In Focus News & Insights

Are we on the cusp of a brave new world of robo-advisers in the financial advice industry?

If the latest poll from artificial intelligence (AI) innovator Rainbird is anything to go by*, the answer is "yes", with the company predicting the emergence of "meaningful" AI platforms, which, it says, will become integral to the financial advice market over the coming years.

There is a lot I have learned over more than three decades in the financial services industry and while this period of managing client investments was made possible by my education and enthusiasm, the years have taught me that there is no substitute for experience. There is a big difference between knowing something theoretically and having first-hand, practical experience of it.

However, another side of my experience has been as a financial planning "firefighter"; learning, after the event, from the experiences of others, typically those clients who come to me a little crestfallen or embarrassed as a result of losses or stagnation caused by regrettable investment decisions.

This week we put the Spotlight On…Rosemary Sheppard who is a Blacktower International Financial Adviser in France, based in the Dordogne.

Rosemary's career in the financial services sector began in 2008 when she signed up for what she initially imagined would be a "regular 9 to 5 job" at a bank. However, in the wake of that year's global banking crisis, Rosemary re-evaluated her professional priorities and realised that the best way she could help clients in the difficult financial climate of the time would be to climb the career ladder to a position of influence. She was further excited by working under a new set of regulations that would offer clients an unprecedented level of extra protections.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has published a guide to UK Retirement Living Standards* as part of a mission to assist people in working towards a prosperous future retirement.

Research by the PLSA found that 51% of retirement investors are overly focused on their current economic needs, with only 23% properly educated on what it will likely take for them to adequately fund their retirement. However, the newly published Standards are designed to address this shortfall by providing investors with the knowledge and guidance they need to picture their future lifestyle.

This week we look at what the recent re-election of the Socialists in Portugal means for expats and foreign visitors.

While Prime Minister Antonio Costa may be jubilant, it is likely that he will continue to rely on the investment and economic stimulation generated by foreign citizens and expats if he is to help the country keep its spiralling debt under control.

At the moment, no one can say with complete certainty what will happen in the near future regarding Brexit and pensions.

However, one thing is clear: uncertainty about the future should not be a pretext to doing nothing about your UK pension; it is not automatically the right idea to think to yourself "Will Brexit affect my pension? I'll just leave it where it is and wait to see".

Are you on the brink of becoming a British expat in Spain or perhaps you recently moved to Spain and are now trying to get your finances in order? With four branches across Spain, Blacktower Financial Management is ideally placed to support you.

Here we share our Top Tips to assist you on your journey with some cross-border specific financial information.

This week's Blacktower View article comes from Christina Brady (Associate Director in Costa Blanca, Spain) and Manuela Robinson (Joint Country Manager in Portugal). Together they look at women in the financial services sector and what they bring to the table for both the firms they represent and the clients who come to them for advice and guidance.