Pension provider MetLife has teamed up with “advice supermarket” Unbiased to encourage people to talk to a financial adviser.
According to Karen Barrett, chief executive of Unbiased, the week-long MoneyFit Week 2015 aims to appeal to consumers who may never have spoken with a financial adviser before.
The aim is to get people to think about their money in new ways and take steps to improve their overall financial fitness.
Over the course of the week, unbiased.co.uk will be hosting live online Q&A sessions between consumers and financial advisers.
Session participants can raise questions on issues such as pensions, mortgages and other financial matters and discuss them with experts free of charge. Anyone taking part can also follow other conversations, share tips and experience the benefit of professional financial expertise perhaps for the first time.
Ms Barrett said: “These sessions are not intended to be a substitute for tailored professional advice, but we hope MoneyFit Week will be a valuable introduction that gives people a chance to see what value advisers can provide.”
Simon Massey, wealth management director at MetLife, said: “Pension freedom has opened up a wealth of opportunities for savers, but the risk is the opportunity to spend their funds could be just too tempting. Advice will be crucial in helping people to avoid running out of money in retirement.”
Adviser view
Graeme Mitchell, managing director of Galashiels-based Lowland Financial, said: “I am not sure how this initiative differs from advisers giving pro bono sessions. Much of the information people will get will also be on the internet. Ultimately, people need to choose whether to pay for advice.”
