Reviewing a draft

What the documents contain and how to work through them.

The Record of Advice

Sections follow section 9 of the General Code of Conduct: the parties and the FSP details, the client's circumstances and objectives, the information the advice is based on, the needs analysis summary, the products considered, the recommendation and the reasons for it, replacement comparison where relevant, costs and fees, disclosures, and the signature block. Every draft carries the note that it is not valid until reviewed, amended and signed by the adviser.

The needs analysis

One section per need: retirement, life cover, disability, severe illness, income protection, education, estate and liquidity, with the arithmetic shown and the shortfall or surplus stated.

Working the flags

Search the document for [ADVISER TO REVIEW]. Each one marks a figure the model could not verify, an assumption it had to make, or a product choice that needs a professional judgement. Confirm or change it and delete the flag. A draft with flags left in should not be filed.

Editing in the console

Choose Review RoA + FNA on the intake row, or Edit in console on the Advice approvals item. The editor shows the Record of Advice and the needs analysis as two tabs of editable blocks: headings, paragraphs, bullet lists, tables, callouts and the signature block. Click a block to select it; the tools on its right move or remove it, and the side panel adds a new block after it.

The Product panel on the right lists the practice's products. Search, then Insert adds the product as a bullet in the list you selected (or starts a new list after the selected block). Use it in the products-considered and recommendation sections, then write the reasons in your own words.

The Flags panel lists every remaining [ADVISER TO REVIEW] marker; click one to jump to it. Delete the marker once you have confirmed or changed the figure.

Save RoA and FNA stores your version and re-renders both Word documents, so the downloads, an email approval and the eventual filing all use what you wrote. Saving does not file anything and does not create or change the client; you can come back and edit again until the draft is approved.

Editing in Word

You can also edit the downloaded documents in Word. Upload the edited versions when you approve so the register holds what was signed, not what was drafted.