AKG in the News

Through its role as a leading provider of independent information, both ratings and other assessment and comparative data, AKG regularly appears across trade and national publications. AKG enjoys a particularly high profile with intermediary firms and product providers and other key bodies.

A roundup of appearances is provided here for reference.

Breathing new life into the sector

AKG’s Matt Ward examines the way the life insurance space has evolved in recent years (Republished with the kind permission of the Personal Finance Society).

Personal Finance Professional, Personal Finance Society - 28 Sep 2018

The evolving pensions/retirement market post-freedoms

AKG's 2018 Pension Freedoms Paper outlines the direction of travel in the market, including the customer, adviser, provider and solutions landscape. The paper discusses key challenges and opportunities, old and new, for a range of market stakeholders and participants. The paper also illustrates, through market research, the thoughts, behaviours and requirements of customers and advisers. In this feature, Matt Ward summarises some of the key themes from the paper including some headline findings from the adviser market research.

Synaptic Software, Connection Magazine - 24 Sep 2018

How advisers are responding to MiFID II

This article is part of a Guide to regulatory changes featuring on FT Adviser. The article references some findings from market research carried out by AKG with financial advisers and also includes comment from Guy Vanner on Solvency II.

FTAdviser - 13 Sep 2018

Second anniversary of AKG’s DFM assessments

This feature on the DISCUS website looks at AKG’s DFM assessment work, including our coverage in this sector and our approach to financial strength assessments.

DISCUS - 30 Aug 2018

Operation Drawdown

AKG Financial Analytics has recently conducted quantitative market research among advisers on the subject of pensions freedoms. Matt Ward offers a snapshot of the findings in the Summer edition of Personal Finance Professional.

Personal Finance Professional - 21 Jun 2018

Robust due diligence puts advisers on the front foot

AKG’s Matt Ward discusses DFM due diligence in April’s digital edition of Portfolio Adviser, including the importance of establishing a framework to support this work and the requirement to review on a regular basis given changing market dynamics.

Portfolio Adviser - 30 Apr 2018

AKG now featuring on AJ Bell Investcentre’s due diligence hub

AKG’s views on platform due diligence are now featuring on AJ Bell Investcentre’s due diligence hub for advisers. Entitled “The evolution of platform research and due diligence”, AKG discusses a range of considerations relating to due diligence exercises, including the requirement for advisers to revisit these processes and to contextualise these processes against the backdrop of a changing market. AKG also suggests a high level framework for platform due diligence.

AJ Bell Investcentre due diligence hub - 06 Mar 2018

A Going Concern

AKG’s Guy Vanner provides an existing business update on the with profits market for PFS members in the Spring 2018 edition of Personal Finance Professional magazine.

The Personal Finance Society, Personal Finance Professional - 23 Feb 2018

‘Bullet point’ pension freedoms

AKG’s Matt Ward highlights some of the key issues and areas of interest for paraplanners when it comes to pension freedoms and provides some food for thought…

Professional Paraplanner - 22 Feb 2018

AKG publishes analysis of 72 with profits funds

AKG has launched its 2017 UK Life Office With Profits Reports, designed to help adviser firms and providers assess specific with profits funds. The reports contain analysis and assessments of 185 sub-funds within 72 funds across 26 firms that were active in the UK market at the end of December 2017. AKG said the reports cover providers whose with profit funds exceed £110m, as well as smaller companies and friendly societies operating in the intermediary market.

Professional Paraplanner - 29 Jan 2018

Advisers must remain vigilant on with profits

AKG has warned advisers to remain vigilant to safeguard clients with investments in with profits funds. AKG says that while there is no evidence of imminent problems, with a major FCA review of the with profits sector under way advisers have a duty to keep a close eye on with profits to protect themselves and clients. The financial analytics company says that despite a common view that with profits business has dwindled to next to nothing, in fact with profits business "remains considerable."

Financial Planning Today - 26 Jan 2018

6 changes in the With Profits market you should be aware of

One of DISCUS’s January newsletters includes reference to the key themes from AKG's 2017 With Profits Reports. Here, Matt Ward outlines specific matters like: size of the market, the impact of Solvency II and the launch of an FCA review into the sector.

DISCUS - 18 Jan 2018

Due diligence in context

In this feature Matt Ward of AKG puts due diligence in context, sharing a robust and repeatable framework for Discretionary Fund Manager (DFM) selection and retention. Given the current regulatory and competitive landscape, Matt also highlights a number of areas advisers should cover in their questioning as we enter 2018.

DISCUS - 15 Dec 2017

Why governance is important for managed investment solutions

A comprehensive feature from AKG on the growing importance of the governance structures and processes which underpin the delivery of managed investment solutions. This feature in FTAdviser, which qualifies for CPD, includes AKG’s thoughts on what might represent good governance and looks at key areas of consideration for advisers when appraising the governance structures and processes employed by providers of managed investment solutions.

FTAdviser - 12 Dec 2017

Masterclass, Best Foot Forward – Research and Due Diligence Requirements

AKG features in the November 2017 digital edition of International Adviser. This MasterClass looks at the requirement for adviser businesses to carry out robust research and due diligence exercises (and hints at areas of focus for these exercises) when selecting product, investment and platform solutions, in order to achieve positive customer outcomes. It also underlines the importance of contextualising these exercises against an ever changing market and looks at some of the key items for consideration when looking at international financial services partners.

International Adviser - 16 Nov 2017

Product governance post-Mifid and your clients’ investments

This article forms part of a wider FTAdviser Guide to Mifid II implementation and includes a listing from AKG on various considerations for firms when it comes to Mifid II’s product governance requirements.

FT Adviser - 09 Nov 2017

Prudential’s 2017 Adviser Barometer

Prudential has published its 2017 Adviser Barometer, Embracing Opportunities in the Adviser Market, a ‘state of the nation’ report based on an annual market research exercise with advisers. Includes a quotation from AKG on the requirement for adviser businesses to carry out robust research and due diligence when selecting product, investment and platform solutions (p.12).

Prudential - 02 Nov 2017

Platform due diligence

AKG’s Matt Ward discusses platform due diligence in the November edition of Professional Paraplanner, including the importance of striking the right balance when selecting platform partners and the requirement to contextualise due diligence processes against the backdrop of an evolving financial services market.

Professional Paraplanner - 27 Oct 2017

DFM due diligence

Matt Ward, Communications Director at AKG, outlines key DFM due diligence steps and the role of company-level assessments as part of this process.

Professional Paraplanner - 01 Oct 2017

Pensions Pressure Front

In the Autumn edition of the PFS’s Personal Finance Professional magazine, AKG’s Matt Ward reflects on key considerations for financial advisers and other key market players two years on from the introduction of pension freedoms.

Personal Finance Professional - 29 Sep 2017

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