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View more on these topicsAdvisers Podcast

In this episode of The Weekend Essay, Amanda Newman Smith discusses the challenge of balancing old clients while attracting new ones. She compares the marketing of The Cure’s new album with the financial advice industry, noting the importance of evolving without losing loyal customers. Amanda also highlights the difficulties young advisers face entering the field, as firms often hesitate to hire them due to their limited experience. She argues that supporting younger talent is crucial for the future of the profession and maintaining a healthy client base. Listen now:

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SPOTTING this iconic Christmas character on a 50p coin could make it worth 21 times its face value.

Each year, The Royal Mint releases a 50p coin featuring Raymond Briggs’ beloved festive character, The Snowman.

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Over the past seven years, the UK’s official producer of coins has released a new 50p featuring the cartoon.

Since 2018, around 700,000 Snowman coins have been snapped up by collectors worldwide, making it a firm favourite amongst collectors.

Its latest design has already been released and features The Snowman putting a star on top of the Christmas tree.

The coins won’t be entering general circulation, meaning you will have to buy one from The Royal Mint website.

But coin collection professionals at Change Checker have said that previous editions of the 50p can sell for a pretty penny on sites such as eBay.

For example, the Royal Mint’s 2018 edition of The Snowman coin, which features the iconic image of him flying in the sky, sold for £10.50 this Ocotber.

The 2019 edition, depicting the lovable cartoon as he comes to life, sold for £10.99 this month also.

A full breakdown of how much each sold for on eBay this month can be seen below.

• 2018 – £10.50
• 2019 -£10.99
• 2020 -£9.57
• 2021 – £8.99
• 2022 -£8.94
• 2023 -£8.99

Experts at Change Checker said: “The Snowman 50ps can fetch a pretty penny on the secondary market, with the 2018 and 2019 editions selling for up to 21 times their face value. “

“If this data is anything to go by, the 2024 The Snowma 50p is sure to be popular with collectors.”

However, it is important to remember that a coin is only worth how much a buyer is willing to pay for it.

So if you are keen to flog one of your pieces online you should keep that in mind.

Character coins are a fan favourite amongst collectors.

You may have seen recently The Royal Mint released a 50p coin featuring the Gruffalo to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its books.

The Sun recently rounded up a full list of quirky rare coins that could be worth £356, which you can check out here.

How much can I buy the new Snowman coin for?

You can purchase the Snowman coins from The Royal Mint website.

Prices start from £12 for a brilliant uncirculated coin and £25 for a colour version, all the way up to £1,220 for a gold proof coin.

Collectors are also already listing the coins on eBay.

At the moment you can find one of the brilliant uncirculated 50p coins listed for £9.49 and the coloured version for £14.99.

Also listed on the bidding site is a silver-proof coin for £109.50.

You should bear in mind that if you can still buy the coin directly from The Royal Mint website then it is unlikely you will get much more for it on eBay.

Usually, collectors buy these limited edition coins in the hope that they will go up in value as there is only a certain number of them available, but this is not always the case.

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value £10 in the corner of the note.

Also if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

It will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But do bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.

The next step is to take a look at what has been recently sold on eBay.

Experts from Change Checker recommend looking at “sold listings” to be sure that the coin has sold for the specified amount rather than just been listed.

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SHOPPERS are furious after Morrisons installed a buzzer to alert staff if they want to buy champagne.

Bottles costing from as little as £31 up to Bollinger and Moet items worth £50 have been placed in a glass security cabinet in a store in the upmarket town of Fleet, Hampshire.

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But bottles of slightly cheaper Prosecco costing up to £25 have been left out.

Expensive wines and spirits have not been given the same treatment.

There is a button on the cabinet which reads “Press here for help.”

A sign above it adds: “Buzz for booze! To purchase Champagne or spirits from the cabinet, ask one of our colleagues or press the call-point.”

Fleet was previously voted the healthiest, happiest and wealthiest place in the UK to live.

It has a very low crime rate with just 19 cases of shoplifting in August – the most recent published figures – for a population of 37,794.

The average house price in the commuter town is £530,923, as reported on NeedToKnow.

Bubbly-loving local shoppers reacted with bemusement.

Claudio said: “Alcohol sales will drop for sure.

“No one will be a**ed to wait for lazy staff to come round.”

