Industry news and views from Panacea and our partners.
Industry News_
Client Centred Advisers: Helping clients stop living in lifes waiting room
One of the most common assumptions people make is this: Ill be happy when Ill be happy when I can retire. Ill be happy when the mortgage is paid off. Ill be happy when I have enough money. Ill be happy when I can work less. Ill be happy when Ive achieved financial freedom. At first glance, these seem like perfectly reasonable goals. In fact, many of them are exactly the kinds of goals financial planners help clients work towards every day.
Client Centred Advisers: Why money is never just about money
Perhaps one of the most important things to understand about money is that people dont experience it rationally. They experience it psychologically.
M&G: Middle East conflict: a multi-asset perspective
With conflict in the Middle East disrupting energy markets and reshaping inflation and rate expectations, clients are looking to you for clarity. Read M&G's Lighthouse article for expert multi-asset insight to help guide confident client conversations.
M&G wealth: IHT Top Trumps: Which strategy comes out on top?
Sharpen your IHT planning with the final session of M&G's Trusts School (16 July). Compare trusts with annuities, whole of life and Business Relief through practical case studies, earn up to 70 minutes of CII CPD, and take away insights for client conversations.
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: 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 wasnt right for them because they had withheld important information from their adviser. I see exactly the same issue in recruitment.
Rathbones Asset Management: Power, pipes and precision: the exciting next five years of investing in sustainability
Despite a noisy backlash against ESG, Rathbone Greenbank Multi-Asset Portfolios Fund Manager David Coombs argues that the underlying direction of travel hasn't changed and identifies the themes he believes will drive returns over the next five years. Read more
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.
YouGov/Cebr consumer confidence index records largest monthly increase since 2021
The latest YouGov/Cebr Consumer Confidence Index shows a marked rebound in sentiment, with the biggest monthly increase since 2021 driven by improving perceptions of household finances and greater optimism around property values. While challenges remain, particularly around business activity and job security, the data suggests consumers may be feeling more resilient after a difficult start to the year. For financial advisers, understanding shifts in confidence can provide valuable context for client conversations around spending, saving, investing and retirement planning. Discover the latest findings and what they could mean for your clients.
CI Expert: Why Does the Protection Gap Still Exist?
Thirty years ago there were 36 insurers offering both life and critical illness cover. While many have since disappeared through consolidation and acquisition, within eight years annual sales of critical illness policies exceeded one million around double the volume seen in more recent years. So what has gone wrong?
5 Themes Shaping This Weeks Trade Press Headlines
Every week, the specialist financial press highlights the issues shaping adviser businesses. Looking across Money Marketing, FT Adviser, Professional Adviser and Citywire, these are the five themes that have consistently dominated discussion over the past seven days. From regulation and AI to business strategy and investment trends, heres whats been driving the conversation, and why it matters for advisers.
Schroders multi-asset investment views June 2026
Recent US labour market data supports our view that there is a low risk of a US recession, and our positive view of equities continues to be supported by earnings.
Aberdeen: Where do interest rates go if growth weakens but inflation increases?
Rising interest rates are back, but why? What does this mean for inflation, growth and equities?
BNP Paribas: View from the markets: Consumer watch
Oil prices dropped far more quickly than many analysts expected following the announcement of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran.
BNP Paribas: View from the markets: Fair weather outlook
Increased US share issuance is a sign of equity market exuberance, with investors focused on the exceptional outlook for earnings.
Aberdeen: Why sovereignty is reshaping investing in a fragmented world
Geopolitics is shifting from uncertainty to sovereignty. How do control, power and strategy now shape global markets?
Schroders: From geopolitics to policy: what drives bond yields next
June 2026 update: With a resolution in the Middle East now looking more likely, we take a look at how bond markets may react once the focus moves away from geopolitics.
Pictet: Barometer: Equity rally to roll on as stagflation risks recede
With inflationary pressures likely to abate as the US and Iran make progress towards a peace agreement that would stabilise oil markets, equities should build on their recent gains.
Cirencester friendly introduces minimum benefit guarantee on income protection products
Individual income protection specialists, Cirencester Friendly have introduced a minimum benefit guarantee of a maximum of £1,500 a month on their Income Assured and My Earnings income protection products. This is now available to both new and existing members on both products and available for all new claims.
