Industry news and views from Panacea and our partners.
Paul Harper Search
Paul Harper Search: If You Want the Right Job, Always Tell the Truth
If you want to secure the right job, the most important thing you can do is tell your recruiter the truth. I recently saw an article stating that one in four clients ignore the recommendations of their financial adviser. When you look closer at the detail, a third of those clients admitted the advice wasn’t right for them because they had withheld important information from their adviser. I see exactly the same issue in recruitment.
Paul Harper Search: The Private Equity Issue – Friend or Foe?
Over the past few years, we have seen a significant influx of private equity into the financial advice sector, particularly in the period following the pandemic. It was clear to anyone observing the market during COVID that financial adviser firms performed relatively well. The primary reason was their ongoing revenue model, with clients typically paying a percentage-based fee deducted directly from invested funds. As markets rise over time, this revenue tends to grow.
Paul Harper Search: Shaping Your Brand – A Guide to Effective Personal Branding
Gary Vaynerchuk, the highly regarded entrepreneur, author, speaker, and marketing guru once said: "Your personal brand is your reputation and your reputation in perpetuity is the foundation of your career." In this article, I will share some insights on how financial professionals can harness personal branding to gain more traction in the market. Whether you are looking to attract new clients, build industry authority, or secure your next big career move.
How to Stand Out on LinkedIn and Attract New Career Opportunities
Friday, 10th July, 1:30pm BST (Live session)
Why Good Financial Planners Move On (Even When They’re Doing Well)
Most Financial Planners don’t leave because they can’t do the job. In fact, it’s usually the opposite. They leave because, at some point, they realise their environment is holding them back.
2026 'Financial Planning: Fascinating Facts and Figures' Salary Guide
As the advice profession continues to evolve, having a clear view of salary trends, firm structures and recruitment dynamics is increasingly valuable. Paul Harper Search’s 2026 guide brings together headhunt data, FCA insights and industry feedback to provide a current snapshot of the UK financial planning market.
Paul Harper Search’s 2025 BDM Salary Survey Reveals Shifting Trends in Financial Services Compensation
Paul Harper Search has unveiled its 2025 BDM Salary Survey, offering the longest established, most detailed and accurate insight into Business Development Manager compensation across the UK’s intermediary and advice-led financial services market.
Women Advisers Inching Forward
For those of you who track trends in financial services, you’ll know that one of the most striking developments in recent years has been the rapid growth in earnings among female financial planners. According to the latest edition of Paul Harper Search's Financial Planning - Fascinating Facts and Figures 2024/25, women’s total average earnings in the financial planning profession have risen by a remarkable 52% between 2021 and 2024. By contrast, men’s earnings have increased by just 14% over the same period.
Talent isn't Moving - Here's Why...
Why Is It So Hard to Hire Financial Services Talent Right Now? Paul Harper says a question he hears a lot is: “With the economy looking shaky and vacancies dropping, why are we struggling to hire?” On paper, it should be straightforward. The REC’s Report on Jobs shows that UK vacancies have been falling month on month since the October budget. Surely, in this kind of environment, people would be queuing up for new roles… right?
So Many Candidates... So Little Choice
Have you noticed how easy it is to apply for a job nowadays but how difficult it is to secure an interview? If you've found yourself undertaking a job search recently, either through ambition or necessity, you can't have failed to notice how easy it is to apply. All you need to do is push a couple of buttons, and your CV wizzes its way off to a potential employer.
Rethinking the Academies - Building Careers, Not Just Qualifications
There’s been a lot of discussion recently, both in the press and within the profession, about academies and our struggle to grow the financial planning profession fast enough to replace those leaving says Paul Harper of Paul Harper Search. More people are exiting the industry than entering it, and that’s true across nearly every age bracket, except, worryingly, for the over-50s.
Financial Planning 2024: Salary trends and industry insights
Discover the latest trends with Paul Harper Search’s highly anticipated 2024/2025 salary guide.
The Value of Professional Qualifications
Back when Paul Harper gained his Chartered qualification, through the CII, it took a lot of work but had very little practical value when completed.
Adviser Bonus Schemes - Do They Drive Success or Create Challenges?
“Ineffective bonus schemes are a major cause of employee dissatisfaction and staff turnover” says Paul Harper, Managing Director of Paul Harper Search. While most employers recognise that their bonus scheme should motivate individuals and encourage them to engage in the right behaviours, many would admit that they may not have got it exactly right on occasion.
Why Aren't Financial Planners Growing Their Client Book?
