Good Luck Mate You Will Need IT

Peter I can only wish you all the best coming at your time of life into a business where we now need to employ solicitors and barristers to slow down the persecution and injustice visited on IFA's by the regulators whose wages,bonuses,pensions and jollies we are forced to pay, in addition to bailing them out for every regulatory cock-up they make. You would have spent the money you made from IT more wisely in going to the far east for lessons in hari kiri. It is easy to detect that your initial enthusiasm is starting to wain having seen that the FSA don't give a toss how long they prevent you from earning a living while they tick boxes. The success of this box ticking exercise is questionable when one looks at the number of conmen who got through the process to engage in massive fraud operations for which we of course pick up the tab. I would also suggest that you do not book a large facility for seminars for which you propose to charge,it could be a very lonely night. A number of years ago my business partner ( who just had enough and went to sell doors)and I held a free seminar for all local accountants and solicitors. A local hotel laid on food and drinks. We also had two guest speakers over from the mainland. A typical response was an accountant who could not make the presentation as his wee lad had to go to football. He did however come after the presentation and proceeded to polish off a full bottle of quality chardonnay. For all the expenditure we never got a single business referral. Distribution in the UK has been made practically impossible.You can only make a living now in wealth management, buying up the large accumulated funds sold by a previous generation of distributors and churning it into 'money under management'as typified by the likes of Towery Law. Ask yourself why the Pru have purchased AIG's far east operation. After all that I do sincerely mean it, 'GOOD LUCK' just make sure you get out again before it bankrupts you.

Posted by: David McMeekin

Too right!!!

Nicely put Dave....

Posted by: Stephen Rodley

Glass half full

Couldn't disagree more with Mr. McMeekin, this is a great industry to be in. We spend all our working life helping people and doing the best we can on their behalfs and the vast majority of the time we get reasonably well paid and well respected for our efforts. Sure there are distractions and factors that impinge on our ability to do the job but that is the same in all walks of life be that as a doctor, solicitor, accountant or priest there is always somebody telling you what to do. Get on with it. Great to see somebody new seeing this as an industry worth joining I hope you succeed

Posted by: Phil Stevenson