Is it fair to ask whether advisers will all become farmers post 2013 calmly managing their client banks. But if so, what about the hunters? Will they have a place? Is hunting for clients not really an intrinsically commission-driven sort of role? The questions link at least a little with the new business debate. For most advisers the trend is to lose clients not to gain them, though it is pretty certain they wouldn’t turn their noses up at the odd million pound portfolio or two if it were to walk in the door. Yet isn’t that the point too? It won’t walk in the door, will it?

Perhaps I am only playing with semantics. People will still pitch for GPP business. Lawyers, solicitors or friends and relatives will still recommend IFAs. They will then perhaps have that difficult first meeting which will or will not secure the business. It may only be the nature of the hunter that will change. His or indeed her conversation now will have to be tuned to discussing adviser charging and somewhere the new consumer/client will now know how and how much they are paying for the advice. But it does seems to me like it was an easier conversation to have under a commission system.

So how will this new breed of RDR ready hunter adviser be remunerated? Certainly pretty well if they can adapt but what if many of them - being free spirited hunting types - cannot adapt at all?

The news from Bluefin is a little worrying. It is moving from 180 to 50 advisers in its private client financial planning business. The firm’s minimum will not just be the diploma but also the certified financial planner. That in itself sounds a very good measure that could future proof the company from any further exams increase and might be what clients should expect given the division’s description.

However it is a big number – a shame for the advisers concerned who will have to leave the firm. It is also very bad news if there is to be a contraction at other similar firms.

The RDR would really bite down on the numbers if that happened elsewhere and I’m not quite sure where people are going to go for advice. Every firm that puts on a minimum of say £250,000 are leaving a lot of the population behind.

It would be good if advice businesses could find new ways to service this market rather than leave them to the vaguaries of the internet and, in some cases the hit and miss of ‘advice’ from the banks.

No doubt Bluefin chief John Simmonds has very sound business reasons for doing this, but the Money Debate wouldn’t want to see this a blueprint for others in the market.