Completing paperwork does not prove that a recommendation was suitable, and receiving a product brochure is not the same as receiving advice.

Advice, sales and administration can happen in a single conversation, which is exactly why they are easy to confuse. They are still different activities.

Advice is a recommendation based on information about you and your needs. A sale or transaction puts a product or instruction into effect. Administration covers tasks such as changing contact details, requesting a statement, processing a debit order or following up on a claim. Each can be useful.

The distinction matters when you want to understand responsibility. Ask what decision was recommended, what information supported it and what alternatives or trade-offs were considered. If the interaction was execution-only or administrative, that should also be clear. You should not have to reverse-engineer the nature of the service from a form you signed.

Try this now

Think about your most recent financial interaction. Label each part “advice”, “transaction” or “administration”. If you cannot identify the recommendation, look for a written record of advice rather than assuming the application form is that record.

Ask your advisor

  • Was this a personal recommendation, an execution of my instruction or an administrative service?
  • Which document records the advice and the reasons for it?

These labels are about clarity, not about suggesting that one kind of service is always better.

Next: The person you meet and the firm responsible may differ