Meg Bratley

Meg Bratley is Social Media and Content Manager at IFA Magazine, where she focuses on finance coverage for advisers, planners, brokers and protection specialists. She concentrates on how intermediaries adjust their advice, communication and marketing when pensions rules change, investment confidence shifts or healthcare provision becomes more uncertain. Her work stands out for its consistent emphasis on the adviser’s perspective, combining service pieces with interview-led podcasts that turn complex policy, tax and investment themes into clear, practical actions.

Pensions, tax and adviser-led planning

Across her pensions and tax planning coverage, Bratley frames technical changes through the lens of adviser workflows and client conversations. In her piece on looming inheritance tax changes for pensions, she urges advisers to revisit trust planning and use upcoming reforms as a prompt to review legacy strategies with clients, rather than treating them as standalone regulatory updates. She connects the tax discussion to the wider realities of succession planning, client expectations and the documentation advisers need in place to make those plans work in practice.

She brings the same adviser-first lens to business development topics. In her article highlighting that 91.7% of advisers say generating more leads is vital for them in 2026, she focuses on the commercial pressure facing advice firms and the specific tactics they are prioritising to attract and convert new clients. The piece combines survey data with commentary on how lead generation intersects with compliance, brand positioning and the use of digital channels. Her coverage of rising mortgage rates similarly centres on how brokers can support clients through market volatility, setting out communication strategies, expectation management and scenario planning rather than treating rate moves as abstract market events.

Investment confidence, DIY portfolios and intermediary insight

Bratley’s investment coverage is driven largely through podcasts and panel-style conversations with senior figures in the sector. As host of IFA Talk episodes such as the discussion on DIY investing, risk and building resilient portfolios with Rohit Vaswani of Omnis, she steers the conversation towards how advisers can respond to clients who want more control over their investments while still needing guidance on risk and diversification. She draws out practical points on portfolio construction, client education and how firms can position their services alongside self-directed platforms.

In her episode on closing the investment confidence gap across generations with NatWest’s Aroma Khan, she focuses on intergenerational differences in attitudes to risk, savings habits and financial literacy, and how advisers can tailor their communication and service models accordingly. The conversation centres on granular themes such as digital engagement, language that resonates with younger investors and the ways established firms can build trust with clients who are wary of traditional institutions. Her role in the New Entrants Showcase featuring VGC Partners follows the same pattern: she joins colleagues and RBC Brewin Dolphin’s Head of Intermediaries to unpack how new investment managers fit into existing adviser propositions, exploring due diligence, product fit and the long-term value they can offer clients.

Protection, healthcare and adviser partnerships

Protection and health coverage is another core strand of Bratley’s work, often under the New Insurance and Protection banner. In the NI&P podcast episode on what AI means for protection, inclusion and underwriting, she explores how technology can reshape access to cover, risk assessment and customer experience, with a focus on practical implications for advisers helping clients navigate new product designs. She uses the conversation to link innovation to inclusion, probing how firms can avoid reinforcing existing barriers as they adopt AI tools.

Her interviews with Benenden Health’s Tom Woolgrove and related pieces on Spring Statement 2026, healthcare uncertainty and the value of private medical support all tie policy and market developments back to adviser-client interactions. She highlights how changing pressures on public healthcare increase demand for private solutions, the role advisers play in explaining options and the importance of positioning health products within broader financial planning. In coverage of National Friendly’s expansion of adviser reach through a network partnership, she again focuses on distribution, adviser relationships and how insurers can structure support to help intermediaries serve clients better, rather than treating the story purely as corporate news.

Marketing, social media and mortgage advice

Bratley’s content remit extends beyond product and policy into marketing and social media, especially around mortgages and property. Her guidance on rising mortgage rates emphasises how brokers can communicate calmly during volatile periods, explain rate changes, and keep clients engaged with clear, timely updates, reflecting her interest in the communication side of advice as much as the technical detail. In coverage of the social media shift in mortgage and property markets, she sets out practical steps for intermediaries to build a sustained presence: testing new messages, updating and creating content, tracking engagement and analytics, and starting conservatively with paid campaigns. She stresses that marketing is an ongoing discipline rather than a one-off task, tying digital tactics directly to lead generation and client retention.

Across these strands, her dual focus on content and social channels at IFA Magazine shapes a consistent through-line: she treats finance stories as working tools for advisers, brokers and protection specialists. Whether dealing with pensions IHT, investment confidence, healthcare provision or mortgage volatility, she anchors every piece in how intermediaries can communicate more clearly, manage risk for clients and grow sustainable businesses in a changing market.