Perhaps you’ve been thinking about stepping into a leadership role in paraplanning. Or you’re already managing others and want to build your skills. Either way, our specially extended lunchtime Assembly at 12.30pm on Wednesday 13 November is for you.

Over 90 minutes, you’ll explore what kind of leader you could be and discover how you can make that step with confidence – all from the comfort of your own desk (or canteen, cafe, or kitchen table).

Wherever you’re joining from, we’ll have Aegon UK’s learning and organisational consultant, Sarah Purves, on hand to help. Throughout the Assembly, Sarah will be inviting you to try out a series of exercises that will help you:

• Identify the leadership qualities you already have (you might be surprised)
• Discover your natural management style by learning from what’s worked (and what hasn’t) with your own managers
• Get better at those tricky conversations that come with leading others
• Build a practical toolkit you can use straight away to have more impact in your role

What’s more, Sarah will be joined by paraplanner Ellie Welling from Succession Wealth who will be sharing her own experience of moving into a leadership role – what she’s learned, what she wishes she’d known, and how she’s gone about developing her own approach to managing a team.

It’s an Assembly that’s specially designed so you can:

• share your thoughts about the challenges of leadership without judgment if you’d like to
• learn from the experience of others at different stages of their career
• gain practical tips you can actually use right away
• work out if leadership is right for you and what it could look like
• ask questions you’ve always wanted to ask about managing others

There’s no magic formula for becoming a leader. But there are tools and techniques that really work. Whether you just want to tune in to listen and learn, or get stuck in and share your thoughts in the Chat, you’ll be really welcome. So how about it?

Join us online at 1pm on Wednesday 20 November 2024 when Scottish Widows’ pensions specialist (and Big Day Out 2024 ‘Quiz the Expert’ alumnus), Gareth Davies, will be joining us for the follow-up to his popular ‘Is there a recipe for successful retirement income advice?‘ Assembly back in June.

What to expect

To conclude the survey of the retirement advice landscape that they set off on in the summer, Gareth and Assembly host, Richard Allum, plan to:

• Revisit the annuities vs. drawdown debate: they’ll examine the case for ‘annuities plus drawdown’, explore the latest annuity features, and discuss strategies for annuitising fully crystallised pension pots.
• Dig into pension death benefits: they’ll consider the options and potential pitfalls of death benefits – plus focus on the importance of nomination forms and their regular review.
• Assess the effect of regulatory change: if there’s time, they’ll consider how the FCA’s thematic review is influencing retirement income advice, what it may mean for centralised retirement propositions, and what it means for your ongoing assessment of suitability.

All in all, it’ll make for a lunch-hour packed with valuable insights and practical ideas that you can apply to client cases right away.

Save your spot now

So whether you’re fine-tuning your thinking about retirement income or are on the lookout for fresh perspectives, this Assembly promises the kind of up-to-the-minute thinking that will help you consider the planning options available to your clients with confidence.

Don’t miss out. Save your spot now.

Are you ready to take your outsourcing game to the next level? Then join us from 10:30am on Friday 15 November 2024 for a day that’s tailor-made to inspire you to achieve your personal and professional ambitions in the world of outsourcing.

Thanks to the generous support of Assembly supporter, Aegon UK, we’ve been able to team up with coach and consultant Rachael Hurdman to create a workshop where paraplanners can gather to exchange practical insights, knowledge and experience. So whether you’re already running an outsourced business, working for one, or just thinking about it, this is your chance to:

• Get a fresh take on the outsourcing landscape
• Swap ideas with other paraplanners who really get what you do
• Leave with a solid plan you can put into action straight away

Plus, you’ll bag 5 hours of CPD.

Hosted at Aegon UK’s offices on the 26th floor of the landmark Leadenhall Building in the City of London, even the awesome views will do their bit to spark your big ideas.

It promises to be a day out of the office that could make a real difference to you and your future in outsourcing. Why not join us?

Why should you come?

