You are here: Home > Media > Press releases > Retirement planning remains number one ‘advice driver’ for consumers

• Print Page

Retirement planning remains number one ‘advice driver’ for consumers

·  Unbiased.co.uk’s latest Advice Drivers report reveals 39% of consumers searching for independent financial advice sought guidance on personal retirement planning in February

·  Investment and savings triggered 28% of searches on unbiased.co.uk’s ‘find an IFA’ service

Latest figures from unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website, reveal retirement planning continues to be the number one advice driver when searching for an independent financial adviser. 

Recent reports* highlight that half of parents have delayed their retirement as they struggle to cope with the financial burden of their adult children, but with nearly two fifths (39%) of consumers seeking retirement planning advice in February when using unbiased.co.uk’s ‘find an IFA’ service, it is clear that this remains the number one area where people seek professional advice. 

The second most popular advice driver in February was investment and savings, with nearly a third of consumers (28%) searching for an IFA specialising in this area.  Demand for independent financial advice on these specialist areas continues to be high as consumers consider their investments and long-term financial planning for the future

Karen Barrett, Chief Executive of unbiased.co.uk, comments: “As more and more reports warn us of increasing numbers of consumers putting off their retirement planning it is more important than ever to highlight the ‘cost of delay’ and the effect this will have on final pension pots. It is encouraging to see that when it comes to planning for their retirement, consumers are seeking independent financial advice from professionals.  Consumers continue to see the value of specialist product advice when they are embarking on complex and long-term financial decisions such as pensions and investments, and are searching for an IFA to guide them through their choices.

“Only an independent financial adviser 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 February 2010 were as follows:

* From February 2009, Unbiased.co.uk re-launched as the professional advice website giving consumers the choice to find a mortgage IFA through the 'find an IFA' search and find a whole market mortgage adviser through the 'find a mortgage adviser' search. Therefore, the fluctuation in numbers of consumers in February searching for mortgage advice on the 'find an IFA' search is due to consumers instead using the 'find a mortgage adviser' search. To view the 'find a mortgage adviser' advice drivers please click the following link: UK top 10 mortgage advice needs

ENDS

For further information on unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website pleases contact:

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

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