The biggest story tech story last week is actually about new work from ourselves.

With the launch of the AdviserSoftware.com Technology Index, we’ve set out to do something genuinely new: track, benchmark and make sense of adviser software usage across the UK advice market. Not based on marketing claims, but on hard usage data and adviser feedback.

Our aim is simple — to help the industry understand where technology is actually delivering, where it’s falling short, and what tools are gaining or losing momentum. With phase one now live and phase two already underway, we’re building a resource that offers unmatched visibility into how adviser tech is evolving and performing in the real world.

As part of this process we will be creating further tools to help individual advisers benchmark their own technology which we plan to launch in the Autumn. In the meantime, later this week there will be a further major announcement of a new service to help advisers.

There has been widespread media response, and you can read the various coverage here:

If you are a tech provider, platform, insurer, asset manager or indeed anyone impacted by adviser use of technology this study should be a major benefit for you. You can find out more here Adviser Technology Index.

Pension Lab – A Smarter, Faster LOA Process

Our first featured solution last week was The Pension Lab — a system aimed at tackling one of the slowest, clunkiest processes in the advice journey: Letters of Authority.

By digitising and automating the LOA process, The Pension Lab helps advisers avoid paper-based admin, reduce delays and track pension information much more efficiently. Add in their pension finder, dashboards, consolidation tools and client engagement features, and this becomes a strong proposition for retirement-focused firms.

Key takeaway: faster pension transfers, reduced admin, and a better client experience — without compromising on compliance.

The Pension Lab

EVPro Goal – Robust Cashflow Planning, Tested Over 12,000 Scenarios

Cashflow tools have come a long way, but many still rely on limited or deterministic models. EVPro Goal stands out by offering detailed, multi-goal cashflow planning supported by real-world stress testing — more than 12,000 independent market simulations to be exact.

The platform covers everything from lifetime event planning to pension withdrawals, debt modelling and tax. Better still, it integrates with IO and IRESS, reducing rekeying and simplifying suitability reports. For advisers serious about sustainable retirement income planning, this is a toolkit worth understanding in depth.

Find out more here:  EVPro – Goal

EVPro Risk & Invest – Getting Suitability Right

Also from EVPro last week, we spotlighted their Risk and Invest modules — two connected components that ensure adviser recommendations are not only compliant, but personalised.

The Risk module blends fixed IP-based risk tolerance assessments with adviser-configurable extras. The Invest module follows through by mapping existing assets or portfolios back to the client’s risk profile using either a stochastic model or adviser-defined assumptions.

This two-stage approach improves client understanding, strengthens documentation, and gives firms a defensible process for demonstrating suitability and Consumer Duty alignment.

More detailed analysis can be found here: EVPro – Risk & Invest

From the ProtectionGuru.co.uk Team

It’s not often an article completely flips conventional wisdom on its head, but this week Martin O’Connell did just that.

His piece, we are all advising in the wrong order, offers one of the most direct challenges yet to the way protection advice is typically structured. Life Cover first, Critical Illness (CI) second, Income Protection (IP) if there’s time? Martin questions why the industry has normalised advising in reverse order of actual risk — especially during a client’s mortgage years when illness or disability is vastly more likely than death.

The message is clear: replacing income should be the primary concern, not paying off debt after death. Advisers and compliance teams alike should reflect on whether outdated sales logic is putting clients at risk of foreseeable harm. It’s one of the most practice-shifting insights we’ve published this year – and one that should influence how firms train and supervise their advisers.

Getting Referrals Right – or Writing It Yourself?

Matthew Chapman’s article on which is the best model, write or refer couldn’t be more timely. Whether you’re an advice firm leader or an adviser in the field, the takeaway is the same: there’s no single best model, but poor execution of either will undermine client outcomes.

The write model often fails due to mindset, not knowledge gaps. Meanwhile, the refer model falls down when it’s bolted on as an afterthought. This piece offers practical coaching techniques to make either model work — but only if protection is introduced early, consistently, and with conviction.

Objection Handling: Stop Fighting, Start Listening

Also from Matthew Chapman, objection handling – getting to the root cause is a sharp reminder that objections aren’t a failure – repeating them is. The idea of keeping a rejection log to identify where objections are rooted in adviser behaviour is simple but powerful.

Whether it’s “I’ve got cover at work” or “now’s not the right time”, the article shows how the best advisers treat objections as data, not rejection. For leaders, it’s a must-read coaching guide.

How to Make LinkedIn Work for Protection

Melanie Goodman’s latest contribution kicks off a two-part guide to running effective webinars and workshops via LinkedIn. In a world where cold calling is increasingly futile, this piece breaks down how educational events can generate warm leads, build trust and show adviser value.

With LinkedIn outperforming other platforms on lead conversion, this article shows how to choose the right topic, structure the event, select compelling speakers and drive attendance. Part Two follows next week, but the planning framework in Part One is worth exploring now.

How to use LinkedIn webinars and workshops to boost protection marketing results – Part One

How Does Your CI Cover Stack Up for Glaucoma?

Jason Coleman marked Glaucoma Awareness Week by providing a deep dive into how CI policies define and pay for sight loss – and where visual field loss is just as important as acuity. The article includes a useful insurer comparison table, highlighting that not all CI cover is equal, especially when it comes to glaucoma.

Vitality tops the coverage list with a graded payout system, while HSBC and Scottish Widows come out more restrictive.

Glaucoma and Critical Illness Insurance

Are You Comparing the Right Life Policy Features?

Also from Jason Coleman, this article showcases the benefits of Protection Guru Pro and introduces a refreshed series of free webinars to help advisers understand how to benchmark Life, CI, IP and other plans. The key message: cost isn’t everything, and a small uplift in premium can significantly improve value.

The platform’s “value as well as price” analysis is increasingly important under Consumer Duty, particularly when justifying recommendations across legacy and new plans.

Learn why not all life policies are the same

Awareness Days Round-Up – What You Might Have Missed

Finally, Jason’s quarter-end round-up captures all the conditions we’ve covered in line with recent health awareness days. From Huntington’s Disease to Type 2 Diabetes, Bowel Cancer to Lupus, this is a vital catch-up if you’ve missed anything recently.

It also provides a perfect CPD tool for brushing up on CI definitions and raising condition awareness with clients.

Awareness days April to June – Everything you need to know

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That’s it for this week. Have a great week everyone!