Schroders: Markets focus more on UKs problems than whos in No 10
The UK's intractable problems mean it will be difficult for a new PM and Chancellor to invest for growth and maintain market confidence.
BNP Paribas: US high yield: Resilience against interest rate and spread volatility
The US high yield market has weathered recent market turbulence well, but selectivity is becoming increasingly paramount.
Artemis: The trillion-dollar company that still looks cheap
With all the coverage about Elon Musks SpaceX IPO and its intergalactic valuation, you may not have noticed when Samsung quietly entered the club through a side door a few weeks ago.
M&G: Trusts School Remaining Sessions
There's still time to join the remaining sessions in M&G's Trusts School series. Build confidence in trust planning conversations with practical guidance, technical insights and CII-accredited structured CPD. The series runs until 16 July 2026.
Pictet: Technology legend Steve Wozniak surveys the IT landscape
Its 50 years since Steve Wozniak created the first Apple computer and changed the face of modern technology. And his curiosity and insights are as keen now as they were in 1976.
Artemis: High Yield Happenings: The fixed income allocation that doesn't behave like the rest
Artemis' Jack Holmes makes a clear case for adding short-dated high-yield bonds to a balanced portfolio.
Cura: Practical Protection Podcast: Think Outside the Box
There are lots of ways to build protection recommendations, a lot of the time its straightforward, but sometimes getting creative is necessary. I would like to make sure Im clear that being creative must still be compliance approved!
Schroders: Why the yen is set to strengthen and why that matters
Normalising interest rates, among other factors, signpost a strengthening of the yen over the medium and longer term.
Aberdeen: Japan: Authorities push against a strong dollar and oil
The Iran conflict has triggered fresh policy challenges for Japan. The Ministry of Finance has resumed yen intervention but will struggle to reverse depreciation while the Iran conflict remains unresolved. The Bank of Japan is close to hiking and reconsidering its bond tapering path.
BNP Paribas: Multi-Asset Investments Views: Midnight oil
SpaceXs initial public offering saw the company valued at about $1.8 trillion, which propelled it into the worlds top 10 firms by market capitalisation.
BNP Paribas: Monthly Market Views: Political transitions and market caution
UK investors face another change in political leadership. This could also mean a shift in economic policy with a focus on stimulating growth and addressing the countrys regional inequalities.
M&G: Lighthouse Edition 2
Lighthouse Edition 2 is now available. Explore the latest market insights to support informed client conversations and portfolio decisions.
Pictet: Why Asias energy shock will hasten the clean transition
USD 100 oil is the best advertisement for EVs, says former Philippines energy secretary Vince Pérez, who believes the Iran war is speeding up Asia's energy transition.
Schroders: A different ask of global equities as investors seek downside protection
In a more volatile world, capital growth has ceased to be investors top priority, according to Schroders Global Investor Insights Survey 2026. Instead, equities must play a part in achieving greater diversification and downside protection.
Aberdeen: Resilience by design: multi-asset portfolios for volatile markets
A look at the benefits of deliberate, long-term multi-asset portfolio construction.
Aberdeen: Climate realism: why infrastructure investing needs a policy lens
A more realistic view of how investors can support decarbonisation.
Schroders: Three common misconceptions about active ETFs and why they matter in volatile markets
As more investors incorporate active ETFs in their portfolio, several recurring claims keep surfacing that dont fully hold up in practice.
BNP Paribas: China: Late to the AI sprint, strong in the marathon
In todays global artificial intelligence (AI) industry, the US leads in frontier models and accelerator design, Taiwan manufactures the most advanced chips, South Korea supplies high-bandwidth memory, and investors crowd into the most obvious winners.
Aberdeen: Global infrastructure: Why a selective approach matters
As the infrastructure universe expands, investors must look beyond broad labels and test whether assets still offer the characteristics that make infrastructure attractive.
M&G: Prudential International achieves highest-ever AKG ratings
Prudential International has achieved an A financial strength rating and 5 stars for service from independent ratings agency AKG. These are the strongest ratings received to date and reflect both financial strength and service delivery. The latest AKG assessment is available to support adviser due diligence and research activity.
BNP Paribas: Mid-year outlook: Prospects remain upbeat for equity and fixed income investors
The global macroeconomic outlook was dominated by two themes in the first half of 2026: the Middle East conflict and the continued boom in artificial intelligence-related spending.