Client’s own words (COWs).
This is a powerful and effective way of personalising suitability reports. When you gather know your customer (KYC) information (see ‘K’ blog post) try to record some of the client requirements and objectives using their own words, so that you can repeat the quotes back to the client in the reports.
This provides the ultimate in personalisation and is a great way to cement recommendations.
If you can quote something like
“Both you and Beth want to use you maximum ISA allowance for the next 7 years (when you plan to retire Tom) for the purpose of supplementing your retirement income but also to buy that camper van you’ve always wanted and fulfil your dream of driving around Europe”.



The ongoing advice charge conundrum
Paul Jay Compliance 2018, Conduct, FCA, MiFID
A high proportion of advice firms operate a largely recurring income model and with this comes the obligation to conduct client reviews. This is a subject that raises its head frequently with firms, especially with Consumer Duty considerations. Reviews are nothing new but when MiFID II came into effect on 3rd January 2018 it introduced […]