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IFA Magazine‘s ground-breaking weekly editorial podcast, which breaks down the news that is shaping the global investment and economic landscape.
Featuring exclusive conversations with the most influential voices in financial services.
248 Episodes
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In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, IFA Magazine’s weekly podcast, we’re diving into retirement planning with a difference, looking at both the psychology of it and the financial aspects.
Supporting clients with retirement planning is a key area of every financial adviser’s business, but the best advisers go a step further. Joining us to explore this topic is James Woodfall, a former financial adviser who has done some interesting work on retirement psychology.
Together, we discuss James’ recent research into retirement psychology, what advisers are doing to help their clients transition to retirement successfully, and what advisers should consider doing more of, to help their clients thrive in their retirement.
In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, IFA Magazine’s weekly podcast, we focus on data, talking about how advisers can turn raw client information into really personalised financial planning.
Joining us to do so is by Rowan Whittington, Chief Product Officer at Dynamic Planner. Rowan sits on the Senior Leadership Team and leads on new and emerging initiatives across the business. She’s got a particular focus on Tram, their white-labelled mobile app designed to support digital advice journeys.
Together, we’ll discuss what ‘good data’ really looks like inside a modern advice business, and how client behaviour is changing with the real-time digital access they have now.
Along with that, we’ll also dive into the ever-present topic of AI, asking what the next five years of AI and automation might mean for data-led advice.
Now live: This month’s New Insurance & Protection special edition of IFA Talk explores a key question for advisers: in protection terms, is whole of life the only solution for long-term inheritance tax planning?
Hosts Meg Bratley and Sue Whitbread are joined by Ken Maxwell, Director at JLHO, as the company marks its 65th anniversary, to reflect on how protection advice has evolved over the decades, how today’s market compares to previous cycles, and what advisers should be focusing on when structuring high-value cover.
What this episode covers
The discussion explores whether whole of life remains the default solution for long-term IHT planning, how advisers can combine term and whole of life policies to manage premiums effectively, and why insurer capacity and contract flexibility remain important considerations in today’s market.
Drawing on decades of experience, Ken shares practical insights into building robust, client-focused protection strategies designed to stand the test of time.
In this week’s episode, Matt and Sue are looking into one of the most consistent challenges faced by advice firms: technology complexity.
They are joined by John Milliken, CEO of Defaqto, to talk about how advice businesses can move from integrating multiple tech platforms to a more unified operating model. Advisers regularly face the frustration of juggling many different software platforms that don’t talk to each other, creating inefficiencies and compliance risks too.
In this episode, Matt, Sue, and John discuss:
Integration vs. unification: What this shift means for advisers and why it matters.
Adviser pain points: Where current tech stacks fall short and how firms are feeling about being weighed down by complexity.
Day-to-day changes: How a unified operating model can simplify workflows, strengthen compliance, and give advisers more confidence.
Managing change: How firms can adopt new technology at a pace that works for their business.
Key takeaways: John’s top insights for advisers navigating technology challenges.
Listen now to hear how things are changing in the adviser tech world that look set to transform the efficiency and effectiveness of many advice businesses in future.
In this episode of IFA Talk, we’re talking all things paraplanning and why the role continues to grow in importance across the advice profession.
Jenny and Matt are joined by Steve Nelson, Insight Director at the lang cat, to chat through the latest State of the Advice Nation research. This is the third year paraplanners have had a focused pathway in the study, which means we’re finally starting to see some clear themes emerge around career paths, day to day realities and where firms are getting it right, or not.
During the conversation, we look at paraplanning as a career in its own right, how visible and understood the role really is, and what the research tells us about the challenges paraplanners still face behind the scenes. From workload pressures to systems and support, it’s an honest discussion grounded in real data and real experience.
As ever, Steve does a brilliant job of bringing the numbers to life and connecting the findings to what’s actually happening in advice firms across the UK.
Now live: The latest Mortgage & Property Investment special edition of IFA Talk looks ahead to 2026 and beyond, exploring how shifting household behaviour, retirement sequencing, and property wealth are shaping modern financial planning.
In this episode, hosts Meg and Jenny are joined by Phillip Wickenden, founder and CEO of Ad Lucem. Phil shares his insights on the changing landscape of adviser-client conversations, including the growing importance of retirement sequencing, the evolving role of property wealth, and why later-life lending and “home-in-the-plan” discussions are becoming increasingly central to financial planning.
Key discussion points also include:
Household behavioural shifts heading into 2026 and what they mean for advisers
How inheritance tax changes are affecting retirement sequencing and client decision-making
Practical challenges advisers are facing more often, including managing client intent and tax implications
The role of property wealth and later-life lending in modern, client-centred conversations
How intergenerational advice creates both business opportunities and long-term client retention
This episode provides valuable insight for advisers looking to navigate the changing financial planning landscape, offering practical guidance and highlighting the opportunities for advisers to add value for clients in the year ahead.
