Independent Financial Advisor
Independent financial advisers (IFAs) are professionals who offer independent advice on financial matters to their clients and recommend suitable financial products from the ''whole of the market''. The term was developed to reflect a United Kingdom (UK) regulatory position and has a specific UK meaning, although it has been adopted in other parts of the world, such as Hong Kong. The term "independent financial adviser" was coined to describe the advisers working independently for their clients rather than representing an insurance company, bank or bancassurer. At the time (1988) the UK government was introducing the polarisation regime which forced advisers to either be tied to a single insurer or product provider or to be an independent practitioner. The term is commonly used in the United Kingdom where IFAs are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and must meet strict qualification and competence requirements. Typically an independent financial adviser wi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skills necessary to perform their specific role within that profession. In addition, most professionals are subject to strict codes of conduct, enshrining rigorous ethical and moral obligations. Professional standards of practice and ethics for a particular field are typically agreed upon and maintained through widely recognized professional associations, such as the IEEE. Some definitions of "professional" limit this term to those professions that serve some important aspect of public interest and the general good of society.Sullivan, William M. (2nd ed. 2005). ''Work and Integrity: The Crisis and Promise of Professionalism in America''. Jossey Bass.Gardner, Howard and Shulman, Lee S., The Professions in America Today: Crucial but Fragile. Da ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Qualifications And Credit Framework
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) was the national credit transfer system for education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales until October 2015.. The replacement was the Regulated Qualification Framework. The QCF replaced the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which closed for accreditations at the end of 2010. Scotland has its own system, the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Overview Every unit and qualification in the framework has a credit value (where one credit represents 10 hours of learning time). There are three different sizes of qualification: * awards (1 to 12 credits) * certificates (13 to 36 credits) * diplomas (37 credits or more) In addition, each qualification has a level of difficulty from Entry level at the bottom to Level 8 at the top. The title of each qualification within this framework contains details of the size (award/certificate/diploma), level of difficulty (Entry to Level 8) and the general content o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) was a quasi-judicial body accountable for the financial regulation, regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom between 2001 and 2013. It was founded as the Securities and Investments Board (SIB) in 1985. Its board was appointed by the HM Treasury, Treasury, although it operated independently of government. It was structured as a company limited by guarantee and was funded entirely by fees charged to the financial services industry. Due to perceived regulatory failure of the banks during the financial crisis of 2007–2008, the Cameron–Clegg coalition, UK government decided to restructure financial regulation and abolish the FSA. On 19 December 2012, the ''Financial Services Act 2012'' received royal assent, abolishing the FSA with effect from 1 April 2013. Its responsibilities were then split between two new agencies: the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (United Kingdom), Prudent ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Spam
Spam may refer to: * Spam (food), a canned pork meat product * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ** Messaging spam, spam targeting users of instant messaging (IM) services, SMS or private messages within websites Art and entertainment * Spam (gaming), the repetition of an in-game action * "Spam" (Monty Python), a comedy sketch * "Spam", a song on the album ''It Means Everything'' (1997), by Save Ferris * "Spam", a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic on the album ''UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff'' * Spam Museum, a museum in Austin, Minnesota, US dedicated to the canned pork meat product Other uses * Smooth-particle applied mechanics, the use of smoothed-particle hydrodynamics Smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a computational method used for simulating the mechanics of continuum media, such as solid mechanics and fluid flows. It was developed by Gingold and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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External Links
An internal link is a type of hyperlink on a web page to another page or resource, such as an image or document, on the same website or domain. Hyperlinks are considered either "external" or "internal" depending on their target or destination. Generally, a link to a page outside the same domain or website is considered external, whereas one that points at another section of the same web page or to another page of the same website or domain is considered internal. These definitions become clouded, however, when the same organization operates multiple domains functioning as a single web experience, e.g. when a secure commerce website is used for purchasing things displayed on a non-secure website. In these cases, links that are "external" by the above definition can conceivably be classified as "internal" for some purposes. Ultimately, an internal link points to a web page or resource in the same root directory. Similarly, seemingly "internal" links are in fact "external" for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Collective Investment Scheme