Karen added: “Good luck with getting anyone to answer the buzzer.”

But others said it was in keeping with shoplifting across the country.

Daniel said: “Well, if people will be d***s, actions must be taken.”

Kenneth added: “Some idiots spoil it.”

Anne said: “Sad sign of the times.”

A Morrisons spokesman told The Sun: “The cabinets you have seen are being used in a number of our stores as part of their security measures, as are others across the industry.

“We have received good feedback from customers and have a colleague in the area and the buzzer also goes to the store headsets so customers can expect really prompt service.”

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It all started with the website. The usual content had been wiped, leaving a black background, a new logo and an email sign-up link.

People speculated on social media about what this meant, then the envelopes containing plain black postcards arrived by post. The tiny, embossed words on these cards were barely noticeable. People took to social media to show off their envelopes or flogged them on eBay.

When a framed poster appeared in the window of a Sussex pub, mainstream media picked it up and it was clear something was going on.

I had no idea what guerilla marketing was until I got sucked into the unusual marketing’ campaign for The Cure’s first studio album in 16 years. This caught me by surprise, which is precisely the point. Guerilla marketing is supposed to involve unconventional marketing methods that rely on word of mouth or going viral on social media.

So, instead of official announcements through mainstream media via press releases, fans have been the first to hear about developments through a series of clues, hints and teasers. It’s been fun.

Like financial advice, music is a business where you ideally want your existing audience or clients to grow with you while picking up a decent number of new ones. My eldest son, Liam, is studying the business side of music as part of his Level 3 diploma in music and performance, so we’re having more discussions about this sort of thing.

When Liam told me he was learning about the pros and cons of signing to an indie or major record label, it reminded me of the debate about whether to join a small or big advice firm, or an independent or restricted proposition. If I was an adviser or a musician, I know exactly which way I’d go and why.

But trying to maintain a loyal customer base that appreciates what you do while futureproofing your business by appealing to a new younger audience is more difficult when you’re well established.

Like financial advice, music is a business where you ideally want your existing audience or clients to grow with you

I would want to stay true to myself and my brand, doing what I’d always done to some degree because I wouldn’t want to alienate existing customers. You build a loyal customer base by putting yourself out there in terms of values, services and marketing messages that are distinct from your competitors. Those things obviously ‘click’ with long-term supporters.

I wouldn’t want to chase new markets if it meant becoming something I wasn’t. But at the same time, I wouldn’t want the confines of doing what I’d always done and how I’d always done it because ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. I’d want to try new things, move with the times and secure the future of my business with a healthy pipeline of new customers. But I have no idea how I’d try to achieve the required balance.

The Cure have done this with varying degrees of success in the last 46 years. It has ridden out periods of being eclipsed by the latest trends such as Britpop. It has been slated for changes in musical direction rather than delivering more of what went before. If it didn’t sound like the classic ‘Pornography’ or ‘Disintegration’ albums, some people didn’t want to know.

But this hasn’t prevented the band from maintaining a loyal fan base while attracting a steady stream of younger fans over the world. Even without any new music releases, strong live performances and social-media interest has kept it all going.

At Money Marketing I’ve been working on features that tell me the challenge for financial services is to cater for older and existing clients while engaging with a younger new audience in a way that appeals to them.

Research from FTRC around how advice firms are delivering information to clients and from pension administrator Trafalgar House show there is a balance to be had between digital and face-to-face communications. Firms need to communicate with clients in the way they want. But if preferences vary within a client base, how easy is it to be all things to everyone?

I’m convinced this would be simpler to navigate if we had a wider mix of age groups giving advice. I thought the recruitment of younger advisers was improving, but after speaking to recent graduates who want to become advisers, I’m not so sure.

Firms are reluctant to take on young people as trainees because it’s harder for someone with minimal life experience to build meaningful relationships with clients

It took one graduate from the prestigious St Andrews University in Scotland nearly four months and around 200 applications to get a job in the advice sector as an administrator. Many graduates really want to be trainee advisers, but the roles just aren’t there, so they have no choice but to go down the admin and paraplanning route.

One young adviser who is doing this told me it doesn’t teach people the skills needed to be an adviser and that moving from a senior paraplanner to a junior adviser is tricky as it involves a pay cut. “Employers don’t tend to see the progression in the same way as I do,” he said.

