Latest Blogs
-
James Jones-Tinsley: Guided Retirement Duty could be game changer
During May, the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), sponsored by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), concluded that defined contribution (DC) pension savers – including those in SIPPs, as well as in Workplace Pensions - require more guidance when choosing suitable retirement products.
-
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.
-
Lisa Webster: To gift or not to gift?
Since the announcement that pensions are to be included in estates for inheritance tax (IHT) purposes the question of whether those with large pension pots should be giving some funds away has become increasingly common.
Popular News
-
Barnett Waddingham appoints new CEO of BW SIPP
Pensions and SIPP consultancy Barnett Waddingham has promoted Nick Cooper to be CEO of BW SIPP, as the business says it enters a new phase focused on market growth.
-
SIPP administrator Nucleus poaches new CFO from FNZ
Platform group and SIPP and SSAS administrator Nucleus Financial Platforms has appointed FNZ chief financial & commercial officer Andrew Ring as chief financial officer, subject to regulatory approval.
-
Petition demands 10-day pension switch guarantee
Retirement specialist PensionBee has launched a petition demanding the government take action on pension delays as frustration mounts over the slow pace of pension transfer switches.
-
State pension gender gap ‘almost eliminated’
The gender pension gap has been almost completely eliminated when it comes to the state pensions of people retiring today, according to new data.
-
Pension transfer times fell after tax year end
Simpler pension transfers took an average of just 10.8 days to complete as the industry moved out of the busy tax year end period and into early summer.
Nearly half (47%) of 55 to 64-year-olds are unaware that deferring the State Pension can boost their retirement income significantly when they start to claim their pension benefits.
Many pension savers are missing this valuable ‘Financial Planning’ option when they retire, according to research from retirement specialist Just Group.
Deferring the State Pension payment can mean significantly higher state pensions with every nine weeks of deferral boosting income by 1% - equivalent to 5.8% more income for every 52 weeks of deferral.
However, just over one in 10 (12%) of those aged 65+ had deferred their State Pension with the figure higher among women (16%) than men (9%) and also higher among the semi-retired (22%) than fully retired (11%).
Just says with Coronavirus hitting financial plans many more could consider State Pension deferral to boost retirement income.
Stephen Lowe, Just communications director, said: “Deferring State Pension is an important option for the rising number of over-65s in good health and who plan to carry on working.
“It needs to be factored into people’s Financial Planning in the run-up to retirement so it is worrying that such a high number of people aged 55-64 don’t know that there is a degree of flexibility around when and how they take their State Pension.”
According to research by Just the appetite for State Pension deferral has waned in recent years with about 1m people currently receiving extra money as a result of deferral, about 25% fewer than the peak in 2004, according to Department of Work and Pensions figures.
With the full New State Pension rising to £175.20 a week from April, deferring for one year would result in
£10.12 extra a week – more than £526 a year.
Those who have started to receive the State Pension can defer payment once during retirement.
Most people tend to defer the State Pension for between one and two years but more than half defer for longer.
Among those who chose not to defer, 31% said it was because they wanted to stop working as soon as they could. A quarter (25%) said they would have had to defer for too long to make the weekly increase worthwhile.
How long after you were eligible did you defer starting to receive your State Pension?
Up to a year -15%
1-2 years - 31%
2-3 years - 26%
3-5 years - 19%
5-10 years - 8%
Source: Just Group
Financial Planners are no longer using cost as the main factor when selecting platforms, according to evidence in the latest Platform Report in the current Financial Planning Today magazine.
SIPP and SSAS specialist Talbot and Muir has launched a series of bespoke CPD-accredited webinars that can be tailored for individual firms of advisers and will be delivered by the firm’s business development consultants.
The Financial Services Regulatory Initiatives Forum has brought forward the launch of its Regulatory Initiatives Grid to today.
Punter Southall Aspire, the Financial Planning and retirement savings business, is exiting the Master Trust pensions market.
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme has warned that it will reject many claims relating to the failed £236m mini-bond firm London Capital & Finance (LCF).