Is my Adviser 'Independent' or 'Restricted'?

That is the question investors in the UK must ask themselves since advisers were banned from receiving commission for selling products at the beginning of 2013. While this reform (known as Retail Distribution Review) may help investors understand how much they pay for financial advice the changes can be confusing for customers that do not spend their whole time studying the intricacies of new regulations that even market professionals and their lawyers find difficult to interpret. One could also ask why reforms that are supposed to be beneficial for British investors are not also introduced in other jurisdictions.