A different source has told me firms are reluctant to take on young people as trainee advisers because it’s harder for someone with minimal life experience to build meaningful relationships with clients.

I sort of get that – I’m married with kids and could easily relate to someone going through a divorce. Not because I’m experiencing it but because I understand what marriage means and conversely what no longer being married would mean.

In my early 20s, I could sympathise to the extent that I’d experienced a relationship break-up, but I wouldn’t have understood divorce as I would now.

But I don’t think it lets the advice profession off the hook in not having enough employed roles for people who want to advise. If you’re old enough to know what you want to do with your life, you’re old enough to be taught how to do it properly.

Making self-employment or associated roles the default strikes me as not the right way to do it. Let’s try something new.

A SUPERMARKET giant is trialling a big change to its self-service checkouts.

The move would mean that shoppers don’t need a member of staff to help them scan a weekly food shop.

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Sainsbury’s is currently testing a giant hybrid till with a scanner on a moving conveyor belt.

This would give shoppers more space to scan and pack bigger trolleys.

Sainsbury’s is currently trialling them in select stores before it decides whether to roll them out more widely.

To use the tills shoppers would load their items onto the conveyor belt, scan each one and then pack them into their own bags.

The tills are a similar size to manned checkouts that are currently in all big supermarkets.

But introducing these tills could divide shoppers.

Currently, self-service checkouts are very small and are typically used only when buying a basket of goods.

Customers who are doing their weekly shop usually use bigger tills which are operated by a member of staff.

These are often popular with older people or families who need help scanning and packing their shopping.

If the number of manned tills falls then this could mean longer waits for shoppers who do not want to scan their own items.

But those who are used to scanning and packing their own food may save time when doing their shopping.

The checkouts are currently being trialled in the Witney and Cobham stores in west Oxfordshire.

Sainsbury’s says that no decisions have been made on a further roll-out.

It says that it will continue to offer a range of checkout types for customers including self-checkout, Smart Shop and serviced tills.

How to save money on your food shop

Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:

Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.

Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.

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Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.

Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.

Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.

Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.

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Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.

Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.

But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.

Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.

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“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.

The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said, “We are always exploring new ways to offer our customers the best possible choice and convenience.

“Our trial in Cobham and Witney is the latest example of that and we are listening to colleague and customer feedback.”

Other cashless changes

Self-service checkouts have become loathed by some shoppers as they are often used as a way to reduce the number of staff in store.

Earlier this year Sainsbury’s introduced new barrier systems which require self checkout shoppers to scan their receipts before they leave the store.

Asda also angered shoppers earlier this year when it introduced self-checkout only hours in some of its stores.

Meanwhile, Amazon and Tesco both offer “just walk out” shopping as another way to reduce the number of staff needed in store.

Sainsbury’s supermarket giant is also trialling digital touch-screen stations which will help customers to find products in the store.

The screens could mean that customers will not need to ask a member of staff for help.

They will also provide information such as recipes.

But Sainsburys’ chief executive Simon Roberts told The Grocer in April that Sainsbury’s would keep “at least one” staffed checkout within all stores.

He also added that many customers enjoy using self-checkouts.

“If you visit one of our supermarkets, what you’ll see is definitely more self checkouts than a number of years ago, because actually a lot of customers like the speedy checkout,” he said.

“Over the last year, where we’ve put more self checkouts in, we’re always making sure that the traditional kind of belted checkout is there.”

The changes come after the announcement of cost-cutting measures at the supermarket.

In February Roberts set a cost saving target of £1 billion for the next three years.

He said he expects to boost the supermarket’s profit by prioritising food, Nectar card and convenience through its “Next Level” Sainsbury’s strategy.

Under the plans the money it saves will be reinvested in the business to give customers “great value, quality and service”.

When it is complete the group will have cut £2.5 billion of costs over the last decade.

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

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

Money Marketing’s Weekly Must-Reads: Top 10 Stories

Will Chancellor Reeves’ Budget deliver? And what’s in store for self-employed advisers? Find out in this week’s top stories:



State pension set for 4.1% rise next April

The state pension is expected to increase by 4.1% in April 2025 due to the triple lock formula. This means those on the full new state pension will receive £230.30 a week, while those on the basic state pension will get £176.45. The rise is based on average earnings growth (4.1%) exceeding both inflation (1.7%) and the 2.5% minimum. However, some pensioners may see a smaller increase due to a rule affecting pre-2016 pensions.

