In dealing with a vulnerable customer who is partially blind, the CPC requires the adviser to:

• A. Provide assistance to Catherine to facilitate her dealings with them.
• B. Recommend only risk-free investment products to her.
• C. Provide only generic investment advice to her, and not recommend any particular product to her.
• D. Not arrange a financial product until at least 14 working days after providing a written investment recommendation to her.

Answer: (B)

When advising a vulnerable client, the priority is to protect them from unnecessary risk and ensure they can understand and manage what’s being suggested. The CPC expects the adviser to reduce potential harm by steering the client toward investments that carry minimal risk—essentially choosing options that are unlikely to result in losses that the client may struggle to cope with given their impairment. This protective stance is why recommending only risk-free investment products is considered the best fit in this scenario.

Other options miss the regulatory emphasis. Providing general assistance is helpful, but it doesn’t address the obligation to limit exposure to risk for a vulnerable client. Offering only generic advice and no specific product recommendations would fail to meet the need for suitable, tailored guidance. Waiting 14 working days after a written recommendation is a procedural rule, not a direct response to vulnerability.