Press Releases.
Positive Solutions Welcomes FSA's Strong Endorsement of Independent, Whole of Market Advice
Jim Reeve welcomes the FSA's Retail Distribution Review interim report.Tue. May 6th, 2008
Positive Solutions chief executive Jim Reeve has welcomed the FSA's Retail Distribution Review interim report that strongly endorses the benefits of independent, whole of market advice.
"We welcome the strategic direction set out in the paper and the FSA's determination to simplify the market by creating a clear divide between advice and sales, he said. "A market which is easier to understand will improve consumer confidence both in the advice they receive and the products they buy.
"The paper carries a strong endorsement for the value of whole of market/IFA advice, the very model that Positive Solutions wholeheartedly embraces.
"We support raising the bar with regard to professional standards, skills and qualifications which is why we have launched our market-leading Learning Academy for our Partners. We also welcome the range of realistic adviser remuneration options mentionedin the paper.
"As the FSA has identified, there are many questions and issues still to be resolved to implement their vision. In the months ahead we will continue to work with AIFA and the regulator to achieve the best possible result for our partners and their clients."
Survey Reveals Healthy Appetite For Training Amongst IFAs
Survey reveals that Positive Solutions partners recognise training and development are essential to their future success in the industry.Tue. May 6th, 2008
An overwhelming 85 per cent of Positive Solutions 1700 partners recognise training and development are essential to their future success in the industry. They also acknowledge the need for professional qualifications is only set to increase as industry changes, such as those likely to be proposed from the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The survey also revealed that IFAs prefer more traditional training methods, with face-to-face workshops rating most popular followed by E-learning and video training. The results come as Positive Solutions continues to lay the foundations for its groundbreaking Learning Academy ? a virtual university that will enable partners to receive high quality training to further enhance the breadth and depth of their advice and to help them open up new markets. Learning Academy head Lee McGrath says four ?Ps? will underpin the academy philosophy. o Personal ? the academy aims to improve individual?s skills in everything from adviser negotiation skills to time management, as well as offering individualised study programmes; o Professional ? study of Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) exams and helping to ease partners through RDR requirements; o Profitable ? helping advisers to grow their businesses while providing exit strategy support for those looking to leave the industry. o Progressive ? aiding partners to move into new marketplaces. While the survey found only 22 per cent of Positive Solutions partners were currently studying CII exams, 78 per cent were considering it. ?There?s a definite recognition and appetite from the business partners for learning and development,? says McGrath. ?They recognise that they?re going to have to go through a whole training and development programme to get through RDR ? event though they don?t even know the detail around it yet. ?Not only does our survey provide ample justification for creating the Learning Academy but it shows there?s a real appetite from advisers too.? More about the Learning Academy will be revealed to members at the upcoming series of Aegon-sponsored Positive Solutions ?Synergy? road show events, which are taking place around the country in the coming weeks.Positive Solutions Appoints Keith Gilmour New Marketing Director
Positive Solutions has announed the appointment of Keith Gilmour as Marketing Director.Tue. April 8th, 2008
Positive Solutions has announced the appointment of Keith Gilmour as Marketing Director.
He joins to lead a new marketing team committed to further developing the Positive Solutions brand and growing the business in support of the company's 1,700 Partners.
With 18 years experience in the UK financial services industry, Mr Gilmour has held a number of sales, marketing and product development roles across companies including Skandia and Scottish Life.
He joins Positive Solutions following seven years in senior positions at Clerical Medical, where he was most recently Head of Distribution and a member of the HBOS Financial Services Management Board. A staunch supporter of independent advice, Mr Gilmour is a former board member of IFA Promotion. "I'm delighted to have joined one of the most impressive and entrepreneurial independent financial advice businesses operating in the UK today," said Mr Gilmour. "There are many exciting opportunities available to build on our high quality proposition to Partners and clients as the company enters a fresh growth phase under dynamic new leadership."
Positive Solutions Chief Executive Jim Reeve said: Keith is a key appointment to developing the Positive Solutions brand and business. He has an excellent track record in the industry, with the sort of impressive skills and experience that will be crucial for driving the business forward in the future."
Positive Solutions to Launch Groundbreaking Adviser Training Academy
Positive Solutions has unveiled plans for a unique training initiative that will equip its partners with business skills and technical excellence.Tue. April 8th, 2008
Positive Solutions has unveiled plans for a unique training initiative that will equip its partners with the business skills and technical excellence to remain at the vanguard of the 21st Century financial advice market.
The Positive Solutions Learning Academy will operate as a 'virtual university' on a scale never before seen in the industry, allowing all IFA Partners access to a comprehensive range of high quality training to underpin the quality of their advice and open new market opportunities.
The Academy will allow partners to build up a formal record of their qualifications and training, encouraging a long-term focus on continued professional development for the benefit of both advisers and clients.
"Positive Solutions has become the leading National IFA because its Partners deliver top quality advice to its clients," said chief executive Jim Reeve. "It is important we build on that lead by giving our Partners the tools to reach their full potential."
"Our current partners have expressed a real desire to develop their business and advice skills and to be able to demonstrate their commitment to reaching the highest possible professional standards."
"The Learning Academy is a groundbreaking proposition for an IFA company, giving access to a vast range of top quality training options and a library of information that will underpin their future development. This clearly demonstrates that Positive Solutions stands out from its rivals for giving partners more opportunities for success."
The Learning Academy will be open to all Positive Solutions partners and will be delivered in a number of ways including formal training days and distance learning. It will focus on four main areas:
oProfessional qualifications
oTechnical training to build product and business knowledge
oSkills training to support and develop adviser-client relationships
o'Celebrity' lectures to motivate and promote success
The initiative will involve linking with a range of third-party groups including the Chartered Insurance Institute for professional standards and qualifications, dedicated financial services training companies and a range of product providers.
