Blog

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS IT’S ALL IN THE MIND

24th February 2021

Hello, hello, me again. Sorry for breaching your inboxes yesterday in an unexpected fashion and thanks to all who dropped a note to say you’d voted for Steve for Professional Adviser’s Personality of the Year. Double thanks to those of […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY

17th February 2021

Non-apologies are great, aren’t they? As a rhetorical device they’re hard to beat. At one stroke you can say you’ve apologised, and your interlocutor is left sputtering about how that wasn’t a proper apology, which in turn lets you come […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS NOTHING IF NOT PREDICTABLE

10th February 2021

Some people just don’t want to go messing about with irony. After the excitement of James Hay’s announcement that it plans to assimilate Nucleus, I popped onto the Twitter and hilariously asked if anyone had any thoughts on what I […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS HERE FOR YOUR STONKS

3rd February 2021

Were you in? On #GME? And Dogcoin? Were ya? I’m proud to say that I took all the cash we’ve built up in the lang cat over the last 10 years, and SPANKED it straight on these STONKS because that’s […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE TAKES THE LONG VIEW

27th January 2021

Nearly done with January. And breathe. They – whoever ‘they’ are – say it’s darkest just before the dawn. This isn’t true – it’s coldest just before dawn; the lighting state is influenced primarily by lunar phase and urban light […]

YOU HAVE NO NEED TO PARDON THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

20th January 2021

No, indeed you do not, for the Update is practically perfect in every way and shines out in the darkness like…I dunno, a big shiny thing, but one which kind of has its own light rather than reflecting other light, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE CANNOT BE DEPLATFORMED

13th January 2021

What a week, what a week. We are all living through stuff that will be written about in the history books here – I mean, we’re always doing that, that’s the way history works – but even so, this was […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS DIVING BACK UNDER THE DUVET

6th January 2021

And so it came to pass that the old year ended, and the people did cautiously open their eyes on the new year’s morn, and lo they found that everything was much the same except slightly worse because of the […]

THE LANG CAT’S ALBUMS OF 2020

28th December 2020

First things first – you’re not expected to read this (though it’s obviously lovely if you do). I’ve done a roundup of my albums of the year every year since we started – so this is the tenth one – […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS OUT OF HERE

16th December 2020

And so it’s nearly over, thank the deity of your choice. The No Fun Decade I wrote about 11.5 months ago started and self-actualised in a way very few of us could have ever have imagined, and what followed was […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE MAKES NO CHARGE FOR ONGOING SERVICE

9th December 2020

Greetings from the Isle of Wight. The boss is apparently busy with other stuff (presumably organising our virtual office Christmas party [1] ) so for one week only I’m back in charge of the weekly update. Sitting comfortably? Then we […]

All change in Platform Land

2nd December 2020

Any thoughts of a quiet end to the year in platform land [1] were firmly kicked into touch at midday today with Nucleus publishing a statement regarding a possible offer, a story that had been broken by the mighty Jack […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE MIGHT PUT THE TREE UP EARLY THIS YEAR

2nd December 2020

Welcome to the last twelfth of the year so bad they named it twice. If you’re still here – and that’s a conditional phrase that carries more weight than it should this year – then you made it. Well done. […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS 90% EFFECTIVE WHEN TAKEN IN TWO DOSES

25th November 2020

Reasons to be cheerful, one two three…I don’t know where you stand, but I’m starting to book up gig tickets for next autumn. As my oldest, wisest and best mate Alsy says, “Personally planning to gig my **** off once […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE’S LEVEL IS ALL THE WAY UP TO 11

18th November 2020

It’s true; while various parts of the country labour under level three, two and even four if you live in the west of Scotland’s Central Belt, your faithful Update exists on a completely different scale. Level 11 allows the Update […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WINS EVERYTHING BY A LOT

11th November 2020

After a monumentally rubbish eight months, the occasional shaft of sunlight pierces the clouds – a U-turn on whether it’s OK to let kids go hungry, the potential for a vaccine that works, and the really big one…genuine, laugh-out-loud comedy […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS SERENE, COURAGEOUS AND WISE

4th November 2020

So I’m writing this at about 10pm on Tuesday night, trying to work out whether to bother staying up to see the first of the results come in. Looking at my diary tomorrow I suspect the answer is no. If […]

Hello Fundment!

29th October 2020

During the 2010s, several commentators were fond of sayings things like ‘within five years, there will only be four or five adviser platforms’. Their fantasy was that the behemoths would hoover up the smaller, generally start-up-based, platforms, thus preserving the […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE REJECTS BOTH TRICKS AND TREATS

28th October 2020

As we move further from Beltane and towards Samhain – not only a fine festival but also one of Glenn Danzig’s best projects – and a pattern of daylight which really only suits farmers, our collective chins may start to […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE THINKS IT WILL ALL END IN TIERS

21st October 2020

Regular readers might recall that the boss ended last week’s update on this bombshell: “I’m on holiday next week, so will pick the feline I like least and have them do the Update”. Oh. Right. Fortunately, whilst Mark is away […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS A MAGNETIC BACK NOW

14th October 2020

It is, in a way, reassuring that even in these troubled times, Californian billionaires still find new ways to get us to buy very slightly different versions of things we have already. Human nature is still intact. Speaking of human […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS NEVER KNOWINGLY USED ITS DISCRETION

7th October 2020

I bet he didn’t even have it. It’s tempting to do something about lack of discretion and all that, but time’s marching on and our subject this week is a little weightier than usual. We need to talk about DFMs, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WON’T EVER TALK OVER YOU

30th September 2020

You want to know who I feel sorry for? The producers and writers of the new Spitting Image, that’s who. Satire – puppet-based or otherwise – made sense in 1985, but in this new auto-satirical time there really doesn’t seem […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NEVER WANTED TO COME ROUND YOUR HOUSE ANYWAY

23rd September 2020

Aaaannnnd…here we go again. Eyes down for another six months of all this, whatever ‘this’ is for you. The good news is that (I think) Covid-19 doesn’t work on Mondays to Wednesdays or before 10pm at all other times in […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE CELEBRATES A PERFECT(ish) TEN

16th September 2020

And so it came to pass that ten years ago today (well, yesterday but who’s counting?) the lang cat was born. Sightless, pitiful and mewling (that’s what happens when you sample the bottles from the back of the cupboard), this […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ONLY BREAKS LAWS IN A SPECIFIC AND LIMITED WAY

9th September 2020

Every so often something comes along in the public discourse that we can all really get behind. Such a one was Brandon Lewis’s magnificent admission yesterday, which opens the door for all kinds of merriment. Driving when unsure you’re safe […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE KNOWS EVERY DAY’S A SCHOOLDAY

2nd September 2020

And so back to school they go, trusting that the grown-ups have got it right and that we all know what we are doing. If there was ever a more powerful example of the naivety of childhood then I’d love […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

26th August 2020

Welcome to another Wednesday update. Mark is on holiday again, so for probably the final week I’m in charge. Last time he was off Edinburgh was battered by a huge electrical storm. This week we’ve all enjoyed Storm Francis. The […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS ALGORITHMICALLY SOUND

19th August 2020

It’s reassuring, in a way, to know that however bad a week you’ve had, it’s nothing compared to Gavin Williamson’s. Thankfully the lang kittens are still too young to be caught up in the exam fiasco, but lots of you […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS IT’S TOPS ON

12th August 2020

It’s a peculiarly British thing, I think, to go to hot places and then to complain about how hot they are. I can only assume that the Universe has a sense of humour, as most of you forego your trips […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS NO PROBLEMS WITH LIQUIDITY

5th August 2020

Hello friends, and welcome to another top-class Wednesday update. The undisputed worst year ever rattles on, yet pleasingly there are some comforting signs of normality. The sun is shining, England have won a test series, and Mark is taking a […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE REMEMBERS GREG KINGSTON

29th July 2020

A short and sombre one this week, siblings, as we remember Greg Kingston, late of Suffolk Life and Curtis Banks, who has died in an accident aged a far too young 47. Many of you will have crossed paths with […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS WE CAN REBUILD IT

22nd July 2020

I’m back, after two weeks of – well, nothing, really. The first week I wasn’t even on holiday but Mike kindly stepped in to give me a break from Updates. Last week I was on holiday but it was rubbish, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS FULL OF ANGST

15th July 2020

The gaffer is still enjoying a well-earned break so it’s Steve here on TCWU duties. Hiya. Now, I don’t know about you but I had a magnificent week last week, thanks very much for asking. The past few weeks I’ve […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS EASING ITSELF INTO SUMMER

8th July 2020

Whilst there is still a fair whack to go, it’s looking increasingly certain that 2020 won’t feature on many folk’s list of best years ever. The last few months have been tough (and for some, tragically so) but finally we […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE DOESN’T KNOW WHERE TO START

1st July 2020

I don’t mind telling you, siblings, that keeping a topical, weekly, newsy Update going through a pandemic where there is next to nothing exciting to write about can be a schlep at times. With what tattered shreds of self-respect I […]

HAPPY HUMP WEEK FROM THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

24th June 2020

Well, we made it through to halfway. Halfway through a year which, if it were an album, would absolutely be one of the Machine Head records where they bleached their hair, went all nu-metal and destroyed every bit of credibility […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS VAT-FREE, MAYBE

17th June 2020

Afternoon everyone, hope those of you South of the Wall are enjoying queuing for trainers or whatever it is you can do these days. I can’t imagine that when we’re allowed, rheumy-eyed and hesitant, back into the light up here […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WANTS PAYING IN ADVANCE

10th June 2020

Well, after last week’s sojourn away from financial services and into mental health awareness it’s back to earth with a bump. Incidentally, if you haven’t had a chance to watch our special HomeGames with Paul Feeney of Quilter then you […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS BOO TO TABOOS

3rd June 2020

Well hello again, and I hope you are finding the bright side in a week where everything moved at warp speed from decidedly suboptimal to post-apocalyptic. If you’re finding that hard to do then you’re not alone, and we have […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE JUST NEEDED SOME EXERCISE

27th May 2020

There’s really just one subject to cover this week; one news story that will run and run and drown out everything else until you’re completely fed up. That story is, of course, the sale of Ascentric to M&G by Royal […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WANTS YOU TO BE KIND

20th May 2020

Two things to cover this week – one industry-related and one important. First up, you might have spotted that Tenet has changed its deal with Hubwise. It used to have a white-label, adviser-as-platform deal which saw it do the admin […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WRITES RIGHT, RIGHT?

13th May 2020

Week 9 of the #langcatlockdown, and some of the new certainties we’ve grown used to are chucked up in the air again, straddling as we do the Scottish / English border (and that bit of water between civilisation and the […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE MADE AN ERROR OF JUDGEMENT

6th May 2020

Yes, it’s true. When the TCWU travelled across town for an extracurricular horizontal dalliance with another Update, it was on the basis of assuming that following my father’s advice of ‘do what I say not what I do’ was applicable […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WANTS WHAT YOU WANT

29th April 2020

What would you keep and what would you like to leave behind when all this is over? We can probably all agree that daily 5pm briefings and obsessing about the ravings of a madman about ingesting domestic cleaning products are […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WILL PAY YOU $37.63 A SHOT TO TAKE IT OFF OUR HANDS

22nd April 2020

Honestly, we’ve got so many Updates stored round the back that we’re running out of places to put them. Might try and strike a deal with WeWork, seems like there’ll be plenty of cheap storage available there soon. Ooh, satire. […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE PROTECTS YOU FROM ALL KNOWN SCUNNERS

15th April 2020

How are we all this week? I suspect the answer is ‘mixed’. A good friend of mine was telling me that Monday of this week was the first time he had really felt scunnered. I said I reckoned that if […]

COMING SOON: ESG FOR PLATFORMS?

