Personal Finance Society (PFS) members have been urged to vote in next week’s annual general meeting, which will take place in Manchester and online on Monday 11 November.

The deadline for registering a vote in the PFS AGM is Thursday (7 November).

In a post on LinkedIn, managing director of Syndaxi Financial Planning and former PFS president, Robert Reid, wrote: “The people standing for election or re-appointment are the nominees of the PFS not the CII. Your support is vital.”

Chartered financial planner Alasdair Walker – who set up a group called Our PFS to “protect the future” of the professional body – sent out an email to members, urging them to vote.

“My understanding from people close to the PFS is that the CII are trying to quietly dismantle any semblance of independence from the inside,” he said.

“You should have received a proxy vote form and notification of the PFS AGM.

“Regardless of how you plan to attend, it is so important to vote and make the member voice heard.”

Last month, the CII appointed four of its executive directors – chief executive Matthew Hill, along with Trevor Edwards, Mathew Mallett and Gill White – to the board of the PFS with immediate effect.

The CII would not elaborate on the exact reasons why when asked, but simply said it was clear that the PFS would “benefit” from having more CII executives.

It added that the appointments would bring “additional strength” to the PFS board.

During the CII AGM last month, CII chair Helen Phillips said: “If there was a strong feeling among the members that the process hadn’t been handled properly, I believe members would express that by voting against one or more individuals.

“It wouldn’t be because they disliked them personally, as they might not know them, but rather as a way to signal concerns about the approach to nominations, recruitment and appointments.

“I think that would serve as an important check and balance in this situation.”

Some critics have expressed concern about the way the situation was handled.

Chartered financial planner and former PFS member director Vanessa Barnes posted on LinkedIn, saying: “I like the CII’s Helen Phillips view on members’ providing a check and balance.

“PFS members cannot vote against CII executives parking their tanks on our lawn, but we can adapt her advice.

“The first vote asks the members to receive and consider the accounts. Vote no. It won’t change anything but it will register your protest.

“When I was on the PFS board, the word I heard most frequently employed by CII execs to describe PFS members was apathetic.

“If you are not apathetic and you are concerned that CII execs are now running the PFS and record levels of membership reserves are being paid to the CII, vote No to number one.”

This morning, the PFS announced that its interim CEO Don MacIntyre had decided to step down.

It said it will be securing “permanent arrangements” to ensure the “continued high quality of leadership that its members deserve”.

WHSmith is closing a number of branches in the UK as it moves into the travel sector.

The retail brand, which runs over 1,100 stores, has closed down eight shops since March 2023, including in Manchester and Bicester.

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The stationery retailer has also bid farewell to branches in Oban, Scotland, and Ramsgate, Kent.

It comes as the chain is set to expand in travel hotspots, with 15 new branches opening at airports and train stations in 2024.

Here’s everything you need to know…

Which UK stores are closing down?

Locals in Crewe, Cheshire were disappointed when WHSmith shut down its branch in early 2023.

The location in the Victoria Shopping Centre welcomed visitors for the last time in March.

In the same month, the WHSmith store in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire was shut down.

Then in August, a store closed in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and a further site in Manchester shuttered for good on December 2, 2023.

In 2024, so far WHSmith has closed seven shops, including in Bournemouth, this month.

Back in January, sites in Alfreton, Derbyshire, and Ramsgate, Kent were closed down.

In February, two further branches shut in Oban, Scotland, and Nantwich in South Cheshire.

This is the full list of stores and their closure dates:

• Crewe, Cheshire – March, 2023
• Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire – March, 2023
• Bicester, Oxfordshire – August, 2023
• Manchester – December 2, 2023
• Alfreton, Derbyshire – January, 2024
• Ramsgate, Kent – January, 2024
• Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland – February, 2024
• Nantwich, South Cheshire – February, 2024
• Margate, Kent – April 20, 2024
• Sale, Manchester – September 2024
• Bournemouth – October, 2024

In June 2023, WHSmith confirmed it would NOT be opening any more high street branches in a blow for shoppers.

It’s been announced that it’s Basingstoke branch will close down in early 2025.

The retailer said opening more high street stores would “just be a duplication”.

It added it intended to focus on expanding its portfolio outside the sector.

What about openings?

In January, WHSmith said that the new stores opening up would be found in airports and train stations.

It followed the high street favourite revealing that revenue across the business had risen by 8% over the 20 weeks to January 20, in comparison to the same period the previous year.

Yet its UK travel sales grew by 15% over the same time frame. That’s compared to a 3% fall in revenue for its high street portfolio.

When updating investors in late January, the retailer said it was due to open 15 stores in 2024, with an addition 15 after that “each year over the medium term.”

The retailer hasn’t revealed the locations where it is opening branches or when customers will be able to shop in the news stores.

It’s part of the company’s broader plans to open 110 new shops across the world.

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Fintech provider Dynamic Planner has partnered with CRM firm Salesforce to deliver financial planning at scale

The partnership makes Dynamic Planner the first and only UK-based wealth-planning partner for Salesforce.

The firm is an American cloud-based software company headquartered in San Francisco.

It provides customer relationship management software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, artificial intelligence and application development.

Dynamic Planner has now launched on the Salesforce AppExchange. It said the collaboration will allow firms using Salesforce to underpin their financial-planning process with Dynamic Planner.

They will also be able to scale their businesses, drive conversion and evidence suitability within a single system, reducing the risk of miscalibration and unsuitable investment recommendations.

Dynamic Planner, founded in 2003, enables wealth and financial planning firms to match people with suitable solutions through engaging financial planning.

It is a risk-based system – combining intuitive financial-planning technology with a trusted asset risk model.

It said this latest integration is the continuation of its commitment to solving industry wide inefficiencies, a strategy at the heart of the firm’s vision.

Yasmina Siadatan, chief revenue officer at Dynamic Planner, said: “’This collaboration provides financial planning and wealth management firms who use Salesforce with the ability to underpin their entire financial-planning process with Dynamic Planner.

“It will boost productivity gains and efficiencies, while delivering seamless and engaging wealth and financial planning for Salesforce customers. We look forward to working with Salesforce to provide an enhanced experience for firms.”

B&M shoppers are rushing out to stock up on Squishmallows as they are currently an “absolute steal” having been reduced to just £5.

Bargain hunters have been getting excited about the popular toys as they have been greatly reduced from the usual price of £12.99 each.

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One eagle-eyed shopper got their hands on one at their local store before spreading the word on social media.

They took to the Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group to let others know.

The person wrote: “£12.99 down to £5! Absolute steal.

“Use the B&M app to scan the barcodes.”

They then added a picture of a purple Squishmallow they’d picked up along with their receipt showing the knockdown price.

Other members of the group were suitably impressed with the deal.

One person wrote: “I managed to get the hippo for my little girl.”

Another, who tagged in their sister, said: “Have to find the dog one lol xxxxx.”

A third posted: “These ain’t bad for £5.”

It’s seems too that the toys aren’t just admired by the little ones, but adults too, with one posting: “These are fantastic for chronic pain sufferers who struggle to get comfortable and need extra support on their muscles and/or joints.”

Squishmallows is a brand of soft toy that was launched in 2017 by Kelly Toys and is owned by Jazwares, a Berkshire Hathaway company.

The toys are round and come in a variety of colours, sizes, animals, and textures.

The brand has created over 3,000 Squishmallows styles.

Squishmallows come in a whole variety of options and sizes as well as styles so prices can vary a lot.

A Squishmallows “Noe Tie Dye Sea Bunny” which is 7.5” high is currently available on Amazon for £8.99, reduced from £11.69 and anyone who isn’t a Prime member will have to pay for postage on top of that.

Smyths Toys currently has a vast selection to choose from.

At the lower end of the price range some of the original toys, some 18cm high, are currently available for £8.99.

While at the other end of the scale, a Pokemon Pikachu is priced at £49.99.

There is no guarantee that your local B&M store will have the items, so it might be worth calling your ahead to avoid a wasted trip.

In any case, you should always shop around before buying something like this as you might find the same, or a similar item for less at another retailer.

You can use online price comparison sites like Price Spy and Trolley to see if a product you have found is the cheapest compared with others.

You can also use the Google Shopping/Product tab to do a quick scan of the internet.

However, we had a quick look online to see if any other retailers are selling some of these toys for under £1 and there weren’t any.

If you’re looking to pick up a bargain on your next B&M shop, you should get the retailer’s scanner app.

It’s free to download on to your smartphone via the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Once downloaded, you can use the camera on your phone to scan barcodes in-store.

It then tells you if a product has been reduced in price, even before a member of staff has changed the label.

The app also offers you a description of the product you are scanning.

It’s quite common for shoppers to find under £1 bargains in their local B&M stores.

One customer recently found a stainless steel egg slotter for just 10p instead of £2.99.

Another shopper found pet toys slashed to 10p in their local branch this summer.

Remember, you can find your nearest B&M branch by using the retailer’s store locator tool on its website.

Other ways to save money at B&M

One ex-B&M manager said the best time to visit your local store is first thing on a Wednesday.

This is when staff slash items to as little as 10p to clear excess stock and make way for new lines.

Deals expert Tom Church urged shoppers to keep an eye out for red stickers products as well.

These are put on special buy products that have also been reduced in price.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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Advisers have expressed concerns over insurer service levels – with 28% believing they have worsened in the last two years.

The results were revealed in the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries’ latest protection report.

It found that the speed of underwriting is advisers biggest problem, with 58% raising this as an issue.

However, 49% also cite it as the main reason for seeing an improvement in service standards. Overall, 20% think insurers underwriting is improving.

In terms of claims handling, 16% of advisers observed worsening service levels and 12% said they had seen better performance.

The AMI report, published today (5 November) in partnership with Royal London and Legal & General, aims to make protection more personal.

It also emphasises the need for a stronger customer focus, addressing individual needs and aspirations.

Consumer expectations

The report found that one in four (28%) consumers believe it should take no more than 48 hours from applying for protection to having it in place for someone with no complex health conditions.  A further 25% expect it to take less than a week.

Younger consumers tend to have more realistic expectations, with 21% of Gen Z anticipating a 48-hour turnaround compared to 31% of Gen X.

In terms of claims, 44% of consumers expect a decision within a week, and 27% anticipate receiving payment in their bank account within that timeframe.

Improving customer retention

The report highlights positive trends in customer retention, with a growing number of advisers actively working to keep protection policies in force.

Currently, 65% of advisers (up from 60% in 2023) are proactively supporting clients, with over half (56%) conducting regular policy reviews.

And 16% are reminding clients of product flexibility and payment deferral options. Among those taking these steps, 44% have seen improvements in customer retention.

Meanwhile, 33% of consumers recalled receiving an annual statement from their insurer, and only 16% said it prompted them to review their coverage.

Despite consumers believing protection should be reviewed every 13.6 months on average, just 45% with protection have done so in the past year.

In total, 17% have never reviewed their protection at all.

Reasons for not reviewing include unchanged personal circumstances (33%), a lack of consideration (25%), and scepticism about the benefits (15%).

The role of the annual statement

Although annual statements have proved to be a prompt to encourage some consumers to review their policies, many are seeking just the basic policy information from an annual statement.

Furthermore, 44% of consumers feel responsible for prompting a review of their protection, while 28% (rising to 32% among Gen Z) think insurers should take the lead.

Among existing policyholders, 22% expect advisers to prompt reviews.

Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z (27%) and Millennials (24%), are more likely to place this responsibility on advisers.

Similarly, 30% of advisers believe insurers should prompt consumers to review their protection needs, though a greater number (42%) disagree.

The majority of advisers (83%) see it as their role to encourage regular reviews.

