Perspective to join rebranded Apfa and goes for chartered clean sweep

IFA consolidator Perspective is set to become a member of the Association of Professional Financial Advisers (Apfa), the rebranded Association of Independent of Financial Advisers (Aifa), and is pushing for all its IFA firms to gain chartered status.

The national advisory firm has decided to join the trade body, following its rebrand this month, to offer its 230 employees support and resources.

Aifa is changing its name to Apfa to reflect its move to allow restricted adviser membership.

Peter Craddock (pictured), Perspective group operations director, said that majority of its offices would remain independent.

‘However, for some of our offices the work required to demonstrate the regulator’s changed definition of independence would be excessive and provide no benefit to the client – which is always our core priority,’ he said.

Craddock added that chartered status would be the future benchmark of standard for all firms.

‘This is why we have been actively working with our offices to become chartered firms and already 30% of our offices have achieved this accolade,’ he said. ‘Our intention is that the group as a whole, and our individual offices, will play a full part in the rebranded trade body and we are looking forward to supporting, and being supported by, Apfa as it establishes itself in the new RDR [retail distribution review] environment.’