Amongst the backdrop of the Labour government changes, and ten years since pension freedoms, join Standard Life as they bring to life how people are thinking and feeling about retirement, using their flagship Retirement Voice research to put real clients’ views on retirement front-and-centre.

With the changes to policy afoot and client sentiment shifting, where do the biggest risks lie for your clients? And what is the Retirement Risk Zone - and why does it matter?

This session will consider the direction of travel for retirement planning and take you through practical examples around where there’s opportunity to re-think retirement for your clients.

The thematic review of retirement income advice highlights the need for a different approach as clients move from saving to spending. The psychological and financial elements of moving from ‘accumulation’ to ‘decumulation’ present a number of challenges and it’s important that the risks are covered and actions evidenced.

In this session, we’ll look at the key aspects and the ‘foreseeable harms’ that need to be accounted for. We’ll also explore the need to consider all strategies, including guaranteed income and the benefits from a regulatory, firm and, most importantly, client perspective.

By attending this session, you’ll be able to:

• Identify the main retirement advice aspects through the ‘consumption frame’.
• Explore the components of an advice process for retiring clients. 
• Recognise the place for guaranteed income as part of an overall strategy.

The recent FCA thematic review has shone a light on retirement income advice but what does it mean on a practical level for advisers when it comes to ensuring good client outcomes? This session will equip advisers with tangible tools and techniques to ensure that clients receive suitable and appropriate advice that will meet their individual needs. Our panel will explore innovative strategies to personalise income plans, share best practices to address and mitigate individual risk profiles, and empower clients to make informed decisions about their financial future.

Requirements on fund labelling aim to tackle greenwashing and help advisers have clearer conversations with clients. We consider the practical implications for advisers as they integrate sustainability matters into their investment advice, how to break down the complex world of ESG for clients, and how to go above and beyond the labels.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to: 

• Explain the key labels, their use, and the sustainability features of the products they advise on.
• Understand due diligence requirements when selecting investment products to ensure they meet regulatory standards.
• Understand how implementation of SDR can help you speak to clients about their preferences and suitability around sustainable investing.
  

July 2025 will mark two years since the consumer duty was first introduced for open products, and much has changed even in this relatively short space of time. In this session, we’ll explore changes in the holistic wealth space as part of the consumer duty and the importance of acting to avoid foreseeable harm. Often this requires a greater consideration of client’s protection needs to ensure good outcomes.

A critical part of the consumer duty is the price and value outcome, but value in particular is difficult to define. So, this presentation touches on research undertaken to help identify value, and whether advisers need to do more to articulate the value they provide in the advice process. We’ll also remind advisers of the importance of documenting and evidencing their adherence to the consumer duty and the vital part this plays in demonstrating progress against a strategy for your clients.

By the end of this session, you’ll be able to:

• Identify the key concerns of the regulator since the inception of the consumer duty
• Explain the importance of identifying protection needs as a part of the consumer duty
• Identify the factors influencing consumer’s perception of value from financial advice
  

Insights into changing trends in the platform market to help you select and implement the right investment platform for your business.

Social media is creating a generation of hyper-risk frenetic investors whose fear of missing out (FOMO) dominates all else. But could this dangerous force be harnessed for good by advisers to get more people investing sooner and with more conviction?

The outcomes of The Consumer Duty and Thematic Review of Retirement, and the subsequent challenges present to advisers, have led some to claim that bespoke investment management is a less relevant proposition. Despite a shift towards unitised investment solutions, we believe high net worth individuals still require a specialised approach.

This session will argue that bespoke investment management is essential for:

Avoiding foreseeable harms: Full control and visibility to help to avoid foreseeable harm to clients.

Effective Tax Management: Tailored strategies optimise tax efficiency across accounts and wrappers.

Decumulation: Personalised, dynamic solutions to help manage drawdown and long-term income.

Value over cost: A truly personal service offering real value, not just low cost.

Adaptability: Flexibility to navigate challenging investment environments and inflation. Only bespoke investment management can offer such a well-rounded service so yes, its death has been greatly exaggerated.

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to explain:

• The scale of the impact that recent regulation has had on managing bespoke portfolios.
• The difficulties managing foreseeable in unitised solutions.
• How taking a fluid approach to investing allows the flexibility to adjust portfolios and soften any potential negative impact
• How personal service offers rounded value (part of the cost and value element on Consumer Duty)
  

With a need to create positive client outcomes, protection can play a vital role in safeguarding and securing your clients against future life and health uncertainties, as well as wealth.

Our panel of experts will equip you with the practical knowledge, strategies and tools needed to incorporate protection into a comprehensive and holistic offering, protecting and preserving the financial wellbeing of your clients.

We will be looking at multi-asset solutions and how these can be constructed using passive instruments. Even if you are an advocate of passive investing, many of the benefits of this approach are based on active decisions. For example: the asset allocation process, the passive instruments that are used, and how (or if) portfolios are rebalanced. Each of these decisions has an impact on the outcome for investors. In our session, we will consider three commonly used approaches and evaluate the pros and cons of each.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand how multi-asset solutions can be constructed using passive instruments.
• Identify the importance of active decisions in passive investing.
• Evaluate the pros and cons of three commonly used approaches in constructing multi-asset solutions.
  

Exploring how financial advisers can leverage Managed Portfolio Services (MPS) to enhance portfolio management, streamline operations, and improve client outcomes.

Highlighting a practical approach to ensure that you, your business, and the people working within it are happy, thriving and able to deliver.

In this panel discussion we speak to the very best in the businesses and learn their secrets at attracting and retaining the next generation of financial advisers.

• How do you start building a graduate or apprenticeship program to attract talented individuals?
• How can providers offer support and expertise to smaller firms trying to recruit new talent?
• What does good training look like?
• How are people incentivised beyond compensation, and what does a good career pathway look like?
• How can you look after the resilience and wellbeing of your teams?
• What skills do the next generation of advisers need?
• How can you allow new talent to thrive, and add value to the business with their diversity of opinion and ideas

This talk will guide you through what to expect when getting your firm ready for sale.

By the end of this session, attendees will:

• Learn how to make their business more attractive to buyers – particularly in light of Consumer Duty requirements
• Identify the different options to consider when selling your business
• Prepare your clients for the transition
• Develop a timeline for exit strategy ensuring your personal and professional goals align after the acquisition and somebody else running your business
  

• An overview of the key post-Budget inheritance tax consultations, what they cover, and when they may finish. Including when we may likely see draft legislation.
• The tax impact of acting now vs when the new pension and BR rules come into play.
• A deep dive into new client planning scenarios that arose from the Budget.
  

What allocation strategies are multi-asset managers using right now to help protect portfolios against inflation and ever-shifting market dynamics? What is the objective, role and opportunity for alternatives and how can diversified portfolios be created without increasing costs?

Taking a closer look at the next generation of investors, their preferences, and how you need to adapt your digital strategies to capture and maintain their attention.