Every firm wants to deliver great advice. The difficulty is turning regulatory expectations into practical, repeatable processes that work in real life. With Consumer Duty now firmly embedded and scrutiny increasing, firms are under growing pressure to evidence the quality and consistency of their advice.
A tick box approach to compliance is no longer enough. Strong advice frameworks need to be compliant, well‑governed, and genuinely built around the client. That means focusing on what works in practice, not on producing longer documents or more complicated processes.
Drawing on more than 14 years of supporting advice firms and the experience of over 70 financial services specialists, our Retail Investments team has identified the challenges that appear again and again.
The Adviser's Blueprint is the result. We have published the first three Blueprints. Here is what they cover:
1. Client Disclosures
The quickest way to lose a client’s attention is to drown them in technical or legal jargon. While this might keep the compliance team happy, they don’t mean much to most clients, and worse, they can feel intimidating or even suspicious.
The best disclosure documents take the opposite approach: they keep it really simple, use easy-to-understand language and, wherever possible, back up the numbers with real-life examples. And more isn’t always better. Yes, the FCA expects firms to provide clients with clear, fair and non-misleading information about services and costs, but that doesn’t mean handing over a 30-page legal manual.
Under the Consumer Understanding outcome, firms must show that clients not only receive information but actually comprehend it. If a client can’t explain back to you what they’ll pay and what they’ll get, the disclosure hasn’t done its job.
What good looks like:
- Short, clear wording with practical examples
- A focus on what the client actually needs to know
- Evidence that clients understand the information
2. Objective Setting
Real client objectives never sound as tidy as training scenarios. Clients do not arrive with perfectly phrased goals about achieving certain values by certain dates, nor do they speak in the language of products or risk styles.
The challenge is finding the sweet spot between unrealistic, textbook-style aspirations and objectives that are clearly adviser or product-led. By applying the simple suggestions, you’ll be able to capture objectives that are both genuinely client-focused and fully compliant, therefore making them meaningful for the client and robust for the file.
What good looks like:
- Objectives written in the client’s own words
- A clear link between their circumstances and their aims
- Avoiding generic or product‑driven statements
3. Fact Finding and Knowing Your Client (KYC)
We all know it’s possible to complete a KYC form and still walk away without really knowing the client. Too often, the process stops at names, dates, income, and assets. All this is needed and all technically “complete”, but lacking the context and colour that makes the information truly useful. A good KYC paints a full picture of the client’s life: their priorities, pressures, ambitions, habits, preferences, and potential vulnerabilities.
It’s about going beyond the numbers to understand why they make certain financial choices, what they want their money to do for them, and how they feel about risk, security, and trade-offs. The strongest KYC records make it easy for anyone to see exactly who the client is, what matters most to them, and how those factors shape the advice they receive.
What good looks like:
- Understanding motivations as well as numbers
- Exploring priorities, concerns, trade‑offs and habits
- Recording the client’s situation in a way that any reviewer could understand quickly
Navigating these challenges takes experience and focus, and many firms want support that is practical, not costly. That is why our team has developed The Adviser’s Blueprint. Stay tuned for more additions to the blueprint soon.
Fill out the form to download your guides.
Meet the Author
Paul Marriott, Manager 
With over 25 years in financial services, Paul has dedicated his career to fostering compliance and regulatory excellence, helping firms thrive in secure, well-managed environments. His extensive advisory experience with both retail and corporate clients provides a deep understanding of diverse financial needs and regulatory demands. Specialising in compliance oversight for complex, evolving organisations, Paul creates practical solutions that balance regulatory requirements with business goals.