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”.



Should clients take Abridged Advice?
Paul Caine Compliance 2018, abridged, DB Pension, FCA, MiFID, Pension, Pension Transfer, Switch, TCF, transfer
Assessing suitability has always essentially been based around the same overarching principles … The recommended product type should meet the client’s profile and needs? The actual product recommended should be the most suitable, taking account of features and costs. In relation to the second principle, the cliché about cheapest is not necessarily the […]