An investment fund is a way of investing money alongside other investors in order to benefit from the inherent advantages of working as part of a group such as reducing the risks of the investment by a significant percentage. These advantages include an ability to: * hire professional investment managers, who may offer better returns and more adequate risk management; * benefit from economies of scale, i.e., lower transaction costs; * increase the asset diversification to reduce some unsystematic risk. It remains unclear whether professional active investment managers can reliably enhance risk adjusted returns by an amount that exceeds fees and expenses of investment management. Terminology varies with country but investment funds are often referred to as investment pools, collective investment vehicles, collective investment schemes, managed funds, or simply funds. The regulatory term is undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities, or short collective invest ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Self-invested Personal Pension
A self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is the name given to the type of UK government-approved personal pension scheme which allows individuals to make their own investment decisions from the full range of investments approved by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). SIPPs are " tax wrappers", allowing tax rebates on contributions in exchange for limits on accessibility. The HMRC rules allow for a greater range of investments to be held than personal pension schemes, notably equities and property. Rules for contributions, benefit withdrawal etc. are the same as for other personal pension schemes. Another subset of this type of pension is the stakeholder pension scheme. History The rules and conditions for a broader range of investments were originally set out in ''Joint Office Memorandum 101'' issued by the UK's Inland Revenue in 1989. However, the first true SIPP was taken out in March 1990. James Hay Partnership, the parent company of then Personal Pension Management, offered the fir ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pensions In The United Kingdom
Pensions in the United Kingdom, whereby United Kingdom tax payers have some of their wages deducted to save for retirement, can be categorised into three major divisions - state, occupational and personal pensions. The state pension is based on years worked, with a 35-year work history yielding a pension of £185.15 per week. It is linked to wage and price increases. Most employees and the self-employed are also enrolled in employer-subsidised and tax-efficient occupational and personal pensions which supplement this basic state-provided pension. Historically, the "Old Age Pension" was introduced in 1909 in the United Kingdom (which included all of Ireland at that time). Following the passage of the Old-Age Pensions Act 1908 a pension of 5 shillings per week (25p, equivalent, using the Consumer Price Index, to £ in present-day terms), or 7s.6d per week (equivalent to £/week today) for a married couple, was payable to persons with an income below £21 per annum (equivalent to  ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Financial Planner
A financial planner or personal financial planner is a qualified financial advisor. Practicing in full service personal finance, they advise clients on investments, insurance, tax, retirement and estate planning. As a general rule, a financial planner’s work can: * integrate into the range of professional services (eg: lawyer, accountant); or * integrate into the offer of a range of financial products and services (eg: financial advisor, insurance agent); or * not be integrated into other products or services, providing stand alone financial planning. Scope Financial planning should cover all areas of the client's financial needs and should result in the achievement of each of the client's goals as required. The scope of planning would usually include the following: * Risk management and insurance planning: managing cash flow risks through sound risk management and insurance techniques * Investment and planning issues: planning, creating and managing capital accumulati ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Financial Adviser
A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory body in order to provide advice. In the United States, a financial adviser carries a Series 7 and Series 66 or Series 65 qualification examination. According to the U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), qualification designations and compliance issues must be reported for public view. Details of formal compliance issues can be found on thInvestment Adviser Public Disclosure(IAPD) website and details of non-formal issues can be found oOnesta FINRA specifies the following groups who may use the term ''financial advisor:'' brokers, investment advisers, private bankers, accountants, lawyers, insurance agents and financial planners. Financial advisors need to be able to take the full picture of the client's financial situation ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Financial Advice
A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory body in order to provide advice. In the United States, a financial adviser carries a Series 7 and Series 66 or Series 65 qualification examination. According to the U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), qualification designations and compliance issues must be reported for public view. Details of formal compliance issues can be found on thInvestment Adviser Public Disclosure(IAPD) website and details of non-formal issues can be found oOnesta FINRA specifies the following groups who may use the term ''financial advisor:'' brokers, investment advisers, private bankers, accountants, lawyers, insurance agents and financial planners. Financial advisors need to be able to take the full picture of the client's financial situation ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Financial Services And Markets Act 2000
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000c 8 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as a regulator for insurance, investment business and banking, and the Financial Ombudsman Service to resolve disputes as a free alternative to the courts. The Act was considerably amended by the Financial Services Act 2012 and the Bank of England and Financial Services Act 2016. Contents Some of the key sections of this act are: ;Part I The Regulator * Section 1A outlines the regulatory objectives of the Financial Conduct Authority: (a) market confidence; (b) financial stability (c) public awareness; (d) the protection of consumers; and (e) the reduction of financial crime. * Section 2A establishes the Prudential Regulation Authority ;Part II Regulated And Prohibited Activities * Section 19 requires firms to be authorised to conduct regulated activities. * Section 21 makes it a criminal offence to issue a financial promotion ( ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |