ACNB Bank’s Post

So many learnings from our Institute of Directors Ireland event yesterday evening for our CDir Network members, kindly hosted by Deirdre Ashe CDir, Bank of Ireland Insurance Services. Our experienced panel of speakers (Aongus Hegarty, Margot Slattery, Gavin Kelly, Deirdre Ashe and moderator Martin D. Shanahan) shared their insights on how Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) starts at the top of the organisation. Learnings for me included: Being aware of unconscious bias. Get educated. Succession planning is key. Measure success. Language matters. Prepare for the Long-term. Boards must develop viable plans for the future and beyond.

#UK #FCA #LondonCapitalFinance #LCF #ponzischeme #fraud #Conservatives It was alleged in the High Court by Stephen Robins KC, that London Capital & Finance (LCF) ran a Ponzi scheme that defrauded nearly £240 million from about 12,000 (mostly elderly) investors. Michael Thomas (former Chief Executive Officer), amongst others, is alleged to have squandered their funds on racehorses, luxury watches and shotguns. The High Court heard from the company's administrators (Smith & Williamson) that proceeds from LCF loans were used to buy luxury items including bronze statues, gold, land in Jamaica, Porsches, and quad bikes, as well as covering private school fees and political donations to the Conservative party. The Telegraph reports that a group of LCF associates went out drinking after they had persuaded the father of a woman left in a coma to invest more than £1 million of her money in the alleged Ponzi scheme. LCF collapsed in January 2019 with circa £237 million of private investments missing. It is alleged that LCF associates spent the monies. The British taxpayer then had to effectively pay for these missing (spent) monies. This is because the Government set up a scheme to compensate investors and paid out £114 million, and £58 million was paid to investors via the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. BUT, everything is FINE, because Andrew Bailey, Chief of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) at the time of these systemic failings, said "I take responsibility" for failure to stop £236 million in suspected fraud. We can all heave a huge sigh of relief. Citywire: https://lnkd.in/gts8Ma5V Financial Times: https://lnkd.in/g49jycjd The Telegraph: https://lnkd.in/gJTCYz7G The Times: https://lnkd.in/g634jE7H If you find my LinkedIn posts interesting please Follow Me on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/ecVNTRq4

What a brilliant conference last week at Port Douglas. It was incredibly inciteful to take in and takeaway so much from the speakers like Nadine Champion, Dean Mannix - Speaker - Sales Growth and Mindset, Scott Rumble, and Carolyn Miller. Entertained by "Lehmo" over dinner and Michael Pope over the 2 days as MC . During to the 2 days, I was fortunate to mingle with other brokers, and lender BDM's over the 2 days, sharing ideas and thoughts on the industry. It's great to get back to work feeling energised and put a lot of what we learnt into practice and develop our business further to helping our new and existing clients. So, what were my 5 "take aways" from the 2023 Connective Asset Finance conference?; 1. Don't mess with Rita Sauvage! 🤣 (karate chopped a block of wood on stage on Day 1) 2. Courage. Finding the courage within yourself to make change for good can be difficult, but once you find it, you won't regret the decision. 3. If you're new to the industry, there is a lot of help available out there that you can bounce ideas off. (As a 57 year old rookie, I can attest to this!) 4. Change your mindset. Challenge your thinking about the direction of your business is relevant and great way to review and freshen ideas. We need to step out of our comfort zone and do this more often! 5. Be better at building strong relationships - whether it's with your clients, your work colleagues, BDM's, or even your friends & family. It's up to you on the effort you make into the relationships that you build. Sell yourself before you start selling anything else! Just want to also give big shoutout and Well done to the events team at Connective in putting this Asset Finance Conference together!! 👏 👏 #kellyandcofinance #brokersarebetter #brokerlife

What to expect in 2024: The resurgence of Nil Rate Discretionary Trusts At the tail end of 2022, all UK trusts (with a few exceptions like charitable trusts and pension schemes) had to register using HMRC’s Trust Registration Service (‘TRS’). The TRS is a register confirming the beneficial ownership of trusts that was introduced as part of the UKs implementation of the Fourth Anti Money Laundering Directive. Initially, registration was limited to taxable trusts but the change to including non taxable trusts saw many clients, financial institutions and practitioners alike trying to answer that all important question – is this trust registrable and if so, how do I register it? In 2023, the private client team saw a multitude of enquiries asking this very question. The one reoccurring trust that came up time and time again was the almost forgotten about Nil Rate Band Discretionary Trust. Davina Puran explains what these trusts are and whether they still have a place in 2024: https://lnkd.in/eXTaR4rd For more legal insights: https://lnkd.in/eCy4_i6u #wills&probate #estateplanning #legalmagazine

KBRA’s Financial Institutions Senior Managing Director, Joseph Scott, spoke today at Informa’s #PrivatePlacements Industry Forum. Joe, along with the other panelists, explored the question: how are #assetmanagers performing in the current environment? Learn more about the KBRA difference at www.kbra.com | #insightfulresearch #creditratings

The Blackwattle Small Cap Quality Fund is pleased to present its November Monthly Report.   Portfolio Manager’s Daniel Broeren, Robert Hawkesford and Andy Chuk, CFA A) share their views on the financial markets, B) offer opinion on a forward outlook, and C) provide insight into current Portfolio positioning.   See key insights below. #Blackwattle #QualityInvesting #ASX Disclaimer: Equity Trustees Limited ABN 46 004 031 298 AFSL 240975, is the Responsible Entity for the Blackwattle Small Cap Quality Fund. This information does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any person. Returns are not guaranteed. You should read the PDS & TMD available at: https://lnkd.in/gwDXNq4W. A full Disclaimer list may be found at https://lnkd.in/gEiCBTcw.

We're still on a high from being named Medium Business of the Year at last week's Eastern Daily Press Business Awards.... See page 5 for our feature in the winners supplement! 📰 #edpbusinessawards #mediumbusinessoftheyear #opergy #EDP LOCALiQ_UK

UNSGSA Queen Máxima’s 2023 Annual Report is out now! From #financialhealth to inclusive #green finance and #fintech, learn how these initiatives are driving better development outcomes. Get it here: https://bit.ly/44v3a35 #SDGs

Yesterday we attended the Sandringham Financial Partners Q2 Conference. As you may be aware Donnelly Financial Advice is a trading style of Sandringham Financial Partners Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Being authorised and regulated by the FCA means that any Independent Financial Adviser you use must meet certain standards and follow rules laid out by the FCA. These rules are there to make sure that clients are: ☑ Treated fairly  ☑ They are protected  ☑ The products and services they are offered are suitable for their goals and financial needs.  Something we whole heartedly agree with at Donnelly Financial Advice. It was great to catch up with Neil Jenkins and Gordon Boxshall. We enjoyed listening to speakers from M&G Investments, Schroders, RSMR, Liontrust Asset Management PLC, Rathbones Asset Management, and Columbia Threadneedle Investments EMEA APAC.    #croydon #london #kent #surrey #donnellyifa #ifa #independentfinancialadviser #independentfinancialadvisor #financialadviser #financialadvisor #financialplanning #financialplanner #SandringhamFinancialPartners #FinancialConductAuthority #FCA #trustedadvice #regulatedadvice #londonevents #businessnetworking #businessnetwork #londonnetworking #networkingevent #professionalnetworking #networkingmixer