Later life lending platform Air has launched a new webinar campaign aimed at broadening adviser engagement with property wealth as part of holistic financial planning.
The programme follows the release of Air’s latest report, The home belongs in the plan – Why later life lending is essential for client centred advice, which argues that housing equity is increasingly central to delivering good outcomes for clients while meeting Consumer Duty requirements.
The webinar series is targeted at IFAs, residential mortgage advisers, wealth advisers and later life lending specialists, with sessions designed to reflect differing levels of experience and involvement in the sector.
REFERRALS AND READINESS
One strand of the programme focuses on advisers who are not currently advising on later life lending. Air’s Referral pathways that work webinar is intended to help intermediaries identify suitable clients and establish referral relationships with specialist partners.
A separate Grow your business through referrals session is aimed at existing later life lending specialists, exploring how referral propositions can be used as a cost-effective customer acquisition strategy and how advisers can promote later life lending opportunities to introducer partners.
For firms considering moving beyond referrals, the From referral to readiness webinar will provide guidance on qualifying in later life lending, structuring an in-house proposition and making use of Air’s support tools and services.
COMMERCIAL CASE FOR LATER LIFE LENDING
The report, produced in partnership with Tony Wickenden of Technical Connection and Phillip Wickenden, chief executive of Ad Lucem, sets out the commercial and regulatory rationale for incorporating later life lending into advice models.
It estimates that the cost of launching a later life lending proposition is around £21,700, covering qualifications, training, compliance and marketing, with firms needing around eight cases a year to break even.
For firms opting to begin via referrals to a trusted specialist partner, the report suggests set-up costs of approximately £4,500, with break even achievable with around three cases a year.
Will Hale, chief executive of Key Advice and Air, said: “Property is now an essential part of many clients’ financial futures and many firms could benefit from growing their later life lending business while supporting clients.
“Firms which are not set up to participate in this growing market will be leaving valuable client and commercial opportunities on the table.
“Specialist later life lending advisers need to be proactive in reaching out to potential intermediary partners with referral propositions offering attractive incremental revenue streams for all parties.
“At Air, our goal is to equip advisers with the insight and tools they need to establish productive referral relationships where appropriate and to deliver confident, client centred advice in a fast-moving environment.”
