Popular News
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17 pension firms sign up to Mansion House Accord
A new Mansion House Accord backed by 17 pension firms aims to help DC pension savers by using private markets to boost potential net returns, while strengthening investment in the UK.
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Specialist expat SIPP adviser declared in default
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme has declared financial adviser AXG Advice Ltd (FRN: 450813) as failed.
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Trust in pensions sector drops for first time in 5 years
Public trust in the pensions industry has dropped for the first time in five years, according to an annual survey.
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Advisers changing retirement advice due to IHT shake-up
Financial advisers are turning away from pension wrappers and instead utilising pension gifting, annuities and onshore bonds as they prepare for the upcoming changes to inheritance tax, according to a new report.
Latest Blog
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James Jones-Tinsley: Aiming for an advice-guidance sweetspot
As Nikhil Rathi is reappointed as CEO of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for another five years, the FCA has set out its strategic direction for 2025/26, with important implications for financial advisers.
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Lisa Webster: Over-taxation of pensions remains an issue
HMRC’s January pension schemes newsletter announced changes to tax codes for pensions, and a few headlines followed proclaiming HMRC had finally fixed the over-taxation issue. It would be fantastic if that was the case, but despite nearly 10 years of getting it wrong, the problem isn’t resolved yet.
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Lisa Webster: Divorce impact on lump sums raises question
The lifetime allowance may have been consigned to the annals of history but the various forms of protection are still relevant in the new world, especially when it comes to the amount of pension commencement lump sum (PCLS) that can be taken.
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Martin Tilley: How education can tackle pension scams
The dark reality of pension scams is that we don’t really know how common they are. Fraud is a crime which tends to have low reporting events and with pension scams, it’s no different. The emotional toll can be as large as the financial, with some people being too embarrassed to report that they have been the victim of a scam.
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Lisa Webster: Maximising protected tax-free cash
While 2024 ended with a lot of doom and gloom in the pension world following the big announcement on inheritance tax (IHT), there was some good news that may have slipped under the radar of some advisers.
PK Wealth has made its Managed Portfolio Service – Active Approach available for external advisers looking to outsource part of their investment proposition.
The results for the half year to 30 June revealed continued growth with an 18% increase in new SIPP cases and a 58% increase in SSAS cases for the same period in 2018.
Meanwhile, assets under administration increased to £2.86bn and projected current year EBITDA was £1.8m with a 20% increase in the number of advisers using the firm.
Recurring income now represents 88% of turnover.
The firm says the SIPP and SSAS sector continues to be competitive with advisers using them for not only their complex cases but also for single asset or DFM options.
Despite the change of direction of some SIPP providers towards the platform market, Talbot and Muir says it is benefiting from “the vacuum left behind” and has benefited from a “growing number of Introducers who prefer the open architecture and personal service of a ‘pure SIPP’ which is often a cheaper solution than offered via a platform”.
Brian Talbot, director, Talbot and Muir, said: “We pride ourselves on our service and the value of our products and unlike some of our larger competitors we are making a genuine profit.
“We believe that the SIPP and SSAS sector will continue to grow but that there is likely to be more consolidation and we remain acquisitive for good quality books of business that will enhance our position as a leading independent provider.
“We have doubled the size of our office space, having recently moved to a new 10,000 square feet office within Nottingham city centre.
“The new space is contemporary, open-plan and will enable us to continue growing as we appoint new staff to ensure service levels are maintained.
“We are upgrading our back office systems with Delta which will continue to improve the portal functionality and client/adviser reporting that we offer.
“There has been a 20% increase in the number of new advisers using us for the first time as they look to review their SIPP and SSAS administrators to ensure they remain committed to the market and are continuing to innovate and invest in their businesses.”