9th April 2020

This announcement from AJ Bell caught my eye yesterday. You really should click on the link to find out more (and come back to this blog once you are done) but in case you want to stay with me, let […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE LIKES THE CHEAP EGGS BEST

8th April 2020

Week 478 in the Big Brother House, and tempers are starting to fray, as Nasty Nick spends all the housemates’ budget on an artisan-made 1kg chocolate egg, whereas Kinga and the rest of the housemates are keen to load up […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ONLY EVER LOST 9.9%

1st April 2020

Another week in, and it seems forever ago that I was able to be a hermit because I wanted to be rather than being forced. Days of thunder, I tell you. My only wish is that, when all this is […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOCIALLY DISTANT

25th March 2020

That escalated quickly, didn’t it? I hope you are all cocooned in your basement / back bedroom / orangery (you know who you are) safely, with stocks of your favourite beverage and plenty of biscuits. It is at times like […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE COULD TOTALLY TAKE COVID-19 IN A SQUARE GO

18th March 2020

(and if you don’t know what a square go is, here’s the definition). Well, this isn’t much fun, is it? I’m sure I’ll get back to finding out what’s going on and poking things with a sharp stick next week, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE’S TOILET PAPER REQUIREMENTS ARE UNCHANGED

11th March 2020

See, I told you the 10% drop notes would be going out. I’m like the seer of seers; the prognosticator of prognosticators. And I never drive angry. (10 house points if you get the reference). Anyway, everything is unimaginably unpleasant […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A SNIFFLE

4th March 2020

Well, here we are and maybe this is how it all ends – not with a bang, but with a flurry of 10% drop portfolio warnings. If only we’d all washed our hands more. And to the guy at the […]

IF WE COULD START THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE AGAIN, WE WOULD

26th February 2020

Here’s an interesting question. For those of you who run an advisory business, if you could start it again, would you choose the same technology underpinnings and kit that you use at the moment? We’re talking clean slate, no legacy, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SEES BOTH SIDES

19th February 2020

Back again, just as many of you head off on your half term hols. I spent a chunk of mine in Whitby, which is an excellent place. In just three days I experienced 75mph winds, fish and chips at the […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS BACK TO LIFE

12th February 2020

So, after last week’s intermission, normal service is resumed for TCWU. Or at least it would be if it wasn’t half term in Scotland. Boss man is on holiday in a top-secret location up North so for one week only, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS BEEN HIJACKED

5th February 2020

Hello. This is a very different kind of Update to normal. We’ll eschew the usual industry news, whimsy, tittle and tattle, and instead I’m going to give this whole Update over to a new thing that we’re launching at the […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE JUST WANTS ITS MONEY BACK

29th January 2020

Over the last year, the TCWU has become as much a public service as a fascinating, erudite, entertaining and above all indispensable companion to your hoisin duck wrap or whatever on a Wednesday lunchtime. This is objectively true; inasmuch as […]

DEAR CEO: IT’S THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE. YOURS SINCERELY, THE LANG CAT

22nd January 2020

No prizes for guessing what’s getting me out of the cat basket, bristling with Updating fervour this week. In fact there are never any prizes for guessing what’s getting me out of the cat basket, bristling with Updating fervour, so […]

SAVE THE DATE: THE LANG CAT’S HOME GAME #2 IS ON 28 MAY 2020

16th January 2020

CALEDONIA, YOU’RE CALLING US AND NOW WE’RE STAYING HOME (AGAIN) After a brilliant day at our inaugural Scottish Home Game conference last year, we are feeling emboldened and right up for doing it all again. So I’m pleased to be […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS NO INTENTION OF BONGING

15th January 2020

Well, the quiet start to the year didn’t last long, did it? I’m not even down the Christmas chocolates yet, let alone the Oloroso lake I’ve given the basement over to. So we’d better get to it this week, whimsy […]

WELCOME TO THE NO FUN DECADE WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

8th January 2020

So here we are, and here it is, and I hope you managed to mark the passing of midwinter in the way that makes most spiritual and cultural sense to you. I personally learned some interesting lessons about what happens […]

THE LANG CAT’S ALBUMS OF 2019

8th January 2020

Bit late posting this one this year, but I’ve done one of these posts every year since we started, and it would be a crime not to do one for 2019. So here we go, with the usual caveats that […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE DOESN’T WANT ANY FIGGY PUDDING, THANKS

18th December 2019

And so it ends, folks, as indeed all things must. 2019 is a year that’s been, not a year to come, and in what is your last Update of the year, it behoves any self-respecting Updater to take stock and […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ISN’T WINDING DOWN

11th December 2019

So here we are, siblings. Crunch time. In 48 hours we will know what our immediate futures hold. Will it be shame, and regret for what we’ve just done and the dishonour we have brought on ourselves and our forebears? […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE DOES A SPOT OF UNBOXING

4th December 2019

Friends, when they write the history of this time and this planet, there will be but two words seared into whatever the equivalent of The Hitchhiker’s Guide is then. Those words won’t be ‘Mostly Harmless’. They’ll be this: Unboxing. Videos. […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS ALL ABOUT WELLNESS, PROBABLY

27th November 2019

So it turns out that the kind of industry Update you like best is one which isn’t about the industry at all. After last week’s effort I got more reactions and messages than at any time since the very early […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NEVER CHECKS ITS FACTS

20th November 2019

**STOP PRESS – EMBARK TAKES ZURICH – more in the links section below** “Artists use frauds to make human beings seem more wonderful than they really are. Dancers show us human beings who move much more gracefully than human beings […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS GETTING NERVOUS ABOUT DEADx

13th November 2019

Hello everyone. Well, the week is finally here when I stop punting our annual DeadX conference, because this is the week when we do the conference and then go for a lie down. In fact it’s tomorrow. So my mind […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS ‘NO DECORATIONS TILL DECEMBER’

6th November 2019

We live in bifurcated times, siblings. Families fight over Brexit. Friends feud over Russian interference in our elections. And colleagues carp over whether Mike really should still be in Strictly Come Dancing. Apparently. What we need is something to heal […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS THINKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANT STUFF – PART 2

30th October 2019

After Mike’s Update of a couple of weeks ago, it’s a total joy and a welcome break from industry stuff and wider nonsense to welcome a new lang kitten to the world. Steve Nelson, who many of you will know […]

TEN THINGS WE LEARNED FROM STATE OF THE ADVISER NATION 2018. NUMBER 7 WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!

24th October 2019

So, it’s my second to last working day before paternity leave starts and I’m ticking off items on the to-do list faster than an [insert witty metaphor here that I’m too busy to think of]. Our second annual State of […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT ADVICE IS ANY MORE

23rd October 2019

Back from half term, just as you all go off on yours. In a week where timescales have proved to be pretty contentious, it’s tempting to make a political crack about that, but I’m going to resist. So let’s just […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS THINKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANT STUFF

16th October 2019

It’s been getting on for 4.5 years since I joined the lang cat and still I get caught out by some of the differences between England and Scotland. Not the obvious things, like weather or length of tenure in major […]

Mental health awareness is for life, not just for #WorldMentalHealthDay

10th October 2019

Regular visitors to the lang cat will know that we are keen to encourage people to talk about mental health. Many would agree that working in financial services can be stressful. The competitive environment and performance expectations can lead to […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE PREFERS PROFITABLE EXOTIC SPICES

9th October 2019

And so here we are again, siblings. As soon as one Update is done with, the next one hoves into view, and sometimes I can’t help but believe that these small ways in which we mark the passing of the […]

THE TOP CLASS UPDATE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO BEGIN TO THANK YOU

2nd October 2019

A lot to get through this week, but in place of the usual top-of-Update whimsy, please accept heartfelt thanks from all of us to all of you who supported our 20 Mile CatWalk, which we completed on Saturday past. We […]

THE SEARCH FOR VALUE

1st October 2019

Amidst absolutely no fanfare whatsoever 30th September saw the implementation of one of the main changes as a result of the FCA’s Asset Management Market Study. Over two years since the final report and getting on for 4 years since […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE JUST WANTS EVERYONE TO PLAY NICELY

25th September 2019

So I was at the Schroders Platform of the Year Awards last night, in which this sector of the industry proves each year that there really is no such thing as austerity. Good times. Anyway, it was a fun night, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HASN’T EVEN GOT A YACHT

18th September 2019

If you switch the radio off, and get everyone in the office to shush, and the cars outside to stop, and the children to stop playing, and the wind to drop, you can just, if you try really, really hard […]

What next for SJP and exit fees?

16th September 2019

Over the last few weeks you can’t have failed to notice that The Sunday Times has been giving St James Place a good shoeing. Luxury cruises, opaque fees, leaked phone calls….the hits keep on coming. It’s not been a good […]

ONLY 9 WEEKS TO GO UNTIL THE LANG CAT’S DEADx TALKS RETURNS

12th September 2019

No, not until Christmas (you’ve got 15 weeks for that. Depressed yet?) But it is just nine weeks until the lang cat returns to The Crypt on the Green in fashionable Clerkenwell for the sixth in our annual series of […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NEEDS NO WET SIGNATURES

11th September 2019

Here we are again, siblings. Did you know that 2019 is 70% complete? I’m rounding up, it’s only 69.6% and we won’t go through 70% until Saturday, but I’ve always said that spurious accuracy in whimsical yet informative financial services […]

#WorldSuicidePreventionDay

10th September 2019

Some of you might already know that I’ve been out and about this year on the conference circuit doing my bit to try and change the way we talk about mental health in the context of the financial services sector, […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ALWAYS SITS UP STRAIGHT

4th September 2019

A shorter Update from me this week, mainly because instead of writing it last night like I normally do, I was up late ending myself with laughter at coverage of the House of Commons. All this uncertainty makes me think […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ALWAYS STATES ITS VALUE

28th August 2019

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I know absolutely hee-haw about football. Not only don’t I know anything about it, such is my fear of hypermasculine conversations about it that I’ve been known to offer to go to the […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ALWAYS STATES ITS VALUE

28th August 2019

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I know absolutely hee-haw about football. Not only don’t I know anything about it, such is my fear of hypermasculine conversations about it that I’ve been known to offer to go to the […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS IT’S A DEAL, IT’S A STEAL

21st August 2019

You know that bit in Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels where Dog’s crew are ripping off Snow White and the Three Little Chemists, and they’re defending themselves with an air rifle and as the second guy in the crew […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS IT’S A DEAL, IT’S A STEAL

21st August 2019

You know that bit in Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels where Dog’s crew are ripping off Snow White and the Three Little Chemists, and they’re defending themselves with an air rifle and as the second guy in the crew […]

HMRC take HL to the (super)cleaners

20th August 2019

Summer holidays are always a good time to bury good news, and as I glanced at my iphone from my hotel pool lounger the other week this piece caught my attention. I was on all-inclusive mind, so I quickly went […]

HMRC take HL to the (super)cleaners

20th August 2019

Summer holidays are always a good time to bury good news, and as I glanced at my iphone from my hotel pool lounger the other week this piece caught my attention. I was on all-inclusive mind, so I quickly went […]

SECCL TAKES UP RESIDENCE IN OCTOPUS’S GARDEN; SHADE STATUS UNCLEAR

15th August 2019

A few quick thoughts on the announcement from Octopus today that it will acquire Seccl for £10m subject to regulatory approval. Normally I’d do these in the Wednesday Update, but it’s Thursday today and it’s only just been announced. Why […]

SECCL TAKES UP RESIDENCE IN OCTOPUS’S GARDEN; SHADE STATUS UNCLEAR

15th August 2019

A few quick thoughts on the announcement from Octopus today that it will acquire Seccl for £10m subject to regulatory approval. Normally I’d do these in the Wednesday Update, but it’s Thursday today and it’s only just been announced. Why […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS ONE WEEK TILL THE KIDS GO BACK TO SCHOOL

14th August 2019

Oneweektilthekidsgobacktoschool Oneweektilthekidsgobacktoschool Oneweektilthekidsgobacktoschool Oneweektilthekidsgobacktoschool Not that it’s been a long summer or anything. Actually, it hasn’t. Time was that the financial industry would pack up and stop doing interesting things with all the enthusiasm of MPs heading off for a […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS GOT ALL THE NUMBERS WITH IT

7th August 2019

Ah, Edinburgh in August. A heady mix of rain, street theatre artists, rain, a million tourists wandering aimlessly ON THE ROAD WHERE I AM GOING, rain, fifty thousand Tristrams and Jacintas proving how alternative they are by dying their hair […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE RESUMES NORMAL SERVICE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

31st July 2019

Hello again, it’s me back from a month away, and I’m disturbed to see that you all kept reading and engaging with the Top Class Wednesday Update at normal levels while I was away. How am I meant to promote […]

TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE DOESN’T STOP FOR A NEW PRIME MINISTER

24th July 2019

No doubt we’ve all heard quite enough about that particular tale, so let’s not linger. Right, as the boss continues basking on foreign shores, it’s my turn to keep his metaphorical chair warm. FAIR HAS TO BE FAIR FOR ALL […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ASKS FOR HELP WHEN IT NEEDS IT

17th July 2019

Well hello there. Mr Barrett has kindly passed on the metaphorical baton to cover for the gaffer, who is currently enjoying his well-earned-I’m-sure summer hols. Big shoes to fill. Mind you, a few months back I spoke at a thing and some unnamed […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE DON’T LIKE CRICKET, OH NO, IT LOVES IT

10th July 2019

Week two of the boss man’s holiday is normally when he finally switches off, and radio silence is maintained. I last saw/heard from him 5 days ago via Strava, heading off for a walk in 32-degree temperatures. I’ll give it […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY…

3rd July 2019

If you are a regular reader of this email, boy did you get a classic end of season cliff-hanger at the end of last week’s episode. The boss has gone off on his hols, tossing the keys to the TCWU […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WILL HAVE A LARGE GLASS OF RED, THANKS

26th June 2019

There are many fine things about being Scottish. Our sense of fun; our ability to withstand hours in hot sunshine, and our famous athleticism are but three. Maybe the best thing, though, is that we get school summer holidays nearly […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE WILL FAN THE MOONBEAMS FROM YOUR SLEEPING EYES

19th June 2019

Ah, siblings, it isn’t long until the summer solstice, when all right-thinking financial planners free themselves from the shackles of capacity for loss, centralised investment propositions, RMAR returns, PI excesses and primary platform relationships, strip down and go for a […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NEVER INHALED AND YOU CAN’T PROVE OTHERWISE

12th June 2019

Well, that’s been quite a week, hasn’t it? I think the only thing that could top it in the week to come is if Neil Woodford admits to a strong fondness for Colombian marching powder in his twenties and is […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS HIGHLY LIQUID

5th June 2019

I’ll let you into a secret – sometimes coming up with a grabby title for the Update is a bit of an effort. Sometimes, however, it falls into your lap, and today is one of those days. I’ll get to […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE SAYS ENOUGH TYPING ALREADY