The day’s content has been designed exclusively as a result of research conducted with outsourced paraplanners – plus insights gained from our regular informal outsourced Assemblies. That means we know we’ll be tackling the topics that are front-of-mind for practitioners leading or working for outsourced paraplanning businesses. It’s a tailor-made opportunity to gather with paraplanning peers where you can listen, learn and share experiences about things that really matter.

The morning sessions

Session 1: How to navigate the ups and downs of business

In this interactive session Rachael will help you to focus on how to successfully navigate and succeed through the inevitable opportunities and challenges that are part and parcel of being in business. 

Get stuck in with this hands-on session that will tackle the roller-coaster of business ups and downs head-on. Pick up practical tools to build your resilience and keep your mind sharp – stuff that’s really useful for you and your team. Learn how to stay on top of things when life feels a bit uncertain. By swapping stories and experiences with other participants, you’ll walk away from this session with simple, effective ideas to help you flourish at work.

Session 2: Make every work relationship count

Our second session in the morning is all about getting more from your work relationships – including those vital ones with clients. Designed especially for this Assembly event by Rachael, this session will help you to:

• Spot the connections that really matter – and make them even better
• Use Rachael’s tried-and-tested ‘contracting’ template to build stronger partnerships
• Set boundaries that really work for you and the people you work with
• Develop a flexible approach to being assertive when you need to be

It’s an Assembly, so roll up your sleeves for this interactive session where you’ll work in groups to try out your new skills right away.

The afternoon sessions: Group discussions

Sam Davies (In Step Paraplanning) and Richard Allum (The Paraplanners) will be joined by Rachael to help facilitate an afternoon of three x 40-minute group-based discussions in true Assembly style. The first two topics have bubbled up consistently during informal outsourced paraplanner gatherings. They are:

Efficiency boost: What can you do to squeeze that extra bit of time and attention from your practice’s workflow? What ideas, tools and techniques have worked for other outsourced businesses that might also work for you? And what wisdom can you share that might prevent a paraplanning peer from repeating a mistake you made? This session is all about efficiency: how to achieve it, how to sustain it and how to keep things fresh.

Smart growth: What does your business’s future look like? Do you want more clients? Level up the services you offer? Or something else entirely? Even if it’s all three, getting your bearings in business is an essential step before deciding on a destination and plan. This session will allow you to test your ambitions and thinking by exchanging ideas and experiences with paraplanners just like you – and those who have seen it, done it, and continue to learn from it.

The third topic? As a group, you’ll decide the third and final topic on the day, which means you already know that it’ll be a topic that really matters right now.

The wrap up

As we wrap up, Rachael will guide you through a collaborative session to consolidate your insights. You’ll have the chance to pinpoint your key takeaways and consider how to apply them in your day-to-day work.

There’ll be time to bounce ideas off your peers and ask those burning questions. Our goal? To send you back to the office feeling energised, well-informed, and equipped with practical knowledge you can use right away.

The wind down

If you have time before heading home, we’ll find a suitable venue to gather for a bit of post-workshop conversation. Perhaps even somewhere in the historic Leadenhall Market right next door!

Your Commitment Log

During the day we will share a simple and effective Commitment Log with you to encourage you to capture your key learns and take-aways from each of the sessions throughout the day. If you took part in September’s Big Day Out, the Commitment Log is the ideal tool to inform your development plans. If you didn’t take part in The Big Day Out this year, we will have copies of the development plans for you too.

The running order

Join us online at 1pm on Thursday 7 November 2024 when perennial Assembly favourite, Les Cameron of M&G Wealth, will be joining us to share his thoughts on the Budget just one week before on 30 October.

As well as the fact that Rachel Reeves made history by becoming the first woman to deliver a budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer, were there measures that are sure to feature when Budget history is written?

Or were the widespread jitters among savers and investors ill-founded as Labour delivered its first Budget since Alistair Darling’s on 20 April 2010 – no fewer than 5,334 days earlier.

What actually happened?

Were the headlines screaming about capital gains and inheritance tax? How about pension tax relief and fuel duty? Or national insurance and the British ISA? Perhaps even VAT on school fees or measures affecting non-doms? And what about a wealth tax?

