You are here: Home > Media > Press releases > As tax and pensions hit headlines, retirement planning remains top ‘advice driver’ for consumers

• Print Page

As tax and pensions hit headlines, retirement planning remains top ‘advice driver’ for consumers

· Unbiased.co.uk’s latest Advice Drivers report reveals over a third (36%) of consumers searching for independent financial advice sought guidance on personal retirement planning in June on unbiased.co.uk’s ‘find an IFA’ service

· A quarter (25%) of consumer searches were for investment and savings advice

· First-time buying advice remains top search on unbiased.co.uk’s ‘find a mortgage adviser’ service

With the emergency Budget now behind us and subsequent announcements unveiled such as rises in tax levels and changes to pensions, latest figures from unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website, reveal over a third (36%) of consumers sought retirement planning advice in June when using unbiased.co.uk’s ‘find an IFA’ service.  Retirement planning continues to remain the number one advice driver when searching for an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA).

A quarter of consumers (25%) searching for an IFA sought an adviser specialising in investment and savings, and this topic remained the second most popular advice driver last month. 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.

Unbiased.co.uk’s ‘find a mortgage adviser’ statistics also reveals first-time buying remained the highest search topic over the last month, with 36% of consumer enquiries for a local, whole of market mortgage adviser.  In addition, the number of consumers looking for remortgage advice, the second most popular advice driver, remained at nearly a third (32%).

Karen Barrett, Chief Executive of unbiased.co.uk, comments: “In light of the changes made by the coalition Government in the recent emergency Budget, many consumers will be examining their current finances in order to understand how they will be affected by these adjustments. Changes to pensions and tax levels will have important consequences for those impacted, and it is vital for everyone to understand if and how this will affect them.  Retirement planning in particular is a vastly complex area and only an independent financial adviser can look at all factors relevant to an individual and their circumstances, and recommend the best solution for them.

“With ongoing reports of the economy experiencing a ‘double dip’ and the outlook for the mortgage market still uncertain, it is a crucial time for first-time buyers and homeowners to consider their mortgage arrangements. The mortgage maze can always be confusing whatever the circumstances so it’s important for first-time buyers and also those looking to remortgage to seek professional advice.   Only a whole of market mortgage adviser can give advice on products from across the market, which suit the individual’s needs and financial position. 

“Visit unbiased.co.uk to find a qualified independent financial adviser or whole of market mortgage adviser using our ‘find and IFA’ and ‘find a mortgage adviser’ services.”

‘Find an IFA’ and ‘Find a Mortgage Adviser’ top ten Advice Drivers in June 2010 were as follows:

 

 

ENDS

Karen Barrett, Chief Executive, unbiased.co.uk: 020 7833 3131

Anna Schirmer/Anna Moulds/Charli Scouller, Lansons Communications: 020 7294 3682

About unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website

The unbiased.co.uk portal is a free and confidential UK-wide search matching consumers with local professional advisers: ‘find an IFA’, ‘find a mortgage adviser’, and ‘find a solicitor’, and is currently inviting registrations for its ‘find an accountant’ service.  These searches enable consumers to find professional advisers by postcode, area of specialism, qualification and payment method. In 2009, unbiased.co.uk fulfilled half a million searches for local, professional advice. 

IFA Promotion, the organisation behind unbiased.co.uk, is now in its 21st year, and was set up to promote the benefits of independent financial advice to consumers.  IFAP is sponsored by the following companies:

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