29th May 2019

Hello, have we all calmed down a bit now? I do hope so. It’s all been quite exhausting. It’s come to my attention (hi Tom) that I have broken a promise. More specifically, a promise about the Updates, and there’s […]

GET YOUR MONEY BACK OUT AGAIN WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

22nd May 2019

It strikes me that everyone is angry this week. Much of it has to do with milkshakes, and whatever the rights and wrongs of all that, the bloke who chucked a Five Guys shake must have been really committed. I […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE HAS ITS OWN GRAVITATIONAL PULL

15th May 2019

Fate is capricious, siblings, and laughs at our misguided attempts at self-determination. When it gives us a clear sign, we are best to follow it. And so this week’s Wednesday finds me Updating you from the lush confines of a […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE GOES FULL STATTO

8th May 2019

Hello, me again, here to mark the exact mid-point between the Fear you feel at the working week to come, and the Fear you feel at having to spend the weekend with your family. It’s a public service of a […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NEVER CONTAINS SPOILERS

1st May 2019

Hello again, siblings. If it’s true that time is a human construct, devised by the ancients to explain the otherwise random and horrifying universe, then it must follow that marking the passing of that time with, for example, a weekly […]

GET BACK TO WORK WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

24th April 2019

“Did you have a nice…?” “Yes, it was very…” “Seems a long time…” “Certainly does, ready for the next…” So that’s sorted that out, good to catch up. Now put your behind in the chair and do some work. You’ve […]

DINNA HIV THE POOTS LIKE A PEEDIE-BREEKS, YON’S THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

17th April 2019

The linguists amongst you will spot straight away that this week’s Update comes from the remarkable islands of Orkney, the scene of the Polson clan Easter holidays. ‘Orkney’ itself is an interesting word, coming from the Norse ‘Orkneyjar’ which supposedly […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NEVER ASKS FOR AN EXTENSION

10th April 2019

Anyone who’s ever had coursework to do for anything knows that feeling of fear as you have to go and ask your tutor / teacher / boss for an extension. I can’t help remembering a time when, hung over, I […]

LOSE AN HOUR’S SLEEP WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

3rd April 2019

It’s that time of the week again, siblings, and that cruellest time of the year when otherwise intelligent people struggle and fail to adjust the time on basic household devices. (The way to deal with it is to move house, […]

TAKE BACK CONTROL WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

27th March 2019

One time, when on holiday with the lang kittens in a part of England that I can’t remember, we went to a forest park place called Bewilderwood. The back-story for this place was something to do with creatures who looked […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE ISN’T ANGRY, IT’S DISAPPOINTED

20th March 2019

Hello, hello, it’s Wednesday again, which means you get an Update of the Top Class variety. I think we can all agree that that’s the very best kind of Update. You wouldn’t want a mediocre one, or even a standard […]

BREXIT, GAME OF THRONES, AND THE INVESTMENT PLATFORMS MARKET STUDY. AND YOU.

14th March 2019

As fans of a good box set will tell you, the trick is to keep the audience wanting more, but also to deliver enough excitement to keep them interested in the here and now. This is, I think, exactly what […]

DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

13th March 2019

Nostalgia, siblings, ain’t what it used to be. Nor are many other things, including (in no particular order): my eyesight, the size of playground slides, the age of policemen, the state of our democracy, and assets under administration in the […]

SCORES ON THE DOORS – HOW THE ADVISED PLATFORM MARKET FARED IN 2018

13th March 2019

Well, the covers are off and we now have full year 2018 data for the advised platform market. It’s been quite a year – if it was a box set we reckon it would be series 2 of The Wire. […]

ENJOY THE FAT OF THE LAND WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

6th March 2019

It’s touring season, mi compadres, and that means this week’s Update is coming to you from the welcoming, anonymous bosom of yet another hotel; the sort of place where ‘ach, it’s good enough’ is the company mission statement, as is […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS EXACTLY YOUR CUP OF TEA

27th February 2019

Yes indeed, siblings, it’s that time of the week again. More popular than Green Book’s Oscar win, if Spike Lee had to express a preference about his favourite long-term savings and investment-based weekly email, it would totally be this one. […]

ELEVATE DEFLATES ITS PRICING

26th February 2019

Let’s go old school for a minute. It’s been simply yonks since I’ve done a pricing blog; back in the day it felt like I did two a week. I imagine it felt worse than that to anyone reading them. […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE – NOW WITH 34% LESS GLUTEN!

20th February 2019

In a world where Greggs The Bakers sees its profits rise 9% because of vegan sausage rolls, where the people that regulate advisers can’t work out when the bad advisers they’ve regulated have gone to be regulated advisers somewhere else […]

SAY I LOVE YOU WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

13th February 2019

It’s true, siblings. Nothing makes your love light shine brighter than the Top Class Wednesday Update… …but enough of all that. It’s an advisory-themed Update this week. And we’ll give the Valentine’s schtick a rest. There are two stories that […]

THE STATE OF OUR WEDNESDAY UPDATE IS TOP CLASS

6th February 2019

Yes indeed, with the terrifying gaze of a scornful Nancy Pelosi, the lang cat’s Top Class Wednesday Update is here once again to stare at the back of the financial industry’s carefully coiffed head and launch highly specific investigations, right […]

MIFID II – HOW? WOW?

31st January 2019

MIFID II – HOW? WOW? Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking part in the latest Paraplanner Howwow; a fun packed hour (no, really) discussing MIFID II costs and charges disclosure with Richard Allum and Benjamin Fabi. If you missed […]

KILL YOUR DARLINGS WITH THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

30th January 2019

Can it really be Wednesday again? Yes, it can. I’m glad we’ve sorted that out. Anyway, the title of this week’s Update is a quote which has appeared in many places over the years, but most recently from Stephen King’s […]

NEW YEAR, NEW DISCLOSURE

24th January 2019

Like a bad follow up album that no-one really wants, MIFID is back. 12 months ago we had the first wave of action, with transaction fees being exposed for all to see. Whereas these figures were expected costs, investors are […]

THE TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE NIVIR GANGS AGLEY

23rd January 2019

Indeed it does not, my trusty fieres, indeed it does not. And for those of you wondering what the hell he’s going on about in only the second Top Class Wednesday Update, we are of course celebrating the birthday of […]

WELCOME TO THE INAUGURAL TOP CLASS WEDNESDAY UPDATE

16th January 2019

HELLO, YOU So here’s the thing. You were all nice enough to sign up to hear from the lang cat at some point over the last few years, and when we offered you the chance to stop you chose not […]

We’re not expensive! You’re expensive! Hargreaves updates its Wealth 50 buy list

10th January 2019

As the style diary columns have it, ‘to the Ritz’ on Tuesday to hear about Hargreaves Lansdown’s new Wealth 50 discounted fund range. A typically restrained affair in a typically restrained venue, which obviously I didn’t enjoy as it contravenes […]

the lang cat’s albums of 2018

31st December 2018

This is definitely my last post of the year. Sound the trumpets and that. First, a clarification – there are 16 lang cats now and not all of them approve of this list. I say that in the full knowledge […]

Things can only get better, maybe – the lang cat’s round-up of 2018

31st December 2018

Well, if you’re reading this, you made it. Only 8 hours or so to go and we can wave a fond-ish farewell to a very particular year. Usually in this end-of-year blog I spend time providing a devastatingly concise and […]

FIXED THAT FOR YOU: STATE OF THE PLATFORM NATION

11th December 2018

We think that 2018 was the biggest year in platforms since RDR. It’s in that spirit, then, that we offer you FIXED THAT FOR YOU: STATE OF THE PLATFORM NATION – the lang cat’s 2018/19 guide to the advised platform […]

SJP ate my hamster

12th October 2018

It’s time to make your voice heard

11th October 2018

It’s nice to be listened to isn’t it? It’s even better when what you’re saying is being both listened to and shock horror… acted upon. Well, here’s a revelation for you; we love hearing what you’ve got to say about […]

Robo Wars

22nd September 2018

It’s a tough job putting our annual guides together. For both our recently published Guide to Direct Platform Investing and our imminent(ish) guide to advised platforms, a lot of work goes into research, preparation and writing (no, really…). We then […]

IT’S COME AND HAVE A GO: THE (LATE) SUMMER SPECIAL

24th August 2018

Ah, summer holidays, what memories. School’s out, Alice Cooper’s screaming, the sun is shining, we might be stretching the point here – and it’s time to race down to the newsagent for a bumper edition of your favourite comic. The […]

CONSUMERS HAVE THEIR SAY ABOUT PLATFORMS

19th July 2018

Weighing in at 91 pages and backed by a study of more than 3,000 platform users, the consumer research element of the FCA’s Investment Platforms Market Study (IPMS[1]) is a heavyweight. And while it doesn’t land many blows or produce […]

IT’S GROUNDHOG DAY. AGAIN

16th July 2018

Can you remember what you were doing on 17 July 2017? If you work in platform land[1] chances are you were thumbing through the FCA’s Investment Platforms Market Study Terms of Reference paper, or more likely, reading our blog on […]

WE’RE HIRING AGAIN – the lang cat needs a proposition analyst, or maybe two

27th June 2018

Hello. We’re the lang cat and we’re hiring again. You can’t stop a good thing when it’s on a roll. (Of course, this isn’t strictly accurate; a well-placed obstruction of sufficient size and density will do the job quite nicely. […]

10 things we’ve just learned about the platform market

22nd May 2018

The best thing about articles like this is that it frees the writer from the shackles of attempting to write a coherent, well-thought through narrative. Research has shown that 98.4% of readers will just skip right to the list, meaning […]

Assess THIS: our thoughts on the FCA’s Asset Management Market Study paper PS18/08

5th April 2018

Today is a significant day for asset management in the UK. The Asset Management Market Study has taken a big step towards its conclusion with the publication of the first set of final rules, addressing most of the main issues […]

Assess THIS: our thoughts on the FCA’s Asset Management Market Study paper PS18/08

5th April 2018

Today is a significant day for asset management in the UK. The Asset Management Market Study has taken a big step towards its conclusion with the publication of the first set of final rules, addressing most of the main issues […]

JOB AD – WE NEED A CONSULTANT AND WE NEED ONE NOW

3rd April 2018

This is a job advertisement from the lang cat. Hello. We’re the lang cat and as well as a digital marketing manager we’re expanding the consulting side of our business, which in the main helps platforms, asset managers and larger […]

JOB AD – WE NEED A DIGITAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE

3rd April 2018

This is a job advert from the lang cat. Hello. We’re the lang cat and we’re on the hunt for someone who can help us: develop and run our digital marketing presence manage our mailing lists better manage some social […]

JOB AD – WE NEED A CONSULTANT AND WE NEED ONE NOW

3rd April 2018

This is a job advertisement from the lang cat. Hello. We’re the lang cat and as well as a digital marketing manager we’re expanding the consulting side of our business, which in the main helps platforms, asset managers and larger […]

JOB AD – WE NEED A DIGITAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE

3rd April 2018

This is a job advert from the lang cat. Hello. We’re the lang cat and we’re on the hunt for someone who can help us: develop and run our digital marketing presence manage our mailing lists better manage some social […]

HMRC kill superclean funds?

20th March 2018

Today’s announcement that, in the view of Judge Thomas Scott, HMRC have been incorrectly treating fund rebates as taxable could well be one of the most significant changes to platform and asset management land this year. You can read full […]

HMRC kill superclean funds?

20th March 2018

Today’s announcement that, in the view of Judge Thomas Scott, HMRC have been incorrectly treating fund rebates as taxable could well be one of the most significant changes to platform and asset management land this year. You can read full […]

STAT ATTACK! The lang cat’s Q4 2017 advised platform market scorecard is out now.

19th March 2018

Terry Huddart summarises the lang cat’s findings from the new edition of its advised Platform Market Scorecard A massive period of disruption is underway in the UK advised platform sector, affecting, by our estimate, £464bn (89%) of AUA. By disruption […]

STAT ATTACK! The lang cat’s Q4 2017 advised platform market scorecard is out now.