Be sure to check out the episode and all other episodes of IFA Talk on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon!
Podcast # Meet the new CII President: Callum Beaton on the year ahead
In this episode of IFA Talk, Matt and Sue are joined by the new President of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Callum Beaton, to talk about his journey to the role, his appointment (which he describes as ‘surreal’) and also his vision for the future of the profession.
Callum is clearly very passionate about this profession, which he joined almost 50 years ago, after failing an eye test to join the Royal Navy. He talks eloquently through his Presidential theme, EQUIP, how he hopes to support members during his year in office, and the key issues he believes will shape the sector in the months ahead, with the wealth of experience he’s amassed over the years.
It’s a really human conversation, thoughtful and forward-looking for anyone working in insurance or financial planning who wants to stay connected to the bigger picture.
Listen now to hear Callum’s plans for leading and supporting the profession.
In this latest episode of the Tax-Efficient Investment podcast from IFA Magazine, we turn our focus to Venture Capital Trusts and what advisers need to be thinking about as the busy tax year-end approaches.
Hosted by Editor Sue Whitbread and Deputy Editor Jenny Hunter, this special edition of IFA Talk is produced in partnership with Foresight Group and explores how the VCT landscape is evolving in response to shifting market conditions, new technologies and changing investor expectations.
Joining the conversation is Lucy Clarke, Investment Manager at Foresight Group, who shares an investment manager’s perspective on how to identify genuinely sustainable competitive advantage in today’s VCT-backed companies. Drawing on her background as both a venture investor and a former founder, Lucy discusses how traditional indicators of competitive advantage are changing, how the VCT investment process is adapting, and what this means in practice when assessing early-stage opportunities.
The episode also looks at the sectors and themes Lucy finds particularly compelling right now, offering advisers timely insight as they prepare for what is expected to be a busy period for VCT planning.
With more than 50 years in financial planning, Patrick Murphy has seen the profession evolve. Although he’s recently stepped back from advising clients, he’s challenging conventional thinking about what really drives client outcomes.
In this episode of IFA Talk, hosts Matt and Sue sit down with Patrick to explore his latest insights on Targeted Support, consumer behaviour and the future of advice. With Targeted Support kicking off from April, will this be the game-changer it’s often set out to be? The answer is probably yes but, as we’ll explore today, maybe not for the reasons that most people are thinking about.
Patrick’s recent paper, Financial Planning in Transition: Beyond Targeted Support (2025–2030), builds on his work in hybrid advice and argues that the way advisers support client behaviour could transform outcomes at scale. Today, we discuss what that means in practice and why understanding behaviour may be more important than simply providing knowledge or information.
We talk with Patrick about why good advice often fails, not because it’s wrong, but because it isn’t acted upon, how regulators and firms can misread the advice process, and why compliance alone doesn’t guarantee good outcomes, the shift from one-off recommendations to ongoing behavioural support and how advisers can adapt day-to-day, how Targeted Support could succeed or fail depending on whether it’s treated as content/compliance or as behaviour design, and the practical takeaways for advisers looking to improve client outcomes in a rapidly evolving profession.
The FCA’s plans to introduce Targeted Support from April 2026 represent one of the most significant regulatory developments which advisers need to be aware of at the moment.
In this week’s episode of IFA Talk, Matt and Sue welcomed Chet Velani, Managing Director at EV, to chat through some of the key issues around what Targeted Support is really designed to achieve, how it might work in practice, and what advisers can be doing now to stay ahead of the curve. Chet was a great guest and had plenty of practical ideas to share.
EV is a financial services technology provider working with millions of consumers and a significant proportion of the UK advice market, giving Chet a unique perspective on how regulation, technology and advice intersect.
As Chet explains on the podcast, Targeted Support isn’t about eroding the value of advice. Instead, it’s about creating clearer, scalable pathways that use data and technology to support more people, while enabling firms to deliver demonstrably better outcomes for consumers.
However, for advisers, understanding the bigger picture, how this framework is likely work in practice and how it could complement existing advice models will be really important.
In this month’s special Tax-Efficient Investment (TEI) edition of IFA Talk, IFA Magazine's Content Editor Matt Williams and Deputy Editor Jenny Hunter take a look back at the 2025 Budget and the changes to VCTs.
Joining us to unpack all of this are not one, but two great guests. First, returning to the IFA Talk studio is Toyin Oyeneyin, Tax Product Specialist at Octopus Investments. Toyin joined us back in November ahead of the 2025 Budget to discuss the major changes in the 2024 Budget, along with the topic of pensions and the complex IHT landscape.