Whatever the contents of the red box, Les will be on hand to offer his thoughts and insights, and answer your questions and explore ideas that you raise in the chat.

Save your spot now

So will it have turned out to be one of the most consequential Budgets of recent years, more of a ‘pitch-rolling’ statement in preparation for future measures, or something else altogether?

Save your spot and find out.

What steps can you take to make sure your client’s plan will deliver a reliable income in retirement nowadays?

After all, it’s an area of advice that is coming under some significant regulatory attention. Because not only is it the subject of a thematic review but the arrival of The Consumer Duty has also turned the spotlight on the suitability of advice too. 

Retirement income advice: why all the fuss?

The last few years witnessed big challenges for paraplanners seeking secure incomes in retirement for clients thanks to significant economic and political events.  

First there was pension freedoms and the surge in drawdown strategies. Next, rising inflation and interest rates conspired to squeeze income during the cost of living crisis. And that crisis prompted the search for secure income and a revival of annuities.

The paraplanner’s dilemma

But what’s the right balance between drawdown and secure income strategies? (Is there a balance to be struck at all?) What steps can you take so your client won’t simply run out of money? And how can you be sure that the FCA will agree that your approach to retirement income is consistently suitable?

Patrick’s practical planning pointers

That’s where our guest expert at this Assembly, Parmenion‘s head of strategic partnerships, Patrick Ingram, comes in. Because Patrick shares some practical ideas that you apply straightaway to cases, and offers insights that will help you think through the planning challenges.

Among the areas that Patrick and host, Richard Allum, cover in this lunch-hour Assembly are:

• analytical drawdown advice for clients spending money in retirement 
• why managing drawdown is different to wealth management 
• the importance of secure income ratios in drawdown planning 
• the ‘4% rule’ versus current annuity rates

Are you an outsourced paraplanner?

Whether you’re the only employee of your paraplanning practice, or you lead a paraplanning powerhouse with employees and a hefty bank of clients, outsourced paraplanners share lots of things in common.

You just do.

But here’s the thing: despite the growing number of outsourced paraplanners in the UK these days, opportunities to get together to talk only about things that matter in the outsourced world, are surprisingly few and far between.

Switch off. Show up. Join in. 

So, if you’re an outsourced paraplanner, here’s our invitation: at 10am on Friday 11 October 2024, set your notifications to ‘do not disturb’, click on the Zoom link in your event invitation and gather with other outsourced paraplanners across the UK for an hour of conversation, ideas and practical insights.

There’s nothing to prepare. Just come along ready to share your answer to one question: 

‘What’s on your mind today?’

Spaces are limited. To save a spot hit ‘Book Event’ and look out for the calendar invitation in your inbox.

There’s nothing paraplanners love more than a case study to help bring a technical topic to life.

And that’s especially true when it comes to getting to grips with the complexities of inheritance tax (IHT) calculations.

Which is why you’re invited to join us online at 1pm on Friday 20 September 2024 for a case-study led online Assembly that’s all about calculating IHT.

Join Graeme Robb from M&G Wealth as he guides us through a case study in which he will break down each stage and address common misconceptions. During the lunch-hour Assembly, Graeme expects to cover:

• Nil rate bands: how nil rate bands come into play and their place in calculations
• Failed PETs: learn how to bring failed potentially exempt transfers (PETs) back into the equation
• Chargeable lifetime transfers: discover the impact of transfers requiring a 14-year look-back period
• Allowances on death: explore the various allowances that can be factored into calculations if unused
• Taper relief: how it actually works – it’s not what many think!
• Charitable gifts: unpack the 36% band for charitable gifts and find out how to calculate it correctly
• Deeds of variation: understand their influence on IHT calculations
• Tax responsibility: who’s actually responsible for paying the calculated tax

Because it’s an Assembly, you’ll have plenty of chances to ask questions, share examples and make suggestions.

How does that sound? If you fancy joining in, save your spot now.