19th March 2018

Terry Huddart summarises the lang cat’s findings from the new edition of its advised Platform Market Scorecard A massive period of disruption is underway in the UK advised platform sector, affecting, by our estimate, £464bn (89%) of AUA. By disruption […]

Our thoughts on the Standard Life / Phoenix announcement

1st March 2018

Well, now. This has been a tricky one. Standard Life Aberdeen’s disposal of its life business to Phoenix, king of the zombie insurers, took me by surprise and to be honest I’m still working out what I think about it […]

Our thoughts on the Standard Life / Phoenix announcement

1st March 2018

Well, now. This has been a tricky one. Standard Life Aberdeen’s disposal of its life business to Phoenix, king of the zombie insurers, took me by surprise and to be honest I’m still working out what I think about it […]

I would have got away with it too if it wasn’t for those meddling KIIDs

21st January 2018

The cat is officially out of the bag (not that we condone cats being in bags). One of the changes ushered in at the start of the year by the beast that is MIFID II is the requirement for fund […]

I would have got away with it too if it wasn’t for those meddling KIIDs

21st January 2018

The cat is officially out of the bag (not that we condone cats being in bags). One of the changes ushered in at the start of the year by the beast that is MIFID II is the requirement for fund […]

MIFID reality check

12th January 2018

So, happy new year and all that. First full week back. Yay. Whilst everyone was off eating/drinking/bravely battling #manflu (delete as appropriate) the investment industry got on with the small matter of the implementing MIFID II. For a lot of […]

MIFID reality check

12th January 2018

So, happy new year and all that. First full week back. Yay. Whilst everyone was off eating/drinking/bravely battling #manflu (delete as appropriate) the investment industry got on with the small matter of the implementing MIFID II. For a lot of […]

the lang cat’s roundup of 2017

31st December 2017

The year is ebbing away as I write this; Hogmanay is upon us and the fortified wine is running low. But before I go to sleep and prepare myself for tonight’s festivities, it’s time for our round-up of 2017. This […]

the lang cat’s albums of 2017

31st December 2017

So this is the seventh set of choices that I’ve fired out into the listless void, being as how weâre seven years old now. Sometimes I get pelters for it. Most of the time no-one notices. Does a list of […]

the lang cat’s roundup of 2017

31st December 2017

The year is ebbing away as I write this; Hogmanay is upon us and the fortified wine is running low. But before I go to sleep and prepare myself for tonight’s festivities, it’s time for our round-up of 2017. This […]

the lang cat’s albums of 2017

31st December 2017

So this is the seventh set of choices that I’ve fired out into the listless void, being as how weâre seven years old now. Sometimes I get pelters for it. Most of the time no-one notices. Does a list of […]

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE LANG CAT

19th December 2017

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE LANG CAT

19th December 2017

SJP ate my hamster

17th November 2017

The other week I had the pleasure of presenting in Birmingham to around 40 advisers. The session was a whistle stop tour of the joy that is Mifid II. As part of the presentation we covered reporting, disclosure, and suitability […]

SJP ate my hamster

17th November 2017

The other week I had the pleasure of presenting in Birmingham to around 40 advisers. The session was a whistle stop tour of the joy that is Mifid II. As part of the presentation we covered reporting, disclosure, and suitability […]

ALL ABOARD THE HEATMAPS. EMBARK COMES TO MARKET.

10th November 2017

Righto, two things. (1) Iâ’ve given myself half an hour to race through this and (2) I’m very sorry about the pun. Terry’s idea. With both of these in mind, let’s move swiftly on. Embark finally announced its long-awaited charging […]

ALL ABOARD THE HEATMAPS. EMBARK COMES TO MARKET.

10th November 2017

Righto, two things. (1) Iâ’ve given myself half an hour to race through this and (2) I’m very sorry about the pun. Terry’s idea. With both of these in mind, let’s move swiftly on. Embark finally announced its long-awaited charging […]

Aviva and Wealthify make a bold fashion statement

5th October 2017

It’s been an interesting week in robo-land 1. On Monday the latest set of accounts for Nutmeg were published. As has become the norm, alongside the frankly hilarious boast of ‘an 80% market share’ the rest of the numbers were […]

Aviva and Wealthify make a bold fashion statement

5th October 2017

It’s been an interesting week in robo-land 1. On Monday the latest set of accounts for Nutmeg were published. As has become the norm, alongside the frankly hilarious boast of ‘an 80% market share’ the rest of the numbers were […]

YOLO, but for a long time hopefully

21st September 2017

I’ve just finished reading a blog from Natalie Tuck at Pensions Age: YOLO vs retirement, which argues that ‘regardless of which generation you are born in, when you are young, you have other priorities than saving for retirement’. First up, […]

YOLO, but for a long time hopefully

21st September 2017

I’ve just finished reading a blog from Natalie Tuck at Pensions Age: YOLO vs retirement, which argues that ‘regardless of which generation you are born in, when you are young, you have other priorities than saving for retirement’. First up, […]

WE NEED MORE CATS (2) – AMAZING ANALYST REQUIRED

20th September 2017

YOU’RE NOT NORMAL, ARE YOU? Need a change? Had enough of being treated with dignity? Come ply your trade at the lang cat! We all float down here in Leith. You’ll float too! This is a job advertisement from […]

WE NEED MORE CATS – AWESOME PR DIRECTOR REQUIRED

20th September 2017

WE’RE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A PR HOT SHOT, JUST LIKE YOU. Lost your soul in corporate or agency life? Don’t suffer alone! Come and be soulless at the lang cat instead! We all float down here in Leith. […]

WE NEED MORE CATS (2) – AMAZING ANALYST REQUIRED

20th September 2017

YOU’RE NOT NORMAL, ARE YOU? Need a change? Had enough of being treated with dignity? Come ply your trade at the lang cat! We all float down here in Leith. You’ll float too! This is a job advertisement from […]

WE NEED MORE CATS – AWESOME PR DIRECTOR REQUIRED

20th September 2017

WE’RE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A PR HOT SHOT, JUST LIKE YOU. Lost your soul in corporate or agency life? Don’t suffer alone! Come and be soulless at the lang cat instead! We all float down here in Leith. […]

SEVEN YEARS, NO ITCH

15th September 2017

Hello, first post from me for a while. It’s self-indulgent, but it’s short. I only have 45 minutes to write this, and it’s important (to me, anyway) that I publish it before the fire dies and the clock ticks over […]

SEVEN YEARS, NO ITCH

15th September 2017

Hello, first post from me for a while. It’s self-indulgent, but it’s short. I only have 45 minutes to write this, and it’s important (to me, anyway) that I publish it before the fire dies and the clock ticks over […]

WHAT NO LISA?

8th September 2017

The lang cat’s Platform Market Scorecard was released to subscribers last week. You can read more about it here, but we want to take you through a couple of findings from this quarter’s smorgasbord. In each quarter, we take a […]

WHAT NO LISA?

8th September 2017

The lang cat’s Platform Market Scorecard was released to subscribers last week. You can read more about it here, but we want to take you through a couple of findings from this quarter’s smorgasbord. In each quarter, we take a […]

Groundhog Day (but with less rodents and more platforms)

17th July 2017

Another day, another FCA paper, this time the snappily titled Investment Platforms Market Study Terms of Reference (MS17/1.1 to its mates). We’d heard talk of a deluge of regulation arriving once the FCA emerged from purdah and, since 21 June […]

Groundhog Day (but with less rodents and more platforms)

17th July 2017

Another day, another FCA paper, this time the snappily titled Investment Platforms Market Study Terms of Reference (MS17/1.1 to its mates). We’d heard talk of a deluge of regulation arriving once the FCA emerged from purdah and, since 21 June […]

The FCA’s difficult second album

28th June 2017

When the first release is so good there is always a danger it will be difficult to maintain momentum and replicate the raw excitement second time around. The FCA’s Interim Asset Management Market Report, released last year, on a cold […]

The FCA’s difficult second album

28th June 2017

When the first release is so good there is always a danger it will be difficult to maintain momentum and replicate the raw excitement second time around. The FCA’s Interim Asset Management Market Report, released last year, on a cold […]

A WORD TO THE (HUB)WISE

27th June 2017

It’s been ages since I’ve written a pricing blog. It’s also been a decent chunk of time since we’ve seen a new entrant to the advised platform market. A glorious piece of serendipity then to see that Hubwise has (re)launched[1] […]

A WORD TO THE (HUB)WISE

27th June 2017

It’s been ages since I’ve written a pricing blog. It’s also been a decent chunk of time since we’ve seen a new entrant to the advised platform market. A glorious piece of serendipity then to see that Hubwise has (re)launched[1] […]

IS IT ME OR IS IT GETTING HOT IN HERE? SCALABLE CAPITAL & INVESTEC’S BIG DAY

20th June 2017

Well, after a period in which all the talk was of funding moving away from robo-advice to ‘insurtech’ and ‘regtech’ and other things ending in ‘tech’ that neither you nor I understand, BlackRock and Scalable Capital have come from nowhere […]

THE DAY PENSIONS GOT EDGY

20th June 2017

Yesterday, over 200 pension-world glitterati gathered at Peterborough Showground in front of a sterling cast to debate the big issue in pensions today: DB to DC transfers. It was absolutely roasting. There was energy in the room. There were arguments. […]

IS IT ME OR IS IT GETTING HOT IN HERE? SCALABLE CAPITAL & INVESTEC’S BIG DAY

20th June 2017

Well, after a period in which all the talk was of funding moving away from robo-advice to ‘insurtech’ and ‘regtech’ and other things ending in ‘tech’ that neither you nor I understand, BlackRock and Scalable Capital have come from nowhere […]

THE DAY PENSIONS GOT EDGY

20th June 2017

Yesterday, over 200 pension-world glitterati gathered at Peterborough Showground in front of a sterling cast to debate the big issue in pensions today: DB to DC transfers. It was absolutely roasting. There was energy in the room. There were arguments. […]

That’s not a moon. That’s a space station. Vanguard launches; the Rebellion weeps.

16th May 2017

After much market rumour and anticipation Vanguard have lifted the covers on their direct offering for the UK market. With The Sunday Times helpfully writing an advert for them over the weekend it certainly appeared that the launch was imminent, […]

That’s not a moon. That’s a space station. Vanguard launches; the Rebellion weeps.

16th May 2017

After much market rumour and anticipation Vanguard have lifted the covers on their direct offering for the UK market. With The Sunday Times helpfully writing an advert for them over the weekend it certainly appeared that the launch was imminent, […]

ISA ISA BABY

5th May 2017

Last week saw the latest release of ISA stats from HMRC. These figures come out every 6 months or so, and against a backdrop of the household savings ratio being at a generational low they don’t make pleasant reading for […]

ISA ISA BABY

5th May 2017

Last week saw the latest release of ISA stats from HMRC. These figures come out every 6 months or so, and against a backdrop of the household savings ratio being at a generational low they don’t make pleasant reading for […]

SUB-DATAGASM! NEW TECH MARKET SHARE FIGURES RELEASED!

2nd May 2017

Hello, you. Right, further to our lovely infographic from the other week, we need to update the tech provider projected market share figures. While we’re at it, we took the time to really make some additional changes and widen the […]

OMG, OMW! WHEN REPLATFORMING ATTACKS.

2nd May 2017

One of the running sores of the platform industry, for a long time, has been replatforming. This is a typically abstruse[1] term coined by the industry for moving the underlying assets on a platform from one technology firm to another. […]

SUB-DATAGASM! NEW TECH MARKET SHARE FIGURES RELEASED!

2nd May 2017

Hello, you. Right, further to our lovely infographic from the other week, we need to update the tech provider projected market share figures. While we’re at it, we took the time to really make some additional changes and widen the […]

OMG, OMW! WHEN REPLATFORMING ATTACKS.

2nd May 2017

One of the running sores of the platform industry, for a long time, has been replatforming. This is a typically abstruse[1] term coined by the industry for moving the underlying assets on a platform from one technology firm to another. […]

COVERT CONSULTATION COMPLICATIONS

28th April 2017

I’ve been reading about Kim Philby lately, the so-called Cambridge Spy who fooled the British Intelligence Service for decades as he passed information to his KGB handlers. Secrecy, covering his tracks and passing communications in a manner that meant they […]

COVERT CONSULTATION COMPLICATIONS

28th April 2017

I’ve been reading about Kim Philby lately, the so-called Cambridge Spy who fooled the British Intelligence Service for decades as he passed information to his KGB handlers. Secrecy, covering his tracks and passing communications in a manner that meant they […]

BEHIND THE DATAGASM

18th April 2017

Well, that was unexpected. Our infographic on the retail advised platform market seems to have caught the imagination of lots of you; it’s coming up fast on 10,000 views on LinkedIn (which is a lot for little old us) and […]

BEHIND THE DATAGASM

18th April 2017

Well, that was unexpected. Our infographic on the retail advised platform market seems to have caught the imagination of lots of you; it’s coming up fast on 10,000 views on LinkedIn (which is a lot for little old us) and […]

MID-TERM DATAGASM – THE LANG CAT 2016 INFOGRAPHIC

11th April 2017

MID-TERM DATAGASM – THE LANG CAT 2016 INFOGRAPHIC

11th April 2017

SLAB: Standard Life and Aberdeen get it on

6th March 2017

I don’t know how your weekend was, but I suspect it was more fun than the lawyers, bean counters and PR people at Aberdeen and Standard Life had. Out of the blue, the news was broken by @MarkKleinmanSky around lunchtime […]

SLAB: Standard Life and Aberdeen get it on

6th March 2017

I don’t know how your weekend was, but I suspect it was more fun than the lawyers, bean counters and PR people at Aberdeen and Standard Life had. Out of the blue, the news was broken by @MarkKleinmanSky around lunchtime […]

"It’ll cost you five hundred grand to see me" – Ascentric goes all in

14th February 2017

Extra lang cat points if you can identify the source of the quote in the title. OK, so just a quick blogette on Ascentric’s price change which hit the press today. Before I get going, I should disclose that we […]

"It’ll cost you five hundred grand to see me" – Ascentric goes all in

14th February 2017

Extra lang cat points if you can identify the source of the quote in the title. OK, so just a quick blogette on Ascentric’s price change which hit the press today. Before I get going, I should disclose that we […]

PLATFORMS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

13th February 2017

If it was a human, the platform sector would be studying for its A levels (or Highers, if it lived in Scotland). It would have started drinking about two years ago, wouldn’t be able to get a Glastonbury ticket for […]

