ed Green, Pension & Investment Specialist at M&G, joins Meg Bratley and Sue Whitbread to explore how advisers can help clients approach retirement with greater clarity and purpose. Retirement planning is no longer simply about generating an income or just deciding where a client’s money should be invested. Ed discusses how advisers can take a more human approach to the whole process by focusing on what clients want their money to actually do for them in retirement.  The conversation explores many practical tips advisers can use, including the idea of “giving money a job” and how talking about clients’ life goals can help advisers build more meaningful retirement plans. Key takeaways include: Why advisers need to put the client’s life goals at the heart of retirement planning How “giving money a job” can help clients think about what their wealth can enable them to do Why being more human in client conversations can lead to a deeper understanding of what really matters How retirement, family and legacy planning can be brought together Where solutions such as PruFund and Prudential Guaranteed Income Plan (PGIP) could add value within a retirement strategy

In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, the weekly podcast from IFA Magazine, recorded in partnership with Schroders, we discuss whether simply spreading risk across different asset classes is still enough to ensure effective diversification? And when markets are concentrated, correlations are shifting, and uncertainty remains high, what should advisers really expect from a multi-asset portfolio? In this week’s IFA Talk podcast, brought to you in partnership with Schroders, we pick up the conversation from our 2026 Multi-Asset Fund Insights and take a closer look at what makes a multi-asset strategy work in today’s increasingly complex market conditions. IFA Magazine Editor Sue Whitbread and Content Editor Matt Williams are joined by Ella Davies, CFA, Multi-Asset Fund Manager at Schroders, to discuss: Is diversification getting harder? What’s really going on beneath the surface of seemingly diversified multi-asset portfolios? Can active asset allocation make a difference? How can multi-asset managers respond when the investment landscape keeps changing? What should advisers look for? The questions worth asking when assessing a multi-asset strategy and its approach to managing risk. A practical conversation about where multi-asset investing is now, where it’s heading and what it means for advisers and their clients.