Consumer demand for independent financial advice remained strong in 2009
· Unbiased.co.uk’s latest Advice Drivers statistics report over 350,000 consumer requests for details of local independent financial advisers in 2009
· Retirement planning and investment and savings were the top triggers for seeking advice
New figures from Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website, reveal that well over 350,000 consumers sought guidance from an independent financial adviser in 2009.
Retirement planning remained the top trigger for people seeking advice and the number of people looking for specialist financial advice in this area increased throughout the year from 27% in January 2009 to well over a third (37%) by December 2009. The second most popular search was for advice on investments and savings with 28% of searches being made in this area in December, an increase from 22% in January 2009.
Demand for independent financial advice remained strong throughout 2009 as people were re-assessing their finances to ensure they were in the right place as the finance markets changed.
Karen Barrett, Chief Executive of Unbiased.co.uk, commented: “Our report demonstrates that consumers continued to seek independent financial advice to help them plan their finances throughout the 2009. Consumers also increasingly saw the value of specialist product advice when they were searching for an IFA to guide them through a turbulent economic year. We anticipate that even more consumers will be looking to reassess their finances in 2010 and will put their faith in independent financial advisers to do so.
“An IFA can give you specialist advice on specific product areas and can recommend solutions from across the whole of the market, rather than just a selection of providers. They can also give you a choice of how you pay for this valuable, expert advice. In order to find an independent financial adviser, you can go to Unbiased.co.uk to find an IFA close to where you live or who specialises in the area of advice you are looking for.”
The top ten Advice Drivers in December 2009 were as follows:
|
Top ten Advice Drivers: December 2009 |
% of total |
|
|
1 |
Personal Retirement Planning |
37% |
|
2 |
Investment & Savings |
28% |
|
3 |
Mortgages |
8% |
|
4 |
ISAs/OEICs/Unit Trusts |
8% |
|
5 |
Stakeholder Pensions |
7% |
|
6 |
Taxation Planning |
6% |
|
7 |
Personal Protection |
4% |
|
8 |
Investment Trusts |
3% |
|
9 |
Equity release |
3% |
|
10 |
Saving for children |
3% |
|
TOTAL (All drivers) |
17248 |
|
ENDS
For further information on Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website pleases contact:
|
Karen Barrett, Chief Executive |
Anna Schirmer/Jennifer Comerford/ Anna Moulds |
|
Unbiased.co.uk |
Lansons Communications |
|
020 7833 3131 |
020 7294 3682 |
Sign up to Unbiased.co.uk’s unique Professional Connections service, allowing IFAs, mortgage brokers and solicitors to find and link up with other professional advisers across the UK to expand their current business network.
For expert commentary or case studies from over 150 media-friendly IFAs, journalists should visit www.unbiased.co.uk/bluebook to search the Blue Book Media IFA database.
Top tips for journalists when using Blue Book online:
1. List and store all your IFA contacts in one place. As well as having access to the whole Media IFA database on the Blue Book, you can also separately list your favourite Media IFAs. You can add confidential, personalised post-it notes with extra details to Media IFA profiles. These will be saved and always appear every time you log back into your account.
2. Email broadcast Media IFAs. The Blue Book allows you to email individual favourite Media IFAs for personal commentary or alternatively email a group of your favourite Media IFAs for a collection of opinions on a topic. You can use the Blue Book online to conduct a straw poll on a specific topic for instance.
3. Online coverage generated by Media IFAs. Each Media IFA profile contains links to their most recent online coverage. This allows you to see what topic Media IFAs have been commenting on recently, allowing you to make a more informed decision as to which Media IFA you wish to speak to.
4. Each Media IFA has a star rating. This is calculated by how many journalist’s favourites lists each Media IFA appears on. The more journalist’s favourites lists they appear on, the higher their star rating. Look at the ‘top rated’ list to find out which Media IFA has the highest star rating.
5. Journalist recommendations. The Blue Book gives helpful suggestions as to which Media IFAs other journalists have on their list of favourites. Each Media IFA profile has suggestions as to other Media IFAs you may find useful.
6. Broaden out your contact list of Media IFAs. Overall, the Blue Book online is designed to help you widen the pool of Media IFAs you can contact for commentary or help with articles you are writing. Sign up to the Blue Book now in order to take advantage of all these features.
Notes to Editors
Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website
Unbiased.co.uk is the free and confidential UK-wide search service matching consumers with the most appropriate local professional advisers for their needs. In 2008, Unbiased.co.uk fulfilled over half a million searches for local, professional advice.
The portal currently houses three professional advice searches: ‘find an IFA’, ‘find a mortgage adviser’, and ‘find a solicitor’, and is inviting accountants to sign up for its ‘find an accountant’ service. These searches enable consumers to find relevant professional advisers by postcode, area of specialism and payment method, amongst other options.
IFA Promotion, the organisation behind Unbiased.co.uk, is now in its 20th year, and was set up to promote the benefits of independent financial advice to the consumer.
Unbiased.co.uk’s product provider sponsors
|
AEGON Scottish Equitable |
Lockton |
|
Alliance Trust |
Lutine Assurance Services |
|
Aviva |
MetLife |
|
AXA Life |
National Savings & Investments |
|
Bright Grey |
Opinium Research |
|
Canada Life Ltd |
Prudential |
|
Cardif Pinnacle |
Royal London 360° |
|
The Children’s Mutual |
Scottish Life |
|
Clerical Medical Investment |
Scottish Widows Plc |
|
Friends Provident |
Standard Life Assurance Company |
|
Invesco Perpetual |
Sun Life Financial of Canada |
|
J.P. Morgan Asset Management |
Zurich Intermediary Group |
|
Legal & General |
Registered Office: Unbiased.co.uk is the consumer brand of IFA Promotion Ltd, 90 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5UB. Registered in Scotland: No. 114606
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