The Association of Mortgage Intermediaries chief executive, Robert Sinclair, said: “This year’s report underscores the growing role advisers play in keeping protection policies active, with more clients benefitting from regular reviews and tailored advice.

“However, the data also highlights areas where the industry can improve, particularly in meeting consumer expectations around policy issuance and claims processing.

“By addressing these gaps and enhancing communication, we can ensure more consumers are protected when they need it most.

Legal & General Retail’s market development director, Vikki Jefferies, added: “The findings from this year’s report clearly show that while we have made significant strides in engaging with clients and addressing their needs, there is still room for improvement.

“By focusing on transparency, ease of access, and personalised advice, we can better serve our customers and ensure they feel confident and secure in their protection choices.”

HOUSEHOLDS could save up £1,000 by better organising the contents of their fridge.

Unpacking after a grocery shop can be a huge chore, so it’s likely you’re paying little attention to where you’re placing items in the fridge.

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But where you put your food in the fridge can make a big difference as to how long it lasts and can mean you end up throwing less away.

By cutting food waste, the average four-person household in the UK could save approximately £1,000 a year, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

As well as this, organising your fridge can also help you to save on your energy bills by helping it to run more efficiently.

And with bills rising by £149 a year for the average household, many households are looking for ways to save cash.

To help you save cash, experts at the home appliance brand Beko have share exactly which foods should be stored where in your fridge.

Beko’s Salah Sun said: “You will be surprised by how much you can reduce your food waste by storing food properly.

“From avoiding cross-contamination of products to rotating soon-to-expire food items to the front of the fridge, there’s a lot you can do to help.”

Here’s what you need to know about the exact way to store food correctly to make your appliance more energy efficient and prevent food waste.

Top shelf

Typically the top shelf of your fridge is less cold than other compartments, so should be reserved for foods that don’t need to be kept too chilled and are ready to eat.

This could include foods such as deli meats, desserts and dips.

You could also store sweeter treats like trifles and desserts on the top shelf.

Middle Shelf

The middle shelf of your fridge is cooler than the top shelf but not as cold as the bottom shelf, making it the ideal place to store your dairy products.

Cheese, yoghurt, butter, eggs and milk should all be placed here.

Some fridge freezers even feature a dedicated dairy compartment.

This drawer is specially designed to keep these items fresh by maintaining an optimal temperature of 0 degrees Celsius, Beko said.

If you’ve still got some room on the middle shelves, this is where you should place your chilled drinks, which ideally should be placed near the centre.

Bottom shelf

As the coldest part of a fridge, food stored here has it’s freshness locked in, which helps prevent dripping and keeps bacteria at bay.

This makes it an ideal place to store fussier ingredients like raw meat, poultry and fish.

Meat items can be quite costly, so it’s well worth making sure they are stored properly.

Drawers

The drawers in your fridge are designed to increase humidity and alter airflow.

This creates ideal conditions for storing fruit and vegetables, but these two types of produce should be kept separate.

This is because certain fruits emit ethylene which can speed up the ripening of vegetables, causing them to decay prematurely.

Fruits, vegetables, salads and fresh herbs should all be stored in the drawers.

Door

The warmest part of the fridge is the door, which is also the most inconsistent area of the appliance in terms of temperature due to frequent openings and closings.

This is where you should store preserved food items that are less likely to spoil.

Condiments, jam, juice, soda drinks and water should all be kept here.

How else can I save money on energy bills?

There are plenty of other tips available to save money on energy.

For example, it is proven by the Energy Saving Trust that reducing the thermostat temperature by 1 degree can reduce your fuel bill by 10%.

Uswitch has previously explained that households could make potential savings of up to £127.70, by turning down the temperature of the thermostat just one degree.

Additionally, adding loft insulation to your home could save you up to £300 a year.

Setting up draught excluders around your home to block out any unwanted cool air is a cheap solution to slashing down your energy bills.

And keeping your fridge-freezer clean could save you £45 a year, because dust on the condenser coils can reduce the efficiency by as much as 25% according to Which?.