This time, Toyin is also joined by Tim Dickens, Head of Investment Specialists at Octopus Ventures. Together, they reflect on the key takeaways from this year’s Budget, the changes to VCTs and what they mean for financial advisers, and why private markets are becoming increasingly popular.
IFA Magazine’s weekly podcast, IFA Talk, is back with another insightful episode aimed squarely at busy financial advisers with a passion for what they do.
This week, we’re joined by Martin Lockyer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Westminster Wealth Management, to find out from his years of experience as an adviser and running an advice business, what it takes to build and run a successful firm. Martin’s insight into succession planning is particularly thought provoking, and reinforces the idea that it should never be a one-size fits all approach.
In this episode, Meg Bratley and Sue Whitbread talk to Martin about the practical challenges and opportunities facing advice firms, from maintaining long-term client relationships to protecting independence in a landscape dominated by consolidation and regulation.
Martin shares his expertise based on years of experience, and offers practical insights and strategies that can help advisers create sustainable businesses while delivering excellent outcomes for clients.
Highlights include:
How to run a succession-based business that prioritises clients and stakeholders alike.
The advantages of a self-employed, proprietary-book adviser model versus the traditional employed framework.
Navigating regulatory and operational pressures while maintaining independence.
Martin’s three top tips for advisers looking to future-proof their business.
Whether you’re a business owner, manager, or adviser seeking actionable best practice ideas and real-world perspectives, this episode is sure to get you thinking.
Now live: The latest Mortgage & Property Investment special edition of IFA Talk explores what the 2026 mortgage market could look like for brokers, and where opportunities and challenges may lie as we head into the New Year.
In this episode, hosts Meg and Sue are joined by Jonathan Stinton, Head of Intermediary Relationship Management at Coventry Building Society. Jonathan discusses the outlook for the 2026 mortgage market, including broker confidence, remortgaging activity and affordability pressures. He also shares how lenders can best support brokers during a busy remortgage cycle, and explores the opportunities and challenges shaping the Buy-to-Let market in the year ahead.
Key discussion points also include:
The outlook for mortgage brokers in 2026 and how confidence is shaping the market
Remortgaging and product transfer volumes, and what brokers are saying they need most
The impact of affordability pressures on client advice conversations
How the Buy-to-Let market may evolve in 2026, including continued interest in specialist areas such as limited company BTL.
This episode provides valuable insight for mortgage brokers looking ahead to the near future, examining the key trends shaping the mortgage market and highlighting how advisers can continue to add value and support their clients in the long term.
In this episode of IFA Talk, Sue and Matt are joined by Alex Sumner from Thrive, Blackfinch Group’s dedicated workplace pensions and benefits platform.
Thrive is designed to simplify pension management for businesses while giving employees access to a financial wellbeing app that provides clear insights into pensions, benefits, and financial futures. It can be a key tool for advisers to use also.
The discussion dives into some of the most pressing topics for advisers today:
Closing the advice gap: Alex shares his perspective on whether enough is being done to support those who can’t afford professional financial advice, and the role targeted FCA-backed initiatives like targeted support can play in improving financial wellbeing.
Helping employers to support financial wellbeing and education: With employee financial health increasingly in the spotlight, the conversation explores how employers can better support their workforce, creating opportunities for advisers to add value too.
Opportunities for IFAs: Thrive’s hybrid model isn’t just for businesses and employees, it also opens doors for advisers to strengthen client relationships, drive lead generation, and build new business opportunities.
Whether you’re looking to add to your advice business’ strategy for 2026 or exploring effective new ways to support your business clients, this episode offers practical insights and actionable ideas that can help you deliver.
This month's latest New Insurance & Protection special edition of IFA Talk explores an issue that affects clients across the UK but is still often misunderstood: economic abuse.
In this episode, hosts Meg Bratley and Jenny Hunter are joined by Shelley Read, Senior Technical Manager at Royal London. Shelley sheds light on what economic abuse really means, how it differs from financial abuse, and the impact it can have on financial wellbeing, protection, and even access to mortgages.
Highlights from this week’s episode
What economic abuse is, and who it affects
Shelley explains the different forms this type of control can take, and why certain groups are at heightened risk.
How it shows up in financial services
The discussion explores how economic abuse can influence mortgage eligibility, credit histories and wider financial decision-making.
The role of protection
Shelley highlights how protection conversations can uncover signs of economic control and why advisers play a crucial role in supporting vulnerable clients.
Spotting the signs
Practical guidance on what advisers, friends and family should look out for, and what to do if they’re concerned.
Now live: The latest Mortgage & Property Investment special edition of IFA Talk, and the final episode of the year turns its attention to later life lending, a topic that has taken on increased importance following the October and November Budget announcements.
