Investment research at an IFA firm has two stretches. The first is panel research — choosing the funds, ETFs, MPS and DFM relationships the firm is willing to recommend. The second is portfolio research — turning that panel into model portfolios that map to ATR bands, capacity-for-loss limits and target outcomes. Both stretches have to survive a Consumer Duty distribution-chain review and an FCA file pull. The articles and sub-hubs below are the working notes the Wealth Analytica research team builds the picks on.
Each piece is anchored on a named author and reviewed by a named second. The dominant author here is Matthew Hull (CFA, MSCI) — a former CIO and Chartered Financial Analyst — with Eliot Jones (DipPFA, CCIBS) reviewing on suitability and Consumer Duty. The pieces cite primary FCA, MSCI and IA sources where claims rest on them. Read our editorial policy for the full sourcing standards.
Sub-topics
MPS due diligence
How to assess a third-party Model Portfolio Service — manager research, performance attribution, cost transparency, and the FCA review that sharpened expectations in 2025.
ESG / SDR labelling
The FCA Sustainability Disclosure Requirements regime — the four labels, the anti-greenwashing rule, and how to evidence sustainability claims in a recommendation.
Adjacent pillars
Investment research sits next to two close pillars. CIP / CRP covers the proposition design that decides how research turns into client recommendations. Regulatory & Compliance covers the conduct framework — Consumer Duty, fair-value assessment, the SDR labelling rules — that audits every research decision after the fact.