SJP hires Adam Higgs to help drive growth in protection

St James’s Place (SJP) has appointed Adam Higgs as its new head of protection. Higgs, formerly of Protection Guru, will focus on enhancing SJP’s protection offerings and driving growth. He will work with SJP advisers to ensure clients receive adequate protection, aiming to solidify SJP’s position in the protection market. Higgs brings extensive experience from his previous roles at Protection Guru, the FTRC, Foster Denovo, and Scottish Life.

FCA: ‘We’re not against small firms’

The FCA has denied claims it is forcing small advice firms out of the market through increased regulation. Nick Hulme, FCA head of advisers, wealth and pensions, emphasised the value of small firms and their crucial role in closing the advice gap. He acknowledged the challenges faced by smaller firms in meeting regulatory requirements, but highlighted the Consumer Duty as a way to ease this burden. Hulme stressed the FCA’s commitment to supporting all advice firms, regardless of size, and aims to foster collaboration to benefit consumers.

Removing IHT tax break on AIM stocks ‘might make it unfit for purpose’

There are concerns that Labour may scrap inheritance tax relief on AIM stocks in the upcoming budget. This could significantly impact the AIM market, which has already seen a decline in IPOs. Removing this tax break might deter investment in smaller companies, hindering economic growth. Critics argue that AIM is already struggling, with low liquidity and trading volumes, and suggest the government’s PISCES framework as a better alternative for private companies seeking funding.

Financial Life Planning hires Rebecca Tuck as ops director to drive growth

Financial Life Planning, founded by Kate Shaw, has appointed Rebecca Tuck as operations director to spearhead the firm’s expansion. Tuck aims to streamline internal processes and enhance the client experience before expanding the team. The firm, which champions a client-centric approach, is undergoing a rebrand to attract those who feel underserved by traditional financial planning, particularly Gen X women. They are actively seeking new employees who align with their values and client-focused ethos.

Attivo appoints former Schroders director as CEO

Attivo, a chartered independent lifestyle financial planning business, has appointed Jo French as its new CEO. French brings over 25 years of experience in financial services, having held senior roles at Schroders, Benchmark Capital, Pointon York and Embark Group. She will focus on operational improvements, client experience, and Attivo’s investment platform strategy. Stephen Harper will continue as chair, leading the overall business strategy.

Tim Sargisson: Small advice firms heading for extinction

The number of small advice firms is rapidly declining, according to Tim Sargisson, former chief executive of James Hay and Sandringham Financial Partners. He cites increased regulatory burdens, competition, and the rise of digital services as key factors. While niche markets and outsourcing offer potential solutions, they also carry risks. Sargisson predicts that small firms may ultimately disappear, mirroring the decline of traditional high street shops.

Investors’ ‘love affair’ with ESG continues to cool

Investor interest in ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors has fallen for the third consecutive year, according to the Association of Investment Companies. While almost half of investors still consider ESG, this is down from 66% in 2021. Concerns about greenwashing and performance remain, though governance is growing in importance. Older investors are less likely to consider ESG factors compared to their younger counterparts.

Greg Moss: Death of the small firm? Fat chance

Greg Moss, founder of Eleven.2 Financial Planning, challenges the idea that small advice firms are heading for extinction. He argues that small firms are still dominant in the advice market and offer advantages over larger firms, such as greater innovation and better client outcomes. While acknowledging the importance of technology, Moss emphasizes the value of personal interaction and client care, which he believes small firms are better equipped to provide. He also highlights the limitations of large firms, including bureaucratic processes and a focus on commoditised services. Moss concludes that small firms will continue to thrive as long as they prioritise client needs and relationships.

Industry gives final thoughts on FCA’s value for money framework proposals

The FCA’s proposed value for money framework for pension schemes, which closes for consultation today, has garnered mixed reactions from the industry. While broadly supportive of the aim to improve value for savers, concerns remain about potential market disruption, the complexity of the metrics, and the need for consistent application across different pension types. Some argue for a more nuanced approach that considers the diverse needs of the market and encourages innovation.