IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/jofsma/v29y2024i1d10.1057_s41264-022-00180-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the barriers to accessing personal financial planning advice

Author

Listed:
  • John Moss
  • Karen Rowlingson

    (University of York)

  • Andrew Lymer

    (Aston University
    University of South Africa)

Abstract

Shifts in welfare policy over the last forty years towards a greater neo-liberal stance have resulted in citizens needing to take greater responsibility for their finances (Rowlingson 2000; Strauss 2008; Sherraden and Ansong 2016). This coupled with low levels of financial capability across the UK population and consumers trying to make informed decisions from this low knowledge base (Sandler 2002; FSA 2004, 2006; Thoreson 2007, 2008; Arthur 2016; Stillwell 2016) suggests a growing need to understand the barriers that consumers face regarding access to financial advice. This paper argues that barriers preventing access to financial advice are not yet adequately understood. To build understanding three variables are explored, namely knowledge, trust and affordability/cost that are shown to affect consumers’ ability to access regulated financial advice. From these variables emerged the ideas that financial advice needed to be considered the ‘subjective norm’ and that ‘trust heuristics’, as a route to advice had certain embedded risks. As part of the research process a ‘Financial Advice Belief Model’ was developed as a tool to explore these variables more deeply and help interested stakeholders better understand factors that create barriers and may prevent consumers from seeking effective financial advice. Addressing these factors, we use the case of the UK to illustrate possible ways forward and argue that the findings could apply in other developed country settings. Further, these three key variables affecting access to needed financial services should be a key consideration for the UK’s Money and Pensions Service as it looks to develop a wider focus on financial well-being as the core of its strategy for UK citizens in need of financial guidance.

Suggested Citation

  • John Moss & Karen Rowlingson & Andrew Lymer, 2024. "Exploring the barriers to accessing personal financial planning advice," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(1), pages 17-32, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jofsma:v:29:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41264-022-00180-x
    DOI: 10.1057/s41264-022-00180-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41264-022-00180-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41264-022-00180-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Herbert A. Simon, 1955. "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 69(1), pages 99-118.
    2. Kendra Strauss, 2008. "Re-engaging with rationality in economic geography: behavioural approaches and the importance of context in decision-making," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 137-156, March.
    3. Lusardi, Annamaria & Mitchell, Olivia S., 2007. "Baby Boomer retirement security: The roles of planning, financial literacy, and housing wealth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 205-224, January.
    4. Nathalia C. Tjandra & John Ensor & Maktoba Omar & John R. Thomson, 2020. "Independent financial adviser (IFA)-based brand equity pyramid," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(3), pages 53-64, December.
    5. Redwood, Daniel & Carrera, Leandro N. & Armstrong, John & Pennanen, Teemu, 2013. "What level of pension contribution is needed to obtain an adequate retirement income?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 54233, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Daniel Kahneman, 2003. "Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(5), pages 1449-1475, December.
    7. Judith Mehta, 2013. "The discourse of bounded rationality in academic and policy arenas: pathologising the errant consumer," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 37(6), pages 1243-1261.
    8. Jenna Florendo & Hooman Estelami, 2019. "The role of cognitive style, gullibility, and demographics on the use of social media for financial decision making," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(1), pages 1-10, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gordon L. Clark, 2014. "Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography—Financial Literacy in Context," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 90(1), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Steffestun, Theresa, 2020. "The Constitution of Ignorance: Zur Bedeutung von Nichtwissen in der Verhaltensökonomie," Working Paper Series 67, Cusanus Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung, Institut für Ökonomie.
    3. Colombier, Carsten, 2011. "Konjunktur und Wachstum [Business cycles fluctuations and long-term growth]," MPRA Paper 104739, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Michaël Lainé, 2014. "Vers une alternative au paradigme de la rationalité ? Victoires et déboires du programme spinoziste en économie," Post-Print hal-01335618, HAL.
    5. David Stadelmann & Benno Torgler, 2012. "Bounded Rationality and Voting Decisions Exploring a 160-Year Period," Working Papers 2012.70, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    6. Wüstenhagen, Rolf & Menichetti, Emanuela, 2012. "Strategic choices for renewable energy investment: Conceptual framework and opportunities for further research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-10.
    7. Carolin V. Zorell, 2020. "Nudges, Norms, or Just Contagion? A Theory on Influences on the Practice of (Non-)Sustainable Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Gerard P. Hodgkinson & Barbara Burkhard & Nicolai J. Foss & Dietmar Grichnik & Riikka M. Sarala & Yi Tang & Marc Van Essen, 2023. "The Heuristics and Biases of Top Managers: Past, Present, and Future," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(5), pages 1033-1063, July.
    9. Niclas Berggren, 2012. "Time for behavioral political economy? An analysis of articles in behavioral economics," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 25(3), pages 199-221, September.
    10. Creutzig, Felix, 2020. "Limits to Liberalism: Considerations for the Anthropocene," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    11. Wang, Peijie, 2013. "Reverse shooting of exchange rates," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 71-76.
    12. Jan Trzaskowski, 2011. "Behavioural Economics, Neuroscience, and the Unfair Commercial Practises Directive," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 377-392, September.
    13. Aleksander Rubinstein, 2013. "The theory of patronized goods in the optics of comparative methodology," International Journal of Entrepreneurial Knowledge, Center for International Scientific Research of VSO and VSPP, vol. 1(1), pages 4-32, December.
    14. Рубинштейн Александр Яковлевич, "undated". "Методологический Анализ Теории Опекаемых Благ: Научный Доклад [methodological analysis of the Theory of Patronized Goods. Research report]," Working papers a:pru175:ye:2014:1, Institute of Economics.
    15. Torsten Trimborn & Philipp Otte & Simon Cramer & Maximilian Beikirch & Emma Pabich & Martin Frank, 2020. "SABCEMM: A Simulator for Agent-Based Computational Economic Market Models," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 55(2), pages 707-744, February.
    16. Sheila Dow, 2010. "The Psychology of Financial Markets: Keynes, Minsky and Emotional Finance," Chapters, in: Dimitri B. Papadimitriou & L. Randall Wray (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Hyman Minsky, chapter 13, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    17. Sjögren Lindquist, Gabriella & Säve-Söderbergh, Jenny, 2006. "Testing the rationality assumption using a design difference in the TV game show 'Jeopardy'," Working Paper Series 9/2006, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    18. Torsten Trimborn, 2018. "A Macroscopic Portfolio Model: From Rational Agents to Bounded Rationality," Papers 1805.11036, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2018.
    19. Clement A. Tisdell, 2017. "Bounded Rationality, Satisficing and the Evolution of Economic Thought," Economic Theory, Applications and Issues Working Papers 264873, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    20. Noeldeke, Beatrice & Winter, Etti & Ntawuhiganayo, Elisée Bahati, 2022. "Representing human decision-making in agent-based simulation models: Agroforestry adoption in rural Rwanda," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:jofsma:v:29:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41264-022-00180-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.