Popular News
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SPP says changing salary sacrifice would be negative
Changes to salary sacrifice would cause confusion, reduce benefits to employees, and disincentivise pension savings, The Society of Pension Professionals has warned.
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SSAS-linked DFM fails following upheld advice claim
Central Markets Investment Management (CMIM) Limited (FRN: 475828) has been declared in default by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
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Upper Tribunal confirms ban on £392m 'reckless' pension transfer pair
The Upper Tribunal has upheld a ban on two "reckless" financial advisers who were involved in 1,470 mostly 'flawed' pension transfers worth over £392m.
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Mattioli Woods and Kingswood to merge
Wealth manager Mattioli Woods and troubled Financial Planning firm Kingswood are to merge to create a wealth manager with over £25bn in assets.
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Hargreaves CEO exits after £5.4bn private equity takeover
Dan Olley, CEO of Hargreaves Lansdown, is to leave the firm less than two years after taking up the helm.
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Wealth transfer as important as estate planning to clients
Transferring wealth between generations is as important to clients of Financial Planning firms as retirement, according to a new study.
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: 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.
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Lisa Webster: Overcomplicated rules are a threat
It may be more than a year since the Lifetime Allowance was formally abolished but issues are still emerging from the mess made by rushed legislation.
More than 1,000 pension savers were hit every working day in 2020 by the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA), according to new analysis.
SIPP provider STM, the owner of the London & Colonial and Options SIPP businesses, has sold some of its Gibraltar-based businesses for just over £3m.
A 61-year-old man has been extradited from Spain in connection with a £13.7m pension fraud prosecution being brought by The Pensions Regulator (TPR).
AJ Bell, the SIPP and platform provider, has acquired mobile phone fintech Adalpha to increase its digital offering to financial advisers.
AJ Bell is buying the Adalpha group of companies, including Ad Alpha Solutions, for an undisclosed sum.
Adalpha is developing a mobile-focused investment platform proposition for financial advisers which allows transactions and account details to be done mostly via a mobile phone.
AJ Bell says the Adalpha platform will only be available via financial advisers.
According to the FAQs released today: “Adalpha is currently developing a simplified platform proposition for financial advisers delivered to customers via a mobile and tablet app. In essence, advisers will be provided with the software infrastructure they need to support an entirely digital service model for clients who are suited to that form of relationship and advice process.”
Manchester-based AJ Bell says it believes that this ‘simplified proposition’ has the potential to complement the company’s existing adviser platform business, AJ Bell Investcentre.
Adalpha’s staff will join AJ Bell.
Andy Bell, chief executive of AJ Bell, said: “Financial advisers need a variety of propositions to match a diverse range of client needs. The Adalpha team are working on a simplified, mobile focused platform service that will broaden our offering to financial advisers and help them service a wider base of clients.”
Dave Tanner, chief executive of Adalpha, said: “Our vision has always been to develop technology that helps financial advisers service a greater number of clients. Advisers should have the choice and capability to deliver their service remotely or face-to-face. As part of AJ Bell, we will be able to further develop our mobile led services and help increase clients’ engagement with their adviser.”
AJ Bell was established in 1995 and operates in the advised and direct-to-consumer sectors via AJ Bell Investcentre (adviser) and AJ Bell Youinvest (direct-to-consumer). It offers SIPPs, ISAs and General Investment / Dealing Accounts.
Gaudi, the SIPP and platform fintech business, has launched a white-labelled pension income drawdown product that can be used by any financial brand.
Westridge SSAS has recruited three new executives a week after the purchase of James Hay’s SSAS book.