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”.



Do you mark your own homework?
Paul Jay Compliance assessment tool, Conduct, DB Pension, DBAAT, Defined Benefit, FCA, FOS, Pension, PI, Senior Manager, SM&CR, Switch, transfer
Most firms will have at least vague recollections of the FSA’s thematic review of pension switching and the report it produced in December 2008. It produced a flurry of activity, but as time has elapsed it has perhaps become a distant memory, despite the high volumes of replacement business that have been and continue […]