Financial expert selected to talk at national conference

A financial expert from Wales has been selected to speak at a national conference aboard the Aurora cruise ship in Southampton.

Steve Skelding, a Business Development Manager at Cardiff and Swansea-based wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin, will address over 200 financial intermediaries from across the UK at PIMS UK later this month.

Mr Skelding was chosen by Brewin Dolphin’s head office in London to represent the firm, which has 41 offices nationwide, and will now address senior UK financial managers on the increasing trend for solicitors and IFAs to create joint ventures due to the Legal Services Act.

Of his selection, Mr Skelding said: “I’m privileged to have been chosen by Brewin Dolphin to speak at this prestigious conference as it is attended by leading representatives from the financial industry.

“On the back of the Legal Services Act, more and more solicitors and IFAs are creating joint ventures to offer trustee investment advice. Due to major changes to trust taxation, IFAs are helping solicitors satisfy the majority of their Trustee Act duties. There have recently been some landmark rulings relating to the Hastings Bass principle and my talk will highlight how an IFA could have avoided the need for costly litigation in these cases.”

At the conference delegates will get the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers including Mark Littlewood, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs as well as attend think tanks, seminars, speed networking and workshops to further their professional development.

Mr Skelding started in financial services with Eagle Star in 1990 which, through various mergers and changes became Zurich Financial Services. He remained with the group until 2009, when he left to join Brewin Dolphin. He has recently completed the Diploma in Financial Planning and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. He spent the last 20 years working in the intermediary market in South Wales and the West helping IFAs, wealth managers, solicitors and accountants with investments, SIPP and tax/trust planning solutions. Steve is also a Solicitors Regulation Authority CPD Accredited Provider.