Thanks to all who attended our recent National Members Meeting. As always, the guest speaker sessions generated some very healthy discussion and debate especially John Fairhurst of Payplan’s talk on consumer IVAs. The output of this session is something that we must capture and move forward – if you’d like to register your interest in being involved in follow up discussions, please let me know.
All the papers and presentations, including Chris Williams of Nationwide’s talk on ‘technology supporting advice’ and Antony Elliot of Fairbanking Foundation’s talk on ‘behavioural economics’, can now be found on the MALG website here.
The next MALG Members’ Meeting will be on 25 January 2018 at Bond Dickinson’s offices in London. If you have any ideas for future topics or speakers, please email them to dionne.stocking@malg.org.uk
Nick Lord Debt & Pensions ‘Bridging the Advice Gap’ Report launch
MALG has been working in partnership with the Money Advice Service and Money Advice Scotland for months on a new Debt & Pension Advice report, which will be launched 19 October 2017, 8.30-9.30am, via a live video stream. We will be sharing the link on Twitter and LinkedIn – watch out for it!
MALG Conference programme update
We’ve made some changes and additions to the MALG Conference programme since we last announced the lineup. Unfortunately, keynote speaker Anna Laycock of the Finance Innovation Lab is no longer able to make it but her replacement, Bruce Davis of Abundance, has an equally impressive CV as the man who helped to create first ever peer to peer lender Zopa, and the Founding Director of the UK Crowdfunding Association, amongst many other accolades. Read more about him on the conference speakers page of our website.
We’ve also decided to run the high cost credit session as a panel instead of a presentation. Panelists so far include Katie Evans of the Money & Mental Health Policy Institute and Laura Rodrigues of StepChange.
We have also added a session after the lunch break for Payplan and the Institute of Money Advisers to launch their ‘Council Tax & Imprisonment – Time to Think Again?’ report.
See the updated programme here.
If you are attending the MALG Conference, don’t forget that we have a preferential rate of £150 on boutique bedrooms at the venue, 30 Euston Square. Please let me know if you’d like to book one!
Guest blog: Capping credit card interest – is there a better way?
Thanks to Sara Williams of Debt Camel for guest blogging for us following Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s announcement that Labour would introduce a cap credit card interest. She asks whether the simpler approach of increasing minimum payments would be a better way to deal with the problem. Read more here.
Upcoming industry events
- Advice UK Conference, 12 October – MALG Chair Liz Barclay is chairing
- CCUA Conference, 17 October
- Energy UK Conference, 19 October
- CCTA Conference, 2 November – MALG Chair Liz Barclay speaking
- Money Advice Scotland and IRRV Scotland One Day Conference on “New systems – but will it be all systems go?”, 3 November
- Financial Capability Week, 13-19 November