How are paraplanners feeling about things at the moment? About regulatory change? About day-to day pressures and workload? About emerging technology and its influence on advice? About perception of paraplanning as a profession and career? 

Upbeat? Pretty neutral? A bit meh?

Well wonder no more and join us online at 1pm on 25 September 2024 when Craig Spittal of Scottish Widows, will reveal the findings of Scottish Widows’ latest annual survey of paraplanners in the UK.

Craig and host, Richard Allum, will be joined by paraplanners Ceetal Katechia of PSA Financial Services and Sarah Lees of Forvis Mazars to discuss findings that are so fresh off the press, we can only give you a flavour of what we expect to cover during this lunch-hour Assembly. And they are:

• the changing demographics of the UK’s paraplanning population 
• the most common misconceptions about paraplanning as a career
• what challenges are adding the most weight to paraplanners’ workloads  
• how your paraplanning peers are feeling about role of technology – including AI
• how regulatory change – such as The Consumer Duty – is affecting the day job
• what paraplanners think about potential change in future e.g. an independent pensions policy body 

Because it’s an Assembly, we’d love to hear what you’re thinking and feeling about the issues that crop up. So we’ll have lots of polls for you to vote in plus there will be lots of chance to contribute to the conversation in the chat.

For a long time, paraplanners (and paraplanning) were lucky if they received even a passing mention in the conclusions of surveys of advice professionals in the UK. And a dedicated survey only for paraplanners and all about what matters to paraplanning? Unthinkable.

So this online Assembly, packed with findings from original research commissioned and conducted among 200 paraplanners by Scottish Widows, won’t just offer a really clear snapshot of how paraplanners are feeling about the world of advice today. It offers us all a chance to reflect on what’s affecting our profession and help focus our minds on how we’d like to shape our profession in the future.

Want to take part in the conversation? Then book your spot now.

It’s been just over a year since the arrival of The Consumer Duty.

So, whether you’ve been neck-deep in its implementation or still feel like you’re getting to grips with it, now seems like a good time to see how we’re all getting on with it.

That’s why you’re invited to join us online at 1.00pm on Wednesday 14 August 2024 for a lunch-hour Assembly that’s all about The Consumer Duty.

To explore the topic, we’ll be joined by founder of Compliance and Training Solutions (CATS), Mel Holman, and Tom Lloyd-Read, technical planning manager at Stonehage Fleming.

Mel has been providing advice and implementation support to a range of organisations while Tom has been deeply involved in implementation of the Duty within his firm.

Over the course of the lunch-hour Assembly, we’re bound to cover:

• real-life experiences of implementing The Consumer Duty
• practical approaches to demonstrating client understanding
• the ongoing challenge of defining and proving value
• how firms are adapting to support vulnerable clients
• the impact of the retirement income review

What’s more, if our pre-event prep is anything to go by, there’s every chance we’ll touch on cashflow modelling assumptions, dashboards and gap analysis too.

Of course, being an Assembly, not only are you invited to tune into the conversation, we’d love you to share your thoughts and ideas on what’s working, what’s not, and where firms are still figuring things out in the chat.

So if you’re up for an hour’s worth of thoughtful insights and practical takeaways, join the conversion and save your spot now.

Are you an outsourced paraplanner?

Whether you’re the only employee of your paraplanning practice, or you lead a paraplanning powerhouse with employees and a hefty bank of clients, outsourced paraplanners share lots of things in common.

You just do.

But here’s the thing: despite the growing number of outsourced paraplanners in the UK these days, opportunities to get together to talk only about things that matter in the outsourced world, are surprisingly few and far between.

Switch off. Show up. Join in. 

So, if you’re an outsourced paraplanner, here’s our invitation: at 10am on Friday 16 August 2024, set your notifications to ‘do not disturb’, click on the Zoom link in your event invitation and gather with other outsourced paraplanners across the UK for an hour of conversation, ideas and practical insights.

There’s nothing to prepare. Just come along ready to share your answer to one question: 

‘What’s on your mind today?’

Spaces are limited. To save a spot hit ‘Book Event’ and look out for the calendar invitation in your inbox.