PLATFORMS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

13th February 2017

If it was a human, the platform sector would be studying for its A levels (or Highers, if it lived in Scotland). It would have started drinking about two years ago, wouldn’t be able to get a Glastonbury ticket for […]

PUNS ABOUT SPECIALIST SIPP DUE DILIGENCE ARE HARD TO FIND

12th January 2017

Here at the lang cat, we’re no strangers to banging on about due diligence. We’re also not above making suggestions as to how it could be that little bit better/less painful for all concerned. But our feline musings have traditionally […]

PUNS ABOUT SPECIALIST SIPP DUE DILIGENCE ARE HARD TO FIND

12th January 2017

Here at the lang cat, we’re no strangers to banging on about due diligence. We’re also not above making suggestions as to how it could be that little bit better/less painful for all concerned. But our feline musings have traditionally […]

A real person writes

3rd January 2017

Every so often we get emails from real people. Normally they are from a nice chap in Nigeria offering the chance of a life changing investment opportunity, but whenever we appear in the consumer press the queries normally arrive shortly […]

A real person writes

3rd January 2017

Every so often we get emails from real people. Normally they are from a nice chap in Nigeria offering the chance of a life changing investment opportunity, but whenever we appear in the consumer press the queries normally arrive shortly […]

the lang cat’s albums of 2016

31st December 2016

Last year when I wrote this, Mike Barrett got in touch to say ‘not in my name’ and it was generally agreed that I don’t speak for the whole lang cat team when I do these lists. So before I […]

Thank God that’s over – the lang cat roundup of 2016

31st December 2016

If you’re reading this, well done. You have only – assuming you’re in the UK – to survive 8 more hours and you’ve got through a year that’s been remarkable for all the wrong reasons. If you’re one of our […]

the lang cat’s albums of 2016

31st December 2016

Last year when I wrote this, Mike Barrett got in touch to say ‘not in my name’ and it was generally agreed that I don’t speak for the whole lang cat team when I do these lists. So before I […]

Thank God that’s over – the lang cat roundup of 2016

31st December 2016

If you’re reading this, well done. You have only – assuming you’re in the UK – to survive 8 more hours and you’ve got through a year that’s been remarkable for all the wrong reasons. If you’re one of our […]

No escaping basic arithmetic – all about the ATS price changes

21st December 2016

As 2016 breathes its last, we are plagued, sorry, blessed by a mini-flurry (Worst. Flurry. Ever.) of pricing changes from platforms. Last week we had Elevate / SL; this week it’s our Dundonian friends, Alliance Trust Savings. ATS is increasing […]

No escaping basic arithmetic – all about the ATS price changes

21st December 2016

As 2016 breathes its last, we are plagued, sorry, blessed by a mini-flurry (Worst. Flurry. Ever.) of pricing changes from platforms. Last week we had Elevate / SL; this week it’s our Dundonian friends, Alliance Trust Savings. ATS is increasing […]

What’s 0.04% amongst friends? Standard Life hikes Elevate prices; causes eyebrow raising in Leith.

15th December 2016

I’ve always liked folk who buck trends. Counter culture is my favourite kind of culture. So you’d think I’d be supportive of Standard Life’s decision to buck the downward trend of platform pricing by increasing Elevate’s charges. And in some […]

What’s 0.04% amongst friends? Standard Life hikes Elevate prices; causes eyebrow raising in Leith.

15th December 2016

I’ve always liked folk who buck trends. Counter culture is my favourite kind of culture. So you’d think I’d be supportive of Standard Life’s decision to buck the downward trend of platform pricing by increasing Elevate’s charges. And in some […]

Guess who’s back, back again

30th November 2016

The last few months have been an exciting time for Leith’s leading * platform and investment consultancy. We’ve never been busier, and increasingly we are convinced that most of our core markets are about to be disrupted. The recent FCA […]

Guess who’s back, back again

30th November 2016

The last few months have been an exciting time for Leith’s leading * platform and investment consultancy. We’ve never been busier, and increasingly we are convinced that most of our core markets are about to be disrupted. The recent FCA […]

Where are the customers’ yachts?

18th November 2016

So, exactly a year after the terms of reference were published, the FCA has lifted the lid on the asset management industry’s Pandora’s box in what could well (and hopefully will) prove to be a landmark market study. If ever […]

Where are the customers’ yachts?

18th November 2016

So, exactly a year after the terms of reference were published, the FCA has lifted the lid on the asset management industry’s Pandora’s box in what could well (and hopefully will) prove to be a landmark market study. If ever […]

Orange is the new black

10th November 2016

So, 9th November proved to be another standout day in what is turning out to be a stunning year in 2016. A man with no previous experience and a history of <snip : lang cat lawyers> was elected to become […]

Orange is the new black

10th November 2016

So, 9th November proved to be another standout day in what is turning out to be a stunning year in 2016. A man with no previous experience and a history of <snip : lang cat lawyers> was elected to become […]

HULK SMASH SECONDARY ANNUITIES!

19th October 2016

Perhaps I was having a grumpy day (a blip in my otherwise sunny persona) when I wrote/ranted about the truly horrible prospect of a secondary annuity market. Or perhaps it was just a natural reaction to that horrible prospect. In […]

HULK SMASH SECONDARY ANNUITIES!

19th October 2016

Perhaps I was having a grumpy day (a blip in my otherwise sunny persona) when I wrote/ranted about the truly horrible prospect of a secondary annuity market. Or perhaps it was just a natural reaction to that horrible prospect. In […]

D2C’s big CPA day out: Nutmeg’s results and Vanguard’s plans

7th October 2016

HEALTH WARNING: We’ve had some fun guessing at Nutmeg’s figures in this blog. Our guesses are just that, and we don’t make any claim for their accuracy. We’d love to have accurate figures, but until we do please treat any […]

D2C’s big CPA day out: Nutmeg’s results and Vanguard’s plans

7th October 2016

HEALTH WARNING: We’ve had some fun guessing at Nutmeg’s figures in this blog. Our guesses are just that, and we don’t make any claim for their accuracy. We’d love to have accurate figures, but until we do please treat any […]

YOU CALL THAT A PLATFORM RE-PRICE? AJ BELL YOUINVEST FLASHES ITS NEW CHARGES

24th August 2016

It was only a few days ago that I turned to one of my colleagues (I can’t remember who it was. It doesn’t matter, it’s not that great an anecdote and there’s at least a 50% chance I’m making it […]

YOU CALL THAT A PLATFORM RE-PRICE? AJ BELL YOUINVEST FLASHES ITS NEW CHARGES

24th August 2016

It was only a few days ago that I turned to one of my colleagues (I can’t remember who it was. It doesn’t matter, it’s not that great an anecdote and there’s at least a 50% chance I’m making it […]

Slurp! Aegon eats Cofunds for BREAKFAST

11th August 2016

(Journos reading this, any part of it is attributable if you want it.) So before we get into this, I need to tell you that the lang cat has been doing a wee smidge of work here and there on […]

Slurp! Aegon eats Cofunds for BREAKFAST

11th August 2016

(Journos reading this, any part of it is attributable if you want it.) So before we get into this, I need to tell you that the lang cat has been doing a wee smidge of work here and there on […]

Rates. How low can you go?

4th August 2016

Cash accounts on platforms interest (ha!) me. Whilst no one really should be using a platform to be fully invested in cash in the long term it’s clearly an important facility to have. Strategic asset allocations often require a small […]

Rates. How low can you go?

4th August 2016

Cash accounts on platforms interest (ha!) me. Whilst no one really should be using a platform to be fully invested in cash in the long term it’s clearly an important facility to have. Strategic asset allocations often require a small […]

A (slightly resentful) welcome to Scalable Capital

2nd August 2016

So you go off on holiday, all happy because your new guide to direct platforms and robo-advice has launched. You come back, and some rotten sod has gone and launched while you were away and spoiled all your tables and […]

A (slightly resentful) welcome to Scalable Capital

2nd August 2016

So you go off on holiday, all happy because your new guide to direct platforms and robo-advice has launched. You come back, and some rotten sod has gone and launched while you were away and spoiled all your tables and […]

A right old robo romp

21st July 2016

The sun has finally made an appearance at lang cat HQ this week (with some thunder and lightning thrown in for dramatic effect) which means not just one, but TWO great things: summer has finally arrived here in Leith and […]

10 years of treating customers fairly

19th July 2016

July 2006 is not a month to stir the memories. England had just been knocked out of the world cup on pens, the best-selling album was the High School Musical soundtrack (fist pump of solidarity with all the parents who […]

Learning the language of risk

2nd June 2016

I recently spent a couple of days with one of our PR clients, Paul Resnik from FinaMetrica. For those who don’t know FinaMetrica, they specialise in helping financial advisers and their clients understand investment risk tolerance through tools and educational […]

Weekend reading

23rd May 2016

Lots of interesting stuff over the weekend, so for those of you with a life who didn’t spend the weekend reviewing the personal finance press, here’s a quick round up. Friday evening started with a bang (#langcatlife) with the FT […]

DataViz: A fresh look at financial services

19th May 2016

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, then financial services has gone well and truly mad. Having joined the industry around two months ago, this has been my […]

Don’t believe the hype

6th May 2016

I’m pretty sure Chuck D and Flavor Flav had other things on their mind beyond platform due diligence when they penned their 1988 classic, but hey, it’s a great record, and its central hook is certainly worth remembering at the […]

And so it begins – Standard Life scarfs AXA Elevate

4th May 2016

(I made edits to this at 7.30pm on 4/5/16 to update on the Architas deal, pricing reviews and the purchase price). Well, I was never going to be able to let this go by. I was on a plane as […]

PS16/12 and the mystery of the cover photos

2nd May 2016

Another week, another chunky missive from the FCA. Although happily, PS16/12: Pensions reforms, feedback on CP15/30 and final rules and guidance didn’t make me feel like turning green and smashing stuff. So that’s a good start. PS16/12 follows on from […]

Aviva and FNZ up a tree, R-E-PLAT-FORM-I-N-G

26th April 2016

Just a quick few thoughts on the news from Aviva today that it plans to migrate its platform from Bravura to FNZ. For those not intimately involved, Bravura and FNZ, along with GBST (disclosure: GBST is a client of ours) […]

Booting ISAs in the baws – tax year end 2015/16

25th April 2016

Well now, the IA has just put out its stats for tax year end (TYE) 2015/16 and it’s not nice reading. The full release is here but this table which I nabbed from the release tells quite a story. 2014/15 […]

REMIND ME WHY WE’RE DOING THIS AGAIN?

22nd April 2016

There’s a theme running through the FCA’s Consultation Paper 16/12: Secondary Annuity Market proposed rules and guidance. If you’ve braved all 112 pages (or any of them really) you might have spotted it. Here are some clues! Paragraph 1.7, We […]

UFPLS NO MORE?

21st April 2016

There’s a new endangered species to add to the ever growing list. Never mind your black rhinos or your Sumatran orangutans. No, the one we need to worry about is UFPLS. The ABI has called time on pensions jargon. It’s […]

All change in platform land

15th April 2016

After a quiet few months in platform land it feels like things are about to change, and potentially quite dramatically. There are a number of rumours doing the rounds, here, here and here, and these are just the ones that […]

EVERYTHING COMES TO THOSE WHO WAIT (KIND OF)

16th March 2016

He likes to work a crowd does our Gideon. To be fair, it’s his big moment of the year. The key note speech. The one time people will generally sit and listen to him with only a modicum of heckling. […]

E-I-E-I-Oh, not that kind of FAMR then

15th March 2016

We’ve already taken a light touch (ahem) look at the FAMR report overall but, in among all the consultations and not consultations and the stuff that is actually going to happen but will take time and the fact that aspects […]

FAMR: we call bullshit

14th March 2016

FAMR could have been huge. It could have been beautiful. It could have been the equivalent of three lines of really good crank washed down with a triple espresso for the good end of the advice profession. It could have […]

Bow before the power of arithmetic: ATS ups charges

7th March 2016

So we haven’t had any large price changes for a while, hence no pricing blogs. A debt of thanks, then, to Alliance Trust Savings (ATS) who upped its fixed fee charges last week along with unveiling its results (find Citywire […]

Please welcome @langcatlucy

7th March 2016

Afternoon, just a short post. I’m delighted and intimidated in equal measures to say that today we welcome a new addition to the ranks at the lang cat. Please say a heartfelt hello to Lucy Edmans. Hello Lucy! Delighted, because […]

CHALLENGE, ACCEPTED

22nd February 2016

The first challenge of the FCA’s TR16/1 Assessing Suitability: Research and due diligence of products and services was trying to work out what had happened to the rest of it. The industry has been watching and waiting for, oh, ever […]

If you wannabe my Robo

20th January 2016

It will probably come as no surprise to you to hear that Leith’s leading platform and investment consultancy * are doing a fair bit of work at the moment in the exciting area of robo advice. Firms large and small […]

Back once again

5th January 2016

Back once again (with the ill behaviour?) In a move that will shock no one it has been reported that Santander & RBS head the lists of banks returning to the investment advice market. With several other large institutions rumoured […]

the lang cat’s albums of 2015

31st December 2015

OK, not so much the company’s, but mine. Who says it’s a democracy? Next year we’ll maybe do a more inclusive roundup, but here’s what cheered me up this year: Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space. Bleep, bloop, astronauts […]

the lang cat’s roundup of 2015

31st December 2015

So it’s the afternoon of 31 December, the lang kittens have been beaten over the head repeatedly until they agree to a nap so they can stay up to see the bells in, and I have a few minutes at […]

Tales from The Crypt

11th December 2015

Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today To quote Shaun Sandiford of Octopus, “man that was good“. A HUGE thank you to everyone who came to #langcatdeadX, deep down in the Crypt on the Green. Briefly, because we know you […]

TURNOVER IS INSANITY. PROFIT IS PROFANITY.

