Displaying items by tag: websterblog

Since the death benefit rules changed back in 2015 as part of the Pension Freedoms we have seen a significant fall in the use of bypass trusts.

I recently presented a technical webinar on pension transfers which included a look at transfers to qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes (QROPS).

Pension scams are not new but are growing in number and constantly evolving. Thankfully, after a slow start the wheels in motion to combat the scammers are starting to pick up speed.

I last wrote about Mrs Staveley in my blog of June 2019, and the name will be familiar to many. Mrs Staveley passed away back in December 2006 having transferred her pension just a few weeks earlier while in full knowledge of her terminal illness.

July felt like an incredibly busy month. Aside from the continued juggle of home schooling alongside the day job, consultations have been coming at us thick and fast.

It’s been a few years now since the words “holiday”, “property” and “SIPPs” were commonly found together.

When SIPPs were in their infancy they were largely a niche product reserved for the most affluent, small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The recent news that the withdrawal charge for Lifetime ISAs (LISA) was being dropped from 25% to 20% was very welcome and a pragmatic move by the Treasury.

It will be no surprise to those of you that know me, or at least read some of my blogs last autumn, that I’m not the biggest fan of default investment pathways, especially when it comes to SIPPs, and most definitely when advisers are involved.

We all know that annuity sales have been in decline for some time with the rise in popularity of drawdown under the Pension Freedoms and the poor value they are perceived to offer.