People who seek financial advice are more confident in advice from independent financial advisers (IFAs) compared to banks or building societies, according to a new survey by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
Sixty-one percent of people receiving advice from IFAs reported that they were "very confident that the advice was appropriate to their circumstances," reports the FSA. That compares to 33% of people going to banks and building societies who reported being "very confident" in their advice.
While higher confidence levels were apparent amongst IFA customers, overall, the vast majority of people were at least "fairly" or "very" confident in the advice they received.
"The reason for the difference could be due to the nature of the relationship, with greater ... personalisation by an IFA [compared to] a bank or building society," says the FSA report.
IFAs give tailored financial advice to customers about investments, debt, insurance and other financial products. Banks and building societies also give advice about financial products, but are not considered independent because they may give preferential treatment to certain financial products.
Starting in 2013, new rules are being put in place to regulate financial advisers. The new rules (generally refered to as a RDR, which stands for Retail Distribution Review) requires advisers to have certain qualifications. The new rules are meant to help customers better understand advisors' fees, commissions and independence. (For more information about RDR, read Can RDR Make a Difference to Investors?)
The annual FSA survey shows that less than 20% of respondents sought out professional advice about financial products over the previous 12 months.
The annual FSA Consumer Awareness Survey was based on face-to-face interviews with over 2,000 adults across Great Britain. The survey was conducted to help the regulatory body understand how consumers buy and interact with financial products and services. In turn, the FSA will use this information to help it create more suitable, effective financial regulations in the future.