Latest Blogs
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Tilley: Will IHT reforms really threaten pension saving?
The Government’s decision to bring most unused pension funds and lump sum death benefits within the scope of inheritance tax (IHT) from 6 April 2027 has provoked widespread criticism from across the pensions industry. Providers, advisers and trade bodies have warned that the change risks undermining confidence in pension saving and damaging long term retirement provision.
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Lisa Webster: Salary sacrifice cap will hit some hard
The headline story from Budget 2025 - in the pension world at least - was the plan to cap National Insurance relief for pension contributions paid through salary sacrifice at £2,000 a year.
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Tilley: Rebooting the FOS makes sense
I’ve written before about the lack of coherence in the UK’s pension complaints landscape and it remains a source of real frustration for those of us working in the sector.
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Lisa Webster: Pension age uncertainty lingers on
We’ve known for many years that normal minimum pension age, NMPA it's known, is going up.
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Lisa Webster: Beware IHT and pensions double taxation
One of the most disliked aspects of bringing pensions into the estate for inheritance tax (IHT) purposes from 6 April 2027 is the double taxation that will occur when the member dies on or after their 75th birthday.
Popular News
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FCA survey reveals 15% fall in adviser firms
The number of adviser firms has fallen by 15% since 2021 although the number of advisers overall has remained steady at 31,000.
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3 in 10 business owners have no pension
Three in 10 business owners do not have a pension independent of their business, according to new research.
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Surge in DC lump sum withdrawals around Budget
There were surges in lump sum withdrawals from private sector DC pensions in Autumn 2024 and 2025 as savers acted in anticipation of rumoured Budget changes.
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Massive ‘concentration of power’ in DC pension market
There’s a massive concentration of power in occupational pensions with less than 50 people controlling more than half the money, according to former Pensions Minister Steve Webb.
SIPP provider Curtis Banks has revealed the top technical queries its support team received in 2020.
The FCA has begun civil proceeding in the High Court against Paul Steel for providing unsuitable defined benefit pension transfer advice.
It has also secured in interim injunction which freezes the assets of both Mr Steel and his partner Ms Foster up to the value of £7m, pending a further hearing.
The regulator said Mr Steel’s firm, Estate Matters Financial (in liquidation), contravened the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 by providing unsuitable defined benefit pension transfer advice, leading consumers to exit defined benefit pension schemes when it was not in their best interests to do so.
The regulator added that Mr Steel, Estate Matters Financial’s director and co-owner, was knowingly concerned in the contravention.
The FCA alleges that Mr Steel breached FCA requirements by undertaking a course of conduct which resulted in the removal of the firm’s assets, leaving it unable to meet potential liabilities for unsuitable advice, while enabling him to retain the significant profits that accrued from the provision of the advice and from ongoing fees.
An injunction was also obtained against Ms Foster on the basis that she may be holding or controlling assets owned by her partner Mr Steel.
The FCA has also asked the Court to make a restitution order requiring Mr Steel to compensate consumers who have suffered losses as a result of receiving unsuitable pension transfer advice.
No trial date has been set.
Wealth Manager Charles Stanley, which has a substanial SIPP arm, has removed VAT from its Managed Portfolio Service (MPS) across its Dynamic Passive, Blended and Multi-manager models.
Private equity-owned platform James Hay is to buy rival Nucleus Financial for £145m in an all-cash deal announced today.
Rowanmoor owner the Embark Group has appointed Sara Wilson as its new head of platform proposition after she recently transferred from Alliance Trust Savings (ATS).
Pension savers have reclaimed £693m in overpaid pension tax since pension freedoms were introduced in April 2015.