simple products

The Money Advice Service (MAS) has put an increased emphasis on 'budgeting' in its Business Plan 2013/14 released today.

The Money Advice Service (MAS) is set to experience more change with its chairman's three-year term coming to an end in September.

The excessive complexity of many financial products has dogged the financial services industry for as long as anyone can remember. I hope the publication of Carol Sergeant's Review of Simple Financial Products proves to be a watershed for the industry...

The simple products report could be the catalyst of a "clear blue water" reputation for income protection, despite its exclusion from the first phase of products, Unum has said.

Simple income replacement proposals in the Sergeant review have not made the first set of products, with whole-of-life set to be included next.

Advisory businesses will see a marked reduction in the amount they contribute to the Money Advice Service (MAS) in 2013/14 if proposed changes to the way it is funded are approved.

Product innovation is a term I continue to hear regarding income protection (IP). What do we need to do as an industry to engage the millions of people with a pressing need and ensure IP sales gather pace?

Carol Sergeant has suggested the proposed income replacement product will not be included in the first phase of the proposed simple products, the Income Protection Task Force (IPTF) has stated following a meeting with the review's chair.

Income protection needs to strip out the state benefits element if the product is to move upwards, a consultancy firm has stated.

The Income Protection Task Force has planned to launch a consumer charter as part of a three-point plan for income protection.