9th November 2015

The platform market is maturing and a natural by-product of this is increasing merger and acquisition speculation. This, along with ever improving due diligence practice, has brought the issue of platform financial strength and performance into sharper focus. Overall, this […]

5 not out

18th September 2015

So a big week for me and for the lang cat, although there’s no time to stop and reflect. Yes, this is one of those self-indulgent milestone blogs. Feel free to stop reading. It’s five years ago this week that […]

The exciting ever changing world of platforms

18th September 2015

The exciting ever changing world of platforms. The current state of the UK platform market is as exciting as it’s been for a long while, and in our view there are some hugely significant changes taking place. Over recent weeks […]

What should we do about sequence risk?

15th September 2015

Sequence risk has been a hot topic lately and with recent market volatility questions of post-retirement portfolio construction are at the forefront of advisers’ minds. However, new research from CWC Research produced for the FE Investment Summit later this month, […]

What will September bring?

2nd September 2015

If there is one thing I’ve learnt during 20 years in financial services, it’s that August is traditionally a quiet month. Everyone goes on holiday and then frantically crams in two months work into September. Already I can feel the […]

LETTER FROM AMERICA: ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

26th August 2015

Big news today that BlackRock, which looks after more money than you can POSSIBLY IMAGINE, has bought the robo-adviser (and I might be sitting in New York but I’m still going to spell, adviser! correctly) FutureAdvisor for an undisclosed sum […]

LETTER FROM AMERICA: MARKETS DOWN? TIME TO SUIT UP

24th August 2015

As Bill Hicks once said, oops, did I leave a cigarette lit or something? As I write! Dow down 6.5%, over 1,000 points. FTSE 100 down 3.5% China down a shitload European indices down over 5% Twitter meme incidences of […]

It’s all in the game

30th July 2015

One of the most iconic scenes in The Wire is the court room scene where Omar, a character who has a penchant for murdering drug dealers, is being cross examined by an especially slimy prosecution lawyer. After a couple of […]

Price: only important in the absence of clear value

20th July 2015

Last week the lang cat launched PLATFORM PRICING PROPHECIES: PAST PRESENT AND PHUTURE. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, consider yourself on the naughty step? but don’t worry? you still can and all will be forgiven. Calling it as we […]

Better communications: Only smarties have the answer

26th June 2015

I was interested to read the FCA’s discussion paper around smarter consumer communications, published yesterday here. The Regulator has recognised the fact that the way the financial services industry communicates with its customers often leaves a lot to be desired. […]

On-brand heatmapping: Aviva goes D2C

15th June 2015

On Friday past, the gaffer shared his thoughts on the difficulties facing new entrants to the already stacked D2C market. In it, he alluded to details of a new entrant emerging any day now. Well, today Aviva has launched its […]

Drowning in the D2C value pool

12th June 2015

Another week, another D2C platform’s details start to emerge. No names, no pack drill in deference to the journalist who’s writing it up, but by our count that’s the 33rd contender vying for the self-directed market. We’ll see another couple […]

Indebted to technology

10th June 2015

One of the housekeeping points I chatted through recently with @theactualpolson was the matter of company expenses. As much as I left my old job on good terms I had to relinquish my beloved old company credit card, so I […]

Elven safety at #langcatlive

8th June 2015

So we’ve had Mr Polson’s version of the #langcatlive experience. A perspective largely from behind a camera which, after a little cross-London sprint and some highly educational narrative, was happily attached to a tripod. (There’s a lesson in there: checklists […]

Does anyone know a decent plumber?

8th June 2015

Paul Lewis has hit a raw nerve with many in the financial services industry. His piece about the transparency of charging here (and let’s remember he’s not having a pop at advisers specifically) has caused much consternation below the line […]

What I learned at #langcatlive

4th June 2015

Well, that was a blast. Our first ever solo event went pretty damn well, we exceeded our expectations on numbers, all the speakers were ace and Henry Cobbe of Birthstar stole the show with a blow-up doll joke. I say […]

Statutory redundancy secured: 2 years at the lang cat

28th May 2015

Today is the second anniversary of me joining the lang cat so it feels as good a time as any to salute the relentless regularity of the Gregorian calendar and share some views on my time in the world of […]

Why? An inaugural blog from Mike Barrett

20th May 2015

Sorry if I’ve mislead you with the blog title, but this blog is about me and nothing to do with Annie Lennox’s 1992 smash (no. 5) hit. Everyone knows you should never start a presentation with an apology, although curiously […]

Sparryheid and the Internet of Things

14th May 2015

It’s summer 2010. The first investment platforms have just turned 10 years old. The digital revolution is in full swing. There is no One Direction. In a (sort of) alternate reality called THE PLATFORM WORLD a keen young development analyst […]

A dam fine retirement guide

28th April 2015

Having spent the last couple of months SWIMMING in the pool of change that is the UK at retirement market – not just DIPPING A TOE, you understand but DIVING right on in there – a couple of things struck […]

D2C #heatmaps – Update

30th March 2015

With ISA season upon us, it’s time for a quick refresh of the lang cat pricing #heatmaps. There’s been a bit of activity recently in the market, so it’s worth having a very quick Woody’s Roundup of what’s been going […]

Launch a secondary annuity market and then you can go out to play

25th March 2015

For anyone even skimming HM Treasury’s consultation paper on the launch of a secondary annuity market, the lack of enthusiasm in its presentation was palpable. The press release and subsequent paper is permeated with the belief that for most people, […]

the lang cat recruits Mike Barrett from Old Mutual Wealth

25th March 2015

Yes, you read it right. Big news and great times for us. The below is the text of a press release that’s going out today. We are very excited, but we’re sitting down so you can’t tell… The lang cat, […]

Under penalty of death

24th March 2015

(Mark writes: this is Terry’s very first blog as a feline at the lang cat – we’re chuffed to have him here. You can email him at terry@langcatfinancial.com) After last week, we’ve now had two budgets in a row, and […]

Gordon Bennett, that was poor

24th February 2015

Confucius say, “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” Having ignored these wise words; Natalie Bennett, leader of the Greens, has no doubt crawled into a hole to hide for a while […]

D2C Platforms – the lang cat heatmaps

23rd February 2015

If you’ve come to this page looking for the latest lang cat D2C pricing tables, then you’ve hit an extraordinary stroke of luck. (Or just followed a link sent by us. Whatever) Attached below are 2 files showing the most […]

It’s all getting real – Hargreaves puts its vest(ing) on

18th February 2015

I’ve always liked those moments when big, abstract concepts become real and commercial. A-Day was like that – it was fun debating what was going to happen, but much more fun when you started to see how providers, advisers and […]

It’s all getting real – Hargreaves puts its vest(ing) on

18th February 2015

I’ve always liked those moments when big, abstract concepts become real and commercial. A-Day was like that – it was fun debating what was going to happen, but much more fun when you started to see how providers, advisers and […]

THE LANG CAT WILL SOON NEED A BIGGER BASKET

9th February 2015

Worldwide press release. 9 February 2015. The lang cat, (probably) Leith’s leading independent platform, pensions and investment consultancy is delighted “no, scrub that” tumescent to announce three new additions of financial services misfits to its burgeoning ranks. Terry Huddart will […]

THE LANG CAT WILL SOON NEED A BIGGER BASKET

9th February 2015

Worldwide press release. 9 February 2015. The lang cat, (probably) Leith’s leading independent platform, pensions and investment consultancy is delighted “no, scrub that” tumescent to announce three new additions of financial services misfits to its burgeoning ranks. Terry Huddart will […]

Life is harder now (in investment outsourcing, anyway)

23rd January 2015

Earlier this week the lang cat and CWC Research launched Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width, a new, in-depth study of the outsourced centralised investment proposition (CIP) marketplace. The report is made up of qualitative adviser and industry interviews […]

Life is harder now (in investment outsourcing, anyway)

23rd January 2015

Earlier this week the lang cat and CWC Research launched Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width, a new, in-depth study of the outsourced centralised investment proposition (CIP) marketplace. The report is made up of qualitative adviser and industry interviews […]

Nothing to do with buses

22nd January 2015

Hello again. You know what they say; platform pricing changes are like buses. You wait ages for one to come along and then! Actually, no-one says that. It’s a rubbish analogy. And the buses around here are pretty good. Anyway. […]

Nothing to do with buses

22nd January 2015

Hello again. You know what they say; platform pricing changes are like buses. You wait ages for one to come along and then! Actually, no-one says that. It’s a rubbish analogy. And the buses around here are pretty good. Anyway. […]

Cards on the table: Ascentric goes all-in

16th January 2015

It’s been ages since I’ve blogged, mainly as it’s been a while since a provider made a big pricing shift. Most of the activity on that front in recent times has understandably focused on changes to SIPP and drawdown fees […]

Cards on the table: Ascentric goes all-in

16th January 2015

It’s been ages since I’ve blogged, mainly as it’s been a while since a provider made a big pricing shift. Most of the activity on that front in recent times has understandably focused on changes to SIPP and drawdown fees […]

The freedom to get screwed

9th January 2015

We measure out our lives by different things. J Alfred Prufrock measured his out by coffee spoons. For many of us our lives are marked out by Christmases, Hogmanays, birthdays and anniversaries. But in financial services, our lives are marked […]

The freedom to get screwed

9th January 2015

We measure out our lives by different things. J Alfred Prufrock measured his out by coffee spoons. For many of us our lives are marked out by Christmases, Hogmanays, birthdays and anniversaries. But in financial services, our lives are marked […]

The lang cat’s albums of 2014

31st December 2014

Another year passes, another trip around the sun, another year closer to our eternal reward, another blog about music that no-one will read. Time, as you know, is an artificial construct designed to explain the otherwise random passing of events, […]

The lang cat’s albums of 2014

31st December 2014

Another year passes, another trip around the sun, another year closer to our eternal reward, another blog about music that no-one will read. Time, as you know, is an artificial construct designed to explain the otherwise random passing of events, […]

MAKING A DRAMA OUT OF A CRISIS

10th December 2014

Those ‘OMG’ I’m going to get fired! moments in the life of a PR are actually quite rare. Thankfully. But they are moments that stay with you for ever. My biggest OMG moment came on 17 January 2008 when a […]

MAKING A DRAMA OUT OF A CRISIS

10th December 2014

Those ‘OMG’ I’m going to get fired! moments in the life of a PR are actually quite rare. Thankfully. But they are moments that stay with you for ever. My biggest OMG moment came on 17 January 2008 when a […]

Pensions: we’ve got your best interests at heart

22nd November 2014

Harrumph! That’s the sound from the pensions industry and a good part of the advice profession in respect of the idea that pension savers might take their pots and run. And harrumphing turned to apoplexy the other day when some […]

Pensions: we’ve got your best interests at heart

22nd November 2014

Harrumph! That’s the sound from the pensions industry and a good part of the advice profession in respect of the idea that pension savers might take their pots and run. And harrumphing turned to apoplexy the other day when some […]

Innovation or indecision. We decide.

28th October 2014

Reading the FCA’s Project Innovate feedback statement over a cup of tea this morning triggered some lively debate at lang cat port authority about life, the universe and how financial services has changed (or not, depending on your point of […]

Innovation or indecision. We decide.

