Top 100 Financial Advisers

Table notesThe data is just a guide only. The gross sales are an estimate of the investment and pensions products sold from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017, obtained through Strategic Insight's Financial Clarity product, which received information from providers, platforms and life and pensions companies. Where applicable, we have included data from businesses’ execution-only platforms. The figures have been rounded up, and in some cases two different ranks produce the same sales. Where two figures are similar they have been ranked by Strategic Insight according to their data. The table is a guide only. The different nature of the reports received does lead to bias towards firms that mostly trade directly with fund managers or through platforms rather than with life & pensions companies. Specifically, the sales figures include switches between funds as well as new business as fund managers are usually unable to differentiate the two for sales that they report. Life and pension companies do not tend to report fund switches. Share class conversions are not included. Only investments and pension sales have been included. Except for Hargreaves Lansdown, only firms whose primary business (i.e. majority of sales) is classified by Strategic Insight as either financial advisers, wealth managers and banks are included. All appointed representatives are included within the figures for their principal(s) regardless of whether they would be big enough to have their own entry within the Top 100. Appointed representatives with two recognised investment network principals have been included in both except where both principals are within the same group. Directly authorised firms using service providers related to networks are not included within their sister network’s figures. For the same reason service providers such as SimplyBiz and ThreeSixty do not appear in the list. Figures for some advisers may be understated where business is placed on white-labelled platforms. These include Best Practice and True Potential. IFDL have provided data regarding sales on Succession and Openwork’s platforms at their respective requests. Others may also be understated if they use nominee services or non-contributing platforms and life and pensions companies. 50 per cent to 70 per cent of RBS group's gross sales may be due to in specie transfers that are not reported separately to SI. Investment figures for St. James Place have been taken from the relevant annual and interim reports. CF30 numbers may include qualified staff who are actively advising customers. Certain firms no longer have CF30’s registered against them following a change in the regulatory regime in March 2016.