Under the Minimum Competency Code, which statement about trainee advisers' client meetings is true?

• A. They must be permitted to meet clients alone.
• B. They must be accompanied for an initial period by a qualified adviser.
• C. They must only meet clients in group settings.
• D. They must obtain consent from the regulator for each meeting.

Answer: (B)

Trainee advisers must have supervision during client meetings to ensure advice quality and client protection while they’re still developing core competencies. The minimum-competency framework requires a qualified adviser to accompany them in the initial period, providing oversight, guidance, and immediate escalation if needed. This hands-on supervision helps ensure disclosures are proper, questions are answered correctly, and the trainee meets the required standards before handling meetings independently.

The other scenarios aren’t in line with how supervision is structured: meeting clients alone isn’t permitted at the early stage because there needs to be a qualified adviser present; being restricted to group settings isn’t a mandated requirement; and obtaining regulator consent for each meeting would be impractical and isn’t how the MCC supervision arrangement works.