28th October 2014

Reading the FCA’s Project Innovate feedback statement over a cup of tea this morning triggered some lively debate at lang cat port authority about life, the universe and how financial services has changed (or not, depending on your point of […]

Guest blog from Rob Bray

10th October 2014

Rob Bray is a Wealth Architect, which is probably some kind of a financial planner or something, with Imperious Capital. He’s also a loose cannon and a great writer, all of which makes him someone we’re chuffed to have doing […]

Orchestrated Maneouvres in the Wealth

10th October 2014

Yeah, sorry about that. So it’s been a while since I wrote here, which is daft, but no-one said I was smart. Anyway, I wanted to rekindle the blog a bit, so you’ll have to put up with it, unless […]

Guest blog from Rob Bray

10th October 2014

Rob Bray is a Wealth Architect, which is probably some kind of a financial planner or something, with Imperious Capital. He’s also a loose cannon and a great writer, all of which makes him someone we’re chuffed to have doing […]

Orchestrated Maneouvres in the Wealth

10th October 2014

Yeah, sorry about that. So it’s been a while since I wrote here, which is daft, but no-one said I was smart. Anyway, I wanted to rekindle the blog a bit, so you’ll have to put up with it, unless […]

Graham Greene gets insured fund economics

5th September 2014

The first blog from me for a very, very long time. Once you get out the habit of this stuff it’s hard to get back into it. Never mind, here we are now. I know how you’ve all missed it, […]

Graham Greene gets insured fund economics

5th September 2014

The first blog from me for a very, very long time. Once you get out the habit of this stuff it’s hard to get back into it. Never mind, here we are now. I know how you’ve all missed it, […]

FCA Guidance Consultation (GC14/3)

22nd July 2014

In an effort to avoid offending fans of any other literary greats (and quite possibly the FCA), I’ll keep to the point this time. I’ll even resist the urge to draw one last parallel between Jane Austen’s Emma (which while […]

FCA Guidance Consultation (GC14/3)

22nd July 2014

In an effort to avoid offending fans of any other literary greats (and quite possibly the FCA), I’ll keep to the point this time. I’ll even resist the urge to draw one last parallel between Jane Austen’s Emma (which while […]

Miss Woodhouse demands (more accessible and useful disclosure documents)

15th July 2014

In Jane Austen’s Emma, during the rather bad-tempered picnic to Box Hill, mischief-making Frank Churchill addresses the assembled party. He asserts that Miss Emma Woodhouse wishes to be entertained and so demands from each of them ‘one thing very clever! […]

Miss Woodhouse demands (more accessible and useful disclosure documents)

15th July 2014

In Jane Austen’s Emma, during the rather bad-tempered picnic to Box Hill, mischief-making Frank Churchill addresses the assembled party. He asserts that Miss Emma Woodhouse wishes to be entertained and so demands from each of them ‘one thing very clever! […]

Tightening the ZIP – Zurich makes a move

14th July 2014

It’s been, ooh, I dunno, weeks or something since a platform mucked around with its charging structure. So it’s with a sense of relief that we heard from our friends at Zurich last week that the Zurich Intermediary Platform – […]

Tightening the ZIP – Zurich makes a move

14th July 2014

It’s been, ooh, I dunno, weeks or something since a platform mucked around with its charging structure. So it’s with a sense of relief that we heard from our friends at Zurich last week that the Zurich Intermediary Platform – […]

Mark’s Big Self-Congratulatory Blog

5th July 2014

Bollocks to self-effacing stuff today. Every so often, bits of validation of what you’re doing happen, and this is one of those days. Last summer, we were putting our annual Guide to Platform Pricing together. It was a bit of […]

Mark’s Big Self-Congratulatory Blog

5th July 2014

Bollocks to self-effacing stuff today. Every so often, bits of validation of what you’re doing happen, and this is one of those days. Last summer, we were putting our annual Guide to Platform Pricing together. It was a bit of […]

Transferring from Stocks and Shares to Cash

30th June 2014

The not-so-NISA sting in the tail On the 1st of July, the whole world will tilt on its axis as swathes of Great British investors rush to top up their ISA allowance to a whopping Â£15,000. People are positively giddy […]

Transferring from Stocks and Shares to Cash

30th June 2014

The not-so-NISA sting in the tail On the 1st of July, the whole world will tilt on its axis as swathes of Great British investors rush to top up their ISA allowance to a whopping Â£15,000. People are positively giddy […]

A mini-series on charges

25th June 2014

Mark Polson has been talking to Emma Wall at Morningstar on fund fees and the pension charge cap. As part of Morningstar’s ongoing ‘ask the expert’ video series. ï»¿ï»¿Your browser does not support HTML5 video. What are fund fees? What […]

A mini-series on charges

25th June 2014

Mark Polson has been talking to Emma Wall at Morningstar on fund fees and the pension charge cap. As part of Morningstar’s ongoing ‘ask the expert’ video series. ï»¿ï»¿Your browser does not support HTML5 video. What are fund fees? What […]

Let the tweaking commence

16th June 2014

See, they all bang on about ‘it’s not price, it’s value?‘ and all that kind of thing, and then the tweaking starts. The latest tweak isn’t from a platform; it’s from a DFM. Brooks Mac, a highly respectable and well-supported […]

Let the tweaking commence

16th June 2014

See, they all bang on about ‘it’s not price, it’s value?‘ and all that kind of thing, and then the tweaking starts. The latest tweak isn’t from a platform; it’s from a DFM. Brooks Mac, a highly respectable and well-supported […]

Cold towels and coffee

10th June 2014

I spent most of this morning attempting to read and absorb the FCA’s PS14/9 Review of the client assets regime for investment business: Feedback to CP13/5 and final rules. I say attempting because, at 410 pages long and packed with […]

Cold towels and coffee

10th June 2014

I spent most of this morning attempting to read and absorb the FCA’s PS14/9 Review of the client assets regime for investment business: Feedback to CP13/5 and final rules. I say attempting because, at 410 pages long and packed with […]

Time flies

6th June 2014

The brain is a weird thing; it sometimes gets you to care about things you shouldn’t. We launch our new website today, hope you like it and all that, and it’s obviously all very exciting for us. Less so for […]

Time flies

6th June 2014

The brain is a weird thing; it sometimes gets you to care about things you shouldn’t. We launch our new website today, hope you like it and all that, and it’s obviously all very exciting for us. Less so for […]

More pension changes

4th June 2014

Catchy title. Just a short update to confirm a couple of, you guessed it, changes to on-platform pensions. Following Fundnetwork’s recent removal of drawdown charges and then changes to the Cofunds Pension Account, next up with the moves are Parmenion […]

More pension changes

4th June 2014

Catchy title. Just a short update to confirm a couple of, you guessed it, changes to on-platform pensions. Following Fundnetwork’s recent removal of drawdown charges and then changes to the Cofunds Pension Account, next up with the moves are Parmenion […]

Woodford: The Fees – Part The Second

28th May 2014

(apologies for nicking Mark L’s headline. Maniac dictator’s privilege) So as you read this, there will be excitement, feigned or otherwise, about who is or isn’t getting Mr Woodford’s Famous Enormous ‘SUPERCLEAN’Â Discount. It’s certain now that our favourite Bristolians with […]

Woodford: The Fees – Part The Second

28th May 2014

(apologies for nicking Mark L’s headline. Maniac dictator’s privilege) So as you read this, there will be excitement, feigned or otherwise, about who is or isn’t getting Mr Woodford’s Famous Enormous ‘SUPERCLEAN’Â Discount. It’s certain now that our favourite Bristolians with […]

I can’t see the Woodford: The fees!

26th May 2014

Here at the lang cat port authority we’ve been receiving quite a few questions on the much hyped forthcoming Woodford fund launch. What’s the cheapest platform on which investors can access the fund? Who’s secured superclean terms? If a provider […]

I can’t see the Woodford: The fees!

26th May 2014

Here at the lang cat port authority we’ve been receiving quite a few questions on the much hyped forthcoming Woodford fund launch. What’s the cheapest platform on which investors can access the fund? Who’s secured superclean terms? If a provider […]

Disclosure despair: breaking the cycle

13th May 2014

Today (13 May 2014) The FCA published the outcome of a thematic review into how fund charges are presented to customers. I encourage you to read it here. It’s only 13 pages long, including the covers and all that, and […]

Disclosure despair: breaking the cycle

13th May 2014

Today (13 May 2014) The FCA published the outcome of a thematic review into how fund charges are presented to customers. I encourage you to read it here. It’s only 13 pages long, including the covers and all that, and […]

How to buy magic beans

2nd May 2014

Recently I’ve found myself looking at D2C platforms.Â Partly for work stuff and partly because of a nagging feeling that I really ought to be investing in a share class other than Mulberry bags. While actually looking at the direct to […]

How to buy magic beans

2nd May 2014

Recently I’ve found myself looking at D2C platforms.Â Partly for work stuff and partly because of a nagging feeling that I really ought to be investing in a share class other than Mulberry bags. While actually looking at the direct to […]

Another blog about retiring

16th April 2014

Six months ago or so I wrote a blog about my Dad’s imminent retirement. I’m not egotistical enough to assume you’ve been on the edge of your collective seats waiting on an update (The Deathly Hallows this ain’t) but here […]

Another blog about retiring

16th April 2014

Six months ago or so I wrote a blog about my Dad’s imminent retirement. I’m not egotistical enough to assume you’ve been on the edge of your collective seats waiting on an update (The Deathly Hallows this ain’t) but here […]

PS13/1 The Annual Review

11th April 2014

Although the new platform rules given to us by PS13/1 (Payments to platform service providers and cash rebates from providers to consumers, to give it its full name) only came into force on 6 April, they have been a part […]

PS13/1 The Annual Review

11th April 2014

Although the new platform rules given to us by PS13/1 (Payments to platform service providers and cash rebates from providers to consumers, to give it its full name) only came into force on 6 April, they have been a part […]

A new dawn rises – but not on exit charges

7th April 2014

Nick Paler’s interview with HargreavesÃ¢?? Ian Gorham in Professional Adviser last week caught my eye. Headlined ‘We will not scrap exit fees until FCA tightens transfer rules‘, in it Gorham explains the thinking behind Hargreaves campaign for the FCA to […]

A new dawn rises – but not on exit charges

7th April 2014

Nick Paler’s interview with HargreavesÃ¢?? Ian Gorham in Professional Adviser last week caught my eye. Headlined ‘We will not scrap exit fees until FCA tightens transfer rules‘, in it Gorham explains the thinking behind Hargreaves campaign for the FCA to […]

Oh, what a feeling! Aegon dances on the ceiling.

2nd April 2014

Another day, another price movement. Fresh on the back of the Cofunds SIPP update yesterday, the Dutch massive have entered the fray, announcing revised charging structures on both the ARC platform and One Retirement pension product. From 3 May there […]

Oh, what a feeling! Aegon dances on the ceiling.

2nd April 2014

Another day, another price movement. Fresh on the back of the Cofunds SIPP update yesterday, the Dutch massive have entered the fray, announcing revised charging structures on both the ARC platform and One Retirement pension product. From 3 May there […]

Free pension with every purchase! Cofunds sharpens its pencil.

1st April 2014

Just a short post to confirm that as of today Cofunds has removed the establishment (setup) and annual charge on its Suffolk Life-provided Cofunds Pension Account (CPA). This is a welcome development. For a long time I’ve been banging on […]

Free pension with every purchase! Cofunds sharpens its pencil.

1st April 2014

Just a short post to confirm that as of today Cofunds has removed the establishment (setup) and annual charge on its Suffolk Life-provided Cofunds Pension Account (CPA). This is a welcome development. For a long time I’ve been banging on […]

Pension and platform transfer research: the lang cat needs YOU!

24th March 2014

It’s a funny old industry we operate in. You’re sat at your desk; eating lunch and listening to the budget speech; mainly to see how much wine is going up by; and then! well, we were all there. There’s been […]

Pension and platform transfer research: the lang cat needs YOU!

24th March 2014

It’s a funny old industry we operate in. You’re sat at your desk; eating lunch and listening to the budget speech; mainly to see how much wine is going up by; and then! well, we were all there. There’s been […]

Friday fun: What if buying a tin of beans was like picking a direct platform?

21st March 2014

Friday fun: What if buying a tin of beans was like picking a direct platform?

21st March 2014

Kind of a big deal – Budget musings

19th March 2014

No-one expected that. Budget? we thought. ‘Meh,’ we thought. We were wrong. This is the most impactful budget in terms of personal finance for a long time; certainly since the A-Day days, and maybe since I joined the industry in […]

Kind of a big deal – Budget musings

19th March 2014

No-one expected that. Budget? we thought. ‘Meh,’ we thought. We were wrong. This is the most impactful budget in terms of personal finance for a long time; certainly since the A-Day days, and maybe since I joined the industry in […]

How the lang cat got its name

14th March 2014

They say you should never meet your heroes, but when you get the chance to wander up to a slightly ginger Fifer in a red cap who wrote the song after which your company is named, you should probably do […]

How the lang cat got its name

14th March 2014

They say you should never meet your heroes, but when you get the chance to wander up to a slightly ginger Fifer in a red cap who wrote the song after which your company is named, you should probably do […]

Are you being served?

7th March 2014

On the way up from London the other day, I was flicking through the in-flight magazine and there was a feature on a British based luxury phone maker. In the feature, the CEO was talking about his business being completely […]

Are you being served?

7th March 2014

On the way up from London the other day, I was flicking through the in-flight magazine and there was a feature on a British based luxury phone maker. In the feature, the CEO was talking about his business being completely […]

Cut-price fruit, Russian oligarchs and Gary Coleman

5th March 2014

A wee roundup of some of the recent moves in direct platform pricing land. Pretty much everyone is in now bar one or two of the white labels who are working out what to do in the Land of Glorious […]

Cut-price fruit, Russian oligarchs and Gary Coleman

5th March 2014

A wee roundup of some of the recent moves in direct platform pricing land. Pretty much everyone is in now bar one or two of the white labels who are working out what to do in the Land of Glorious […]

What’s both super and clean? SUPERCLEAN!

3rd March 2014

Just a short ‘un on HL’s new shiny Wealth 150+. You can read all about it all over the place so we won’t do a big list of all the funds here. But a couple of interesting things have popped […]

What’s both super and clean? SUPERCLEAN!

3rd March 2014

Just a short ‘un on HL’s new shiny Wealth 150+. You can read all about it all over the place so we won’t do a big list of all the funds here. But a couple of interesting things have popped […]

The duck test

27th February 2014

Ducks are straightforward creatures and there is very little confusion or debate involved in whether or not you have seen one. Such is this clarity of recognition that ducks have become a benchmark in establishing confidence in the identification of […]

The duck test

27th February 2014

Ducks are straightforward creatures and there is very little confusion or debate involved in whether or not you have seen one. Such is this clarity of recognition that ducks have become a benchmark in establishing confidence in the identification of […]

Pension transparency FTW

24th February 2014

Nothing to do with platforms for a change… We were heartened – heartened I say – by the news today that investment providers to pension schemes will be forced to disclose all charges; not just the highly dubious headline Annual […]

Pension transparency FTW

24th February 2014

Nothing to do with platforms for a change… We were heartened – heartened I say – by the news today that investment providers to pension schemes will be forced to disclose all charges; not just the highly dubious headline Annual […]

No victims, only participants in this price war

21st February 2014

I’ve been banging on a bit on twitter recently about not being in favour of the Great Direct Platform Price War. However, thinking more about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that the actual price war is fine. It’s the […]

No victims, only participants in this price war

21st February 2014

I’ve been banging on a bit on twitter recently about not being in favour of the Great Direct Platform Price War. However, thinking more about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that the actual price war is fine. It’s the […]

Strawberry, Clubfinance and Close Bros to the diary room

19th February 2014

Nothing stands still for long in the platform market, and if you’ve read our ramblings here and in the national meejah then you’ll remember that we said we thought there would be some changes from the published charge sheet. We’ve […]

Strawberry, Clubfinance and Close Bros to the diary room

19th February 2014

Nothing stands still for long in the platform market, and if you’ve read our ramblings here and in the national meejah then you’ll remember that we said we thought there would be some changes from the published charge sheet. We’ve […]

A guest blog from Ivan Opinion

17th February 2014

Hello. We’ve been really chuffed with the interaction we’ve had on the blog since starting to cover Hargreaves Lansdown and the other direct platforms. So we asked a couple of our more prolific commenters if they’d be willing to write […]

Exit fees and why platforms shouldn’t be like mobile phones

17th February 2014

Just a very quick blog as I haven’t posted in the last week; been out and about touring, talking about auto-enrolment rather than platforms. Just for giggles. To mix it up. What a rock’n’roll life I lead, etc. Anyway, we […]

A guest blog from Ivan Opinion

17th February 2014

Hello. We’ve been really chuffed with the interaction we’ve had on the blog since starting to cover Hargreaves Lansdown and the other direct platforms. So we asked a couple of our more prolific commenters if they’d be willing to write […]

Exit fees and why platforms shouldn’t be like mobile phones

17th February 2014

Just a very quick blog as I haven’t posted in the last week; been out and about touring, talking about auto-enrolment rather than platforms. Just for giggles. To mix it up. What a rock’n’roll life I lead, etc. Anyway, we […]

As you were, lads – Hargreaves does a reverse ferret

5th February 2014

So just a short note to confirm that HL has done the decent thing on the investment trust side and removed the distinction between shares and ITs. This means that the max you will pay for holding exchange traded instruments […]

As you were, lads – Hargreaves does a reverse ferret

5th February 2014

So just a short note to confirm that HL has done the decent thing on the investment trust side and removed the distinction between shares and ITs. This means that the max you will pay for holding exchange traded instruments […]

Fashionably late – Halifax Sharedealing and Bestinvest slink in at the back

31st January 2014

Another Friday, another bunch of platforms to round up. This time we welcome Halifax Sharedealing and Bestinvest to the party – we’ll move past the fact they’re late and celebrate that they’re here at all. Nearly everyone has announced now; […]

Fashionably late – Halifax Sharedealing and Bestinvest slink in at the back

31st January 2014

Another Friday, another bunch of platforms to round up. This time we welcome Halifax Sharedealing and Bestinvest to the party – we’ll move past the fact they’re late and celebrate that they’re here at all. Nearly everyone has announced now; […]

Platforms! Faahzands of em! Barclays et al go over the top.

27th January 2014

Yes, I know that was never in the film. But it seemed relevant as we round up some of the platforms who we haven’t covered hitherto (posh) and also take a look at Barclays Stockbrokers, who announced their plans today. […]

Platforms! Faahzands of em! Barclays et al go over the top.

27th January 2014

Yes, I know that was never in the film. But it seemed relevant as we round up some of the platforms who we haven’t covered hitherto (posh) and also take a look at Barclays Stockbrokers, who announced their plans today. […]

Next please – Fidelity joins the new world

23rd January 2014

So yesterday Fidelity showed the best of British pluck and joined the huddled masses of direct platforms in our Tables Of Repentance – obviously the only reason a provider declares its new pricing is to get a spot therein. Happily […]

Next please – Fidelity joins the new world

23rd January 2014

So yesterday Fidelity showed the best of British pluck and joined the huddled masses of direct platforms in our Tables Of Repentance – obviously the only reason a provider declares its new pricing is to get a spot therein. Happily […]

All hotting up – AXA Self Investor declares its hand

21st January 2014

So here we go with the first of the week’s pricing launches in the direct platform space. AXA Self Investor (disclosure: ASI is a client of the lang cat) has been around for a wee while, but hasn’t really pushed […]

All hotting up – AXA Self Investor declares its hand

21st January 2014

So here we go with the first of the week’s pricing launches in the direct platform space. AXA Self Investor (disclosure: ASI is a client of the lang cat) has been around for a wee while, but hasn’t really pushed […]

Back for more – Hargreaves Lansdown, Part The Second

15th January 2014

That’s been quite a day. Reaction to HL’s announcement has been pretty mixed – more than I thought it would have been. Hater of the day prize goes to Dan Hyde in the super soaraway Torygraph with this piece – […]

Big Bristol beasts bring the beat back – Hargreaves Lansdown unveils its pricing

15th January 2014

So this is an unusual blog for us. I’m very conscious that quite a lot of real people, as opposed to financial industry apparatchiks, are going to read this given the nature of the subject. I’m afraid I’m going to […]

Happyish New Year – ATS hikes its charges

31st December 2013

Well, here we are on the last day of 2013 and I’m writing about platform pricing. Plus ca change, and all that. Our subject today – and I’ll be brief – is Alliance Trust Savings (disclosure: ATS is a client […]

The lang cat’s albums of 2013

23rd December 2013

So for no other reason than I can, let’s leave all that financial services crap aside for a bit and concentrate on the really important stuff – what music was on heavy rotation on the lang cat’s patented Tune-O-Matic Stereogram […]

PS13/1 – calling all advisers

25th November 2013

It’s been a week since we launched our first ever white/yellow and grey paper, It’s all about you: Tackling your PS13/1 due diligence requirements’ and it’s fair to say that we’ve been bowled over by the response. There’s been a […]

It’s all about you…and PS13/1

19th November 2013

Mention a song title and a tune or lyrics will instantly spring to your mind. For you, it’s the most natural thing in the world. But perception differs. The song I think of might be quite different to the one […]

Architaxa takes it up a notch and a surprising admission

18th November 2013

Part of being independent is having the freedom to say what you think, even when it’s not popular or doesn’t do you very much good. This normally translates to having a pop at stuck-in-the-past lifecos if you’re me, as the […]

Whiskers on kittens

16th October 2013

Having seen out my first week in my new home at the lang cat I decided to take some time to reflect upon the experience to date. That and the fact that I was locked out of the office meant […]

The communications gap

11th October 2013

The other day I came across a quotation by Steve Jobs which rang a chord with me. He said: Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But […]

Tiers for fears – Standard Life comes out of the shadows

11th October 2013

Note:Hidden craftily throughout this blog are song titles by Tears for Fears. Anyone who gets them all wins a free copy of the lang cat Guide to Platform Pricing, along with regular updates for stuff like this. Enter via the […]

Mr Blonde and the art of platform pricing Cofunds wields the razor

8th October 2013

As a business which analyses platform pricing, amongst other things, we do have a rich and varied life, we spend a fair bit of time pressuring platforms who have not adequately described what it is they do and why it’s […]

Bangs and whimpers – the SUPERCLEAN starting gun is fired

26th September 2013

Those who know me will be surprised by the following statement: I feel a bit sorry for Standard Life today. OK, as you were. This blog isn’t really about SL. It’s about SUPERCLEAN and it just so happens that SL […]

In good hands

19th September 2013

So it’s the 3rd birthday of the lang cat. Not doing the self-indulgent bit this time, but it’s been and continues to be a hell of a ride. Thanks to all who’ve helped us on the way, and thanks to […]

Trolling in the deep

9th September 2013

So a funny thing happened to me today. Not funny ha ha, a funny peculiar sort of thing. You might find it funny ha ha, I don’t know. That’s the nature of perception, it’s individual. Anyway, Chris Gilchrist was writing […]

A blog about retiring

29th August 2013

Annuities are a hot topic at the moment. So I decided to step away from the recent industry noise and take a closer look at the market for myself. Here’s what I found. First, it’s crass to talk about the […]

The meek geek week shall inherit the earth. With advertising.

8th August 2013

So that’s been quite a week in Platformland then. Most importantly, some bunch of Scots jokers published something and did a load of twitter awards nonsense. If you want to read about it go here and you should be able […]

TR13/5, with advertising

8th August 2013

Last week, the FCA published TR13/5, positioning it as an early report card on how advisers are doing with their implementation of RDR. Accompanied by some challenging research from NMG on how consumers are responding so far to Adviser Charging […]

The rich get richer, the poor get the picture – Nucleus does its bit

11th July 2013

There have been few things I’ve enjoyed more since joining the lang cat than buffing up our patented Recursive Pricing Engine (with integrated Turing Guessing Module). But it’s been a little quiet on the pricing front, so when I heard […]

3 into 1 does go – Raymond James mixes it up

19th June 2013

Hello, hello, hot, isn’t it? Well, it is today; where today is the day I’m writing this, which is not necessarily the day you’re reading it. Such is the nature of producing stuff on the online internet superhighway; you can […]

So clean they’re dirty – zero AMC funds hove into view

11th June 2013

So yesterday Architas, the multi-manager arm of AXA did something a bit unusual. It decided to offer investors on Elevate or Cofunds’ institutional platform access to a new share class on its funds. You can read the story on Fundweb […]

Impressions of a noob

4th June 2013

At the tail end of last week Mark challenged me to write a brief blog summing up what I’ve found out in my first week at the lang cat. Let’s call it 4 and a half days taking into account […]

Please welcome #ninjacat

29th May 2013

Hello, just a short post. I’m #delighted to say that the lang cat’s ranks have been swelled with the arrival of a new feline. The cat in question is Steven Nelson, who joins us from Scottish Life, where he did […]

GAME OVER. No credits remaining. This platform paper bites.

26th April 2013

OK, no funny stuff this time, straight to it. PS13/1 is the logical extension of the RDR, and the paper which, in the main, kills off the model that built something like 60-70% of the assets under administration in the […]

Race to the midriff – Transact cuts its charges

22nd April 2013

Here we go, been a while since someone monkeyed around with their charges. The lang cat patented Recursive Pricing Engine (with integrated Turing Guessing Module) was getting a bit dusty, so this is just the thing. Now, Transact. The grandaddy […]

SUPERCLEAN – sorts stubborn semi-bundled stains!

4th April 2013

So things move on apace in the clean share class / rebate war, and the industry continues to eat its young with gay abandon. The latest development to shine in is from everyone’s favourite consumer champion, Standard Life, who today […]

The difficult second album

29th March 2013

A brief, extra-self-indulgent post today. If you want to skip this one, go ahead. I won’t hold it against you. So today is the last trading day of the lang catÃ¢??s 2nd full year. the lang cat has had a […]

Rebates, tax and falafels

25th March 2013

So in a move which surprised pretty much no-one, HMRC today ruled that rebates, whether in cash or in units, will be taxable. What fewer folk were expecting was that this will take effect from 6 April this year. This […]

The tedium of going o’er

13th March 2013

The news yesterday that Aviva has stopped its workplace savings platform programme (read the story here and here) is interesting in lots of ways. Now, before the yellow and blue dudes reading this start reaching for the batphone to the […]

The worst of all worlds

19th February 2013

You couldn’t make it up. I’m yet to meet anyone who thinks unit rebates are a good idea. That’s not quite true. I know one provider who likes them, mainly because they have the functionality in place to deal with […]

Clean is the new dirty

28th January 2013

Hello and welcome to the first lang cat blog of 2013. At least the first blog on this site, I,ve been doing some posting over on Adviser Lounge, which is worth a visit if you haven,t already. So the hot […]

Slainte mhath from the lang cat

21st December 2012

Well, that’s been quite a year. As I look around me I see an industry full of completely done-in, knackered, farmutshet folks. Don’t know why, it’s not like anything big’s happening at the end of 2012… …Ho, ho. As I […]

The lang cat’s 10 best albums of 2012

21st December 2012

When we’re not banging on about retail and corporate platforms, pensions, transparency and all that good stuff, we’re usually banging on about music. Here’s a list of our favourite 10 albums that have powered us through, got us inspired and […]

BAM! BIFF! POW! Take that, haters – AXA Elevate slashes its charges

27th November 2012

Well, this is just tremendously inconvenient. After putting out a blog on Zurich last week and a big update to subscribers to the lang cat Guide to Platform Pricing, AXA’s only gone and made a pricing change to its Elevate […]

Caught in a ZIP – first look & pricing analysis at Zurich Wrap

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