Do you have to be IFA registered to sell share tips ??

Do companies have to be registered with anyone (such as the IFA) in order to sell their share tips or is it completely unregulated ?? Is there some kind of disclaimer that these companies & individuals use so as to avoid coming under the remit of the authorities ?

If you are giving advice, then I think that the FSA will want to know about your activities. Best contact them direct & ask.

http://www.fsa.gov.uk/

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rog1111

When I was taking IFA qualifications I remember that newspaper columnists that gave share tips had no requirement whatsoever to be authorised. I would think the situation is still the same.


Paul

If you try to charge people for your share tips/advice; without being regulated (England) Can't comment on other countries;
ie not qualified to give investment advice, then the FSA will come down on you like a ton of bricks. They close down and prosecute on a regular basis, that most people just don't get to hear about.

Maybe because they are such clear cut cases. Not authorised = can't charge = prosecution.

However if you set up a site/newsletter and put in a disclaimer that this was for fun. testing etc, you could get away with it. (note the could), but then you wouldn't be able to charge would you.

And I think, though not too sure, that you can only give investment advice to actual 'clients' of yours to begin with.

As said above though, e mail or phone the FSA direct and ask them.

The regulations in USA for example appear to be more lax and various sites abound. Dependant on your view, we are either lucky or not that the FSA are there to (supposedly) protect us.