Jim Reeve said the Learning Academy is a bold step towards meeting continued pressure on the advice industry to improve knowledge and professionalism.
"Our partners are among the most productive in the industry due to the quality of their advice and wide experience but this initiative will allow them to demonstrate to the public and regulators their commitment to continually raising advice standards, he said."
Positive Solutions is one of the leading companies providing its advisers the support and knowledge for them to successfully operate and thrive whatever the future holds.
Positive Solutions Targets Home Loan Market with Launch of New Mortgage Club
Positive Solutions has created a new Mortgage Club to give partners the opportunity to benefit from exclusive deals with lenders, higher service standards and improved fees.Tue. April 8th, 2008
Positive Solutions has created a new Mortgage Club to give partners in the leading national IFA company the opportunity to benefit from exclusive deals with lenders, higher service standards and improved fees.
The Positive Solutions Mortgage Club heralds a new in-house focus on mortgage advice and sales and signals the company's ambition to build on its brand and position as one of the leading players in the UK market.
Positive Solutions is a key mortgage player, with about one-third of its 1,700 advisers focusing primarily on the mortgage market an overall value of introductions in excess of £7 billion last year.
"These levels of business already put Positive Solutions in the 'top 10' of UK mortgage advisers," said mortgage manager Paul Rignall. "The Mortgage Club aims to build on that success and to allow our partners to continue thriving in more demanding market conditions."
The Mortgage Club will give advisers 'whole of market' choice but will focus on building strong relationships with 25 of the largest mortgage companies accounting for about 90 per cent of business to secure enhanced service standards, higher fees and the ability of Positive Solutions advisers to sell exclusive products for the first time.
"Lenders have been keen to become involved because they are well aware of not only the quantity but also the high quality of our business in terms of cost-effective electronic submission of business and renewals," said Paul Rignall.
"They are keen to access our advisers and clients, giving us greater leverage to negotiate terms. The benefits will be seen directly in areas such as fees but also in joint initiatives between lenders and Positive Solutions to promote products and services to generate better opportunities in mortgage-related sales. These initiatives will be supported by the first ever Regional Mortgage Conferences run by Positive Solutions."
"In a tightening market, service will be a key differentiator in the mortgage advice process and lenders are beginning to realise the benefits of dealing with Positive Solutions? unique interactive pipeline system with all the time and resource benefits it brings to lenders and advisers."
"But this is not just about improving the proposition for our current partners. The benefits of the Mortgage Club will make Positive Solutions a very attractive proposition to all advisers who are looking to build a prosperous future within a financially secure company."
"Consolidation in the industry is likely, particularly in a weakening home sales market although we expect remortgage business to remain strong. Many directly authorised brokers will rightly feel it is a good time to move under the umbrella of a single large company and Positive Solutions stands out from the crowd as a successful company that not only makes promises but delivers on them too."
Positive Solutions Enters into Exclusive Partnership to Advise Single Parents
Positive Solutions will deliver financial services to single parents in an exclusive partnership with consumer websites OnlyDads and OnlyMums.Tue. April 8th, 2008
National IFA, Positive Solutions will deliver financial services to single parents in an exclusive partnership with consumer websites OnlyDads and OnlyMums.
The websites offer emotional and practical support to the 3,000,000 single parents in the UK who juggle the pressures of work, home, and school life. Many people become 'lone parents' without warning which can leave them financially vulnerable.
OnlyDads and OnlyMums founder, Bob Greig said: "The end of a relationship, whether due to bereavement or a break-up, results in the need for people to re-evaluate their finances including their mortgage, savings, pensions and insurance contracts."
"Positive Solutions is our perfect partner. It has nationwide distribution, offers independent advice on a very wide range of products, and has a particularly empathic approach."
Wherever possible, Positive Solutions advisers who are themselves single parents, will advise members of the websites at a time of day or evening to suit clients, and in the convenience of their home or workplace.
Chris Hull, proposition development manager at Positive Solutions added: "There is a real deficit of specialist financial advice in this area and more than 200 Positive Solutions partners have already expressed interest in this worthy project."
Our advice will be tailored to suit the needs of single parents. We understand time is precious and by giving clients access to online valuations and the ability to communicate with our advisers electronically, our service will complement their daily routines.
Said Keith Gilmour, Positive Solutions marketing director, "we are always interested in talking to innovative companies. We work with over 1000 introducing firms and this involves advising the clients of a vast range of businesses. When we heard about OnlyDads and OnlyMums, we knew immediately that we were a strategic fit."
Positive Solutions Strengthens Partner Proposition with Innovative Synergy Initiative
Positive Solutions has teamed up with a select group of leading UK financial services companies to create a new initiativeWed. January 31st, 2007
Positive Solutions has teamed up with a select group of leading UK financial services companies to create a new initiative - Synergy - to deliver outstanding benefits to Partners and their clients.
Synergy companies will work with Positive Solutions on three key areas:
·Developing and delivering exclusive products
·Sponsoring high quality networking and promotional events
·Providing marketing and client support resources
Positive Solutions has initially announced three Synergy companies focusing on investment and pensions business: Aegon, Funds Network and Zurich. For mortgage business it has teamed up with Abbey for Intermediaries and RBS Intermediary Partners for lending, and Legal & General and Bright Grey for protection.
"Synergy gives us an innovative platform to build stronger relationships with a carefully chosen group of market-leading companies for the benefit of our Partners and their clients," said Positive Solutions chief executive Jim Reeve.
"This further enhances the Positive Solutions offering and ties in closely with our other key initiatives including the Learning Academy and the Mortgage Club. Partners will of course continue to have whole of market choice but in addition will gain exclusive access to a range of compelling products along with higher standards of service and support."