Advisory

Zurich has overhauled its platform fee structure and announced a cut in its initial investment charge for all clients.

The Retail Distribution Review (RDR) has resulted in a small number of gatekeepers at financial adviser firms, investment platforms, discretionary and wealth managers steering more money into fewer, bigger funds, new research has suggested.

Wealth manager Charles Stanley has reported a 33% drop in profit before tax following a year of "significant" cost which has seen it spend millions on acquisitions.

D2C platform Charles Stanley Direct has launched a new loyalty programme for clients with a series of additional fee cuts, alongside a customer charter which promises users a "fairer deal".

A tough economic backdrop, no performance track record, or a lack of clout when it comes to distribution can all hamper a fund launch these days, but thirty years ago the challenges were very different.

The smallest discretionary fund managers in the UK market could be vulnerable to a fresh wave of takeovers by larger rivals, new research has suggested.