In many ways the UK financial services industry is self contradictory. We have some of the best contracts, policies and fund managers in the world. We make regular improvements to contract choices and to the terms available. You, the customer, benefit from the competition created by the existence of Independent Financial Advisers in the UK. Unfortunately, we seem stuck in the last century in the way we view you - our customers. You are not generally considered to be capable of making your own decisions or managing your own affairs. You have to be persuaded that you need life insurance when you have a dependent family, you need to be "sold" a pension, or persuaded to invest in unit trusts. However, at IFA Direct we believe that the consumer at the start of the twenty-first century is better informed than ever, and usually knows what he or she wants, while recognising that there is still an enormous choice of products and that many suppliers are competing for that business. We believe that you know what you want more often than the industry traditionally gives you credit for, but you still need advice when it comes to specifying the contract that you seek, and finding the best provider.

In many ways the UK financial services industry is self contradictory. We have some of the best contracts, policies and fund managers in the world. We make regular improvements to contract choices and to the terms available. You, the customer, benefit from the competition created by the existence of Independent Financial Advisers in the UK. Unfortunately, we seem stuck in the last century in the way we view you - our customers. You are not generally considered to be capable of making your own decisions or managing your own affairs. You have to be persuaded that you need life insurance when you have a dependent family, you need to be "sold" a pension, or persuaded to invest in unit trusts. However, at IFA Direct we believe that the consumer at the start of the twenty-first century is better informed than ever, and usually knows what he or she wants, while recognising that there is still an enormous choice of products and that many suppliers are competing for that business. We believe that you know what you want more often than the industry traditionally gives you credit for, but you still need advice when it comes to specifying the contract that you seek, and finding the best provider.