An Empirical Investigation into the Effects of the Menu

CRA was asked by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to undertake an assessment of the benefits of disclosure documents relating to the cost of financial advice. The “menu” (formally the document entitled “Key facts about the cost of our services”) describes the maximum amount an adviser of packaged products is paid for intermediation as well as, for comparison purposes, the average across the whole market for a range of products. The aim of the project was to identify whether there have been material benefits arising from the introduction of the menu relative to the situation before its introduction and, if such benefits exist, to estimate the magnitude of these benefits.