According to Paul Harmer, Managing Director at Paul Harper Search, this is a question that many directors of Financial Planning firms are asking at present. Inevitably, with raised interest rates, the cost of capital has risen, and many of the PE and Family Office-backed Buy and Build firms are under pressure.
In Search of Clint Eastwood
“You have found some great Directors for me, but I need more of a Clint Eastwood - Actor, Director, and Producer” said one of Paul Harper Search’s clients as they reviewed how an Executive Search assignment was progressing.
Attracting Growth-Focused Financial Planners
“Amidst the ongoing consolidation and turnover of adviser staff, it's easy to assume that companies are primarily seeking advisers for client bank management” says Paul Harper, Managing Director of Paul Harper Search. However, this overlooks the persistent desire for growth in the medium term, especially among PE-backed businesses undertaking rapid acquisition strategies.
Financial Planning 2024: Salary trends and industry insights
Discover the latest trends with Paul Harper Search’s highly anticipated 2024/2025 salary guide. Paul Harper Search is proud to present the 2024/2025 ‘Financial Planning: Fascinating Facts and Figures’ Salary Guide - an essential resource for Financial Planning Business Owners, Directors, and Financial Planners.
Annual Salary Survey
Paul Harper Search’s annual Financial Planning: Fascinating Facts and Figures salary survey is closing soon!
Mastering CV Writing: Crafting an Exceptional Professional Summary
There's been ongoing debate among recruiters about the usefulness of a Personal Profile on a CV writes Matt Craven of PH Career Services. This debate arises because many job seekers populate their personal profiles with irrelevant or overly used phrases that don't add real value.
Crafting a Powerful LinkedIn Profile: Your Digital First Impression
LinkedIn has evolved far beyond its early days as a professional social network where users simply uploaded their resumes. With over 250 million members and growing rapidly, LinkedIn has become an essential tool for career growth, networking, and personal branding says Matt Craven at PH Career Services. It’s not just a platform for professionals to connect; it’s a critical space where recruiters actively seek out candidates. If you’re job hunting, neglecting your LinkedIn profile is a missed opportunity.
Mastering CV Writing: The Art of Showcasing Achievements
Crafting a compelling CV is a crucial step in securing your dream job, but it's not just about listing your work history and responsibilities. In today's highly competitive job market, where employers sift through dozens, if not hundreds, of applications for each vacancy, your CV must stand out.
The Most Common Mistakes Made in Job Interviews
Job interviews are pivotal moments in your career journey, often determining whether you advance to the next stage or miss out on an opportunity. Yet, many candidates unknowingly make mistakes that can sabotage their chances of success. Understanding these common pitfalls and how to avoid them can give you a significant edge in your next interview.
The Value of Professional Qualifications
The Past Back when I gained my Chartered qualification, through the CII, it took a lot of work but had very little practical value when completed.
Mind The Gap - Addressing Career Gaps
Often, CVs come across my desk, and instantly, it’s evident that there is a gap in the career history, and this hasn’t been addressed. This is a red light to a recruiter or hiring manager.
Reviving an Unloved Brand
A prominent example of an unloved brand that was successfully turned around is Apple Inc. in the late 1990s. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company was struggling with significant financial losses, a tarnished public image, and a lack of direction. Once a pioneer in the personal computer industry, the brand had become nearly irrelevant in the market, overshadowed by competitors like Microsoft.
Your Shop Window – The Importance of Personal Branding
Have you ever looked at how you are perceived online by those who don’t know you? In this day and age, when you can be Googled and found on LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., it is so important to make sure that your ‘shop window’ is how you would like it to be.
Rising Financial Planner Salaries - Real or Fake?
Are quoted IFA salaries real? This is a question we're asked every time one of our salary surveys hits the press. While many people recognise that the market for financial planners has been rising over the years, plenty of cynics still think recruitment companies make it up. Our latest salary survey shows that the average financial planner employed in the UK earns a basic salary of £79,591 and a total package of £102,356. While this will vary by region, we can also give you some information on that. The highest-paying region is London, where the basic salary is £91,250, and the total earnings are £108,950.
Paul Harper Search: Senior Chartered Financial Planner & Team Leader
Our client is a leading Chartered Financial Planner business with ambition and funds to grow rapidly. All clients provided.
Embracing Diversity: A Guide to Inclusive Recruitment
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is not just an ethical imperative; it’s a strategic advantage for businesses in an increasingly diverse, competitive, and interconnected world.