FCA: Taking the next step

words: Mark Moran, Golden Charter
Three steps

Prepare

In October, I was pleased to introduce our Pathway to Regulation, our straightforward three-step approach to the FCA regime. We have recently asked funeral directors to start preparing by moving to use mygoldencharter.co.uk, and signing up to and using our new Paperless Application service as part of step one.

It’s great to see that so many of our partners are eagerly preparing for regulation by making the quick and simple changes required to ready their business. If you’ve done this already, you’ve completed step one and are well on your way to regulation.

Apply

Last month, we began inviting applications from our funeral director partners to become Appointed and Introducer Appointed Representatives. This next step to regulation is an important one, where you decide how to continue arranging funeral plans with your local communities. In the vast majority of instances, Independents will choose to become either an Appointed Representative or an Introducer Appointed Representative.

An Appointed Representative can enjoy a relationship with families that most closely reflects the way the majority work with them just now. This option allows a continued opportunity to guide families through the discussion from enquiry through to payment, providing your professional expertise at every stage.

Independent research suggests customers prefer to speak with their local funeral director, who has an in-depth knowledge of local practices and nuances plus the experience of managing every aspect of the funeral. However, in the world of regulated pre-paid plan sales, we understand why some funeral directors may want to opt for our Introducer Appointed Representative model. An Introducer Appointed Representative is limited to introducing Golden Charter plans to customers. Using this route, funeral directors will take only basic contact information, and pass it on to our team, who will discuss the details of the plan and conclude the transaction directly with the customer. With this option, FCA reporting responsibilities are reduced, however, the FCA doesn’t allow Introducer Appointed Representatives to discuss specific details of the funeral plan with families.

Speaking with many independent funeral directors, almost all are keen to follow the Appointed Representative route and maintain close relationships with families planning ahead.

Partner

Choosing which route best suits your own business is entirely up to you, but we’re here to support our partners. Our business managers will be discussing the options available and will provide all the guidance needed to make an informed choice. We’re already receiving applications, so if you’re ready to apply now, even if you are not yet a partner of ours, please get in touch. Contact your business manager or email regulation@goldencharter.co.uk.

In the meantime, if you haven’t used our portal, I’d recommend visiting mygoldencharter.co.uk where you can join the hundreds of your peers already signed up to use our Paperless Applications service. Users will also find the Appointed Representative and Introducer Appointed Representative application forms there to give you a further idea of the information required to successfully apply.

We have a raft of resources available to make using the new portal easy, and can help answer any questions you may have via your business manager. You can also email at any time.

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