In this episode, Sue and Meg are joined by two brilliant guests. Tony Wickenden, Founder and Managing Director of Technical Connection, and Will Hale, CEO of Key and Air. Together, they discuss the evolving role of later life lending and what advisers need to consider as they support clients through an increasingly complex planning landscape.
Highlights from the episode
Adviser interest in later life lending
What the Autumn Budget means for planning
The family home and estate planning
Preparing for the opportunities ahead
This episode offers timely insight and practical perspective for advisers navigating post-Budget planning conversations and provides a fitting close to IFA Talk for the year. With the festive season upon us, we’d like to thank our listeners for their support throughout the year and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
On this week’s episode of IFA Talk, Sue and Matt focus on one of the most talked-about topics in the advice sector right now, the Advice Guidance Boundary Review, and more specifically, the arrival of Targeted Support.
Ben Hampton, CEO of Wealth Wizards joins us to share his expert insights. Wealth Wizards has been at the forefront of digital advice and guidance technology, making Ben the ideal guest for this discussion.
Together, they discuss the main drivers behind the push for Targeted Support, and how it reflects the changes needs of UK consumers. Ben also reveals how Targeted Support can help to bridge the advice gap, and how the consumer experience of financial advice and guidance could change, especially in relation to retirement preparation.
Lastly, Ben outlines which hurdles and opportunities he foresees for advice firms, in areas such as regulation, technology and customer trust.
This episode was recorded on 17th November, therefore prior to the FCA’s announcement on Targeted Support.
In this, our last special Tax-Efficient Investment edition of IFA Talk for 2025, we’re reflecting on the recent Budget and the ramifications for EIS and VCTs. Matt and Sue are joined by Tom Wilde, from the Tax Department of UK law firm Shoosmiths, where he heads up the firm’s EIS and VCT practice.
With the reduction of VCT tax relief from 30% to 20% next year potentially driving more interest towards EIS investment, as well as other measures, Tom shares his expert insight on what the changes in the 2025 Budget mean for EIS and VCTs.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Budget 2025 EIS & VCT changes – How new funding and gross asset limits expand investment opportunities
VCT relief reduction – Why the cut from 30% to 20% may shift focus toward EIS products and a boost to demand in the current tax year
Client suitability guidance – Which clients and planning scenarios may now benefit from EIS over VCT
Regional implications – The Budget’s failure to reform age limits and how this affects companies outside the South-East, in particular
Practical advice for advisers – How to navigate structural limitations and identify client opportunities
Hearing from a tax expert like Tom really does highlight why 2026 is looking extremely positive for the tax-efficient investment sector.
We’ll be back with more TEI podcasts in 2026. But in the meantime, look out for our 2026 Tax-Efficient Investment Insights publication coming out in January. We’re sure you’re going to like it!
This week on IFA Talk, Deputy Editor Jenny Hunter and Editor Sue Whitbread are joined once again by James Giblin, Fund Manager at L&G, and someone who’s had a front-row seat to one of the most unpredictable market years we’ve seen in a while.
With 2025 almost behind us, the timing couldn’t be better. James shares his take on what’s really been driving markets this year, how investors can keep a cool head when the headlines get loud, and what advisers should be thinking about as we head into 2026. If you’re looking for a clear, calm voice amid the noise, this episode is definitely one to queue up.
James also gives us a peek behind the scenes at L&G, chatting about how the team navigates conflicting signals in markets, draws on the firm’s research expertise, and makes the kind of decisions that matter when things are changing fast. It’s an honest and accessible look at how multi-asset teams stay grounded when the world around them feels anything but.
And, of course, we look ahead. With a new year on the horizon, James talks through the themes on his radar, from shifting economic conditions to the areas where he sees risk, opportunity and potential surprises. Advisers will find plenty here to help shape client conversations and set expectations for the year to come.
The latest New Insurance & Protection special edition of IFA Talk explores how insurers are reshaping protection in 2025, and what this means for advisers and their clients.
In this episode, hosts Meg Bratley and Sue Whitbread are joined by Paul Roberts, Propositions and Distribution Director at CIExpert. Paul shares his expert insights into how the industry is developing more comprehensive cover and how advisers can translate this into meaningful client conversations.
Highlights from the latest episode:
· A look at what insurers have done during 2025 to offer more comprehensive cover
· How understanding Additional Payments, Enhanced Payments, Accelerated Payments, and Severity Payments adds real value to modern protection conversations
· How Children’s Critical Illness cover should be positioned as part of holistic financial planning moving forward
This episode makes for a fascinating and practical discussion, giving advisers valuable guidance on how to embrace the latest developments in protection and deliver even better outcomes for their clients
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