The Intermediary – July 2026 - Flipbook - Page 65
L AT E R L I F E L E N D I N G
Opinion
Giving advisers
the tools for a
challenging market
T
oday, advisers are
operating in an
environment shaped
by continued economic
uncertainty, higher
borrowing costs, lower
loan-to-values (LTVs) and increasingly
complex client circumstances.
At the same time, expectations
have never been higher. Clients
expect reassurance and transparency.
Regulators expect robust evidence of
suitability and fair value. Advisers are
expected to identify vulnerability and
demonstrate good customer outcomes.
Firms have understandably
concentrated on implementation
and compliance, but much of the
infrastructure supporting advisers has
not evolved with them.
Today’s consumers are living longer,
retiring differently and presenting
with far more complex financial
circumstances than ever before. At
the same time, advisers are expected
to evidence vulnerability, deliver
fair value and maintain increasingly
robust advice processes.
That’s not necessarily just a
compliance challenge. It’s an
infrastructure challenge.
That was exactly the thinking
behind TERN – The Equity Release
Network. We believed advisers needed
more than another system. They
needed a specialist later life lending
ecosystem that removes complexity,
and allows them to focus on what they
do best: advising clients.
A specialist ecosystem
Rather than asking how we could
make advisers more efficient, we
asked a different question:What
would advisers need to consistently
deliver outstanding consumer
outcomes over the next decade?
The answer wasn’t one single thing;
it was an entire ecosystem that could
tick all the boxes and benefit the
wider industry.
One that combines specialist digital
capabilities, structured training,
collaborative compliance, marketing
support and business consultancy
into a single proposition that
evolves alongside advisers as their
businesses grow.
That thinking led to the creation of
TERN. Whilst TERN has been built
specifically for advisers, its purpose
is much broader. It exists because
consumers deserve consistently highquality advice regardless of which
adviser they choose.
By giving advisers access to
integrated later life lending systems,
risk-based compliance support,
structured development through
the TERN Academy and specialist
business support, we believe advisers
are beer equipped to focus on what
maers most, delivering personalised,
well-evidenced advice that genuinely
meets customers’ needs. Importantly,
this isn’t about replacing professional
judgement. It’s about strengthening it.
For too long, advisers have had
to stitch together multiple systems,
providers and processes to deliver one
customer journey. Lead generation
sits in one place, research in another,
compliance elsewhere and customer
communications somewhere
else again.
That’s not sustainable. Advisers
need one connected proposition that
supports every stage of the customer
journey, from lead generation,
advisers’ own branded websites with
integrated smartER comparison
tools, whole-of-market research, our
intuitive Digital Factfind, Product
Confirmation Leer, compliance,
document management and case
management. When all of this comes
MARK GREGORY
is founder and CEO
at Equity Release Group
together, advisers have more time to
spend where they create the greatest
value: helping clients make informed
decisions with confidence.
Raising standards
In my view, the future of later life
lending will depend less on individual
businesses and more on the industry
collectively raising standards.
When advisers are supported
with beer technology, stronger
compliance frameworks, practical
training and specialist infrastructure,
the entire advice process becomes
more transparent, more robust and
more focused on achieving the right
long-term outcomes.
Ultimately, that’s what Consumer
Duty was designed to encourage.
Demand for later life lending will
continue to grow as consumers live
longer, retirement planning becomes
increasingly complex, and property
wealth plays a more important role
in later life planning. That growth
presents a significant opportunity, but
only if advisers have the infrastructure
to meet rising expectations.
However, sustainable growth won’t
be driven by product innovation
alone. It will be driven by advisers
having the confidence, capability
and infrastructure to meet rising
consumer expectations.
When advisers are empowered with
the right tools, support and specialist
expertise, consumers receive beer
advice, businesses become stronger
and the industry raises its standards.
That isn’t simply good for advisers.
It’s good for the future of later
life lending. ●
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