The nationwide, female-focused Financial Planning firm Independent Women, part of the Succession wealth management group, is planning to expand significantly in 2018 as it celebrates 20 years in business.

Standard Life’s Financial Planning business 1825 has agreed to acquire Bristol-based Financial Planning firm Fraser Heath Financial Management and will utilise the firm as 1825’s South West regional office.

City of London Police have joined forces with the FCA, Trading Standards officers and HMRC to carry out a ‘day of action’ to highlight the growing problem of ‘binary options’ investment scams which have seen investors lose over £59m in five years.

The ABI has welcomed confirmation today from Pensions Minister Guy Opperman that the Pensions Dashboard will go ahead.

The influential Treasury Committee has today launched a new inquiry into Women in Finance which will focus on the Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter and the progress being made against its targets.

Synaptic Software, the research software provider for financial advisers, has launched Synaptic Analyser, a retirement income analysis and drawdown product comparison tool.

Some 39% of younger adults aged 25-34 would seek financial advice online and say they would “not need to talk to someone” - underlying a generational gap in the desire to seek financial advice.

Chartered Financial Planning firm Fairstone has hired Sheriden Davy as group compliance director, with effect from January 2018.

The Chartered Bodies Alliance, which includes the CISI and the PFS, is calling on regulators and firms to do more to prevent ‘bad apples’ from re-circulating within the industry by swapping more information on those with poor professional records.

The FCA’s Financial Lives Survey, published today, has revealed that 15m working people are failing to pay into a pension and are making little provision for retirement.