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.
Join us at 1pm on Wednesday 23 October for an online Assembly where we’ll be asking what steps you can 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 will be sharing some practical ideas that you apply straightaway to cases, and offering insights that will help you think through the planning challenges.
Among the areas that Patrick and host, Richard Allum, expect to 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
Plus Patrick will share his secret weapon – a surprisingly simple ‘acid test’ for retirement plans that could change your approach.
Save your spot now
Whether you’re new to paraplanning or a seasoned pro, expect fresh ideas and practical tips you can apply to level up your retirement planning game. Grab 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 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.
Working out what to do with your client’s wealth after their death is all part of a paraplanner’s life.
But settling on the best strategy can be complex – especially when missing a vital detail can have costly consequences.
So what can you do about it?
Stay up to date with the latest thinking, that’s what.
Which is why Neil Macleod, senior technical manager at M&G Wealth, joined us to explore death and trusts and paraplanning.
During this lunch-hour Assembly, Neil covered:
- the types of trusts that can be created upon a person’s death
- how to spot different trust structures and what this means
- the income tax and capital gains tax treatment of trustee investments
- strategies for selecting appropriate investments for specific trusts
- practical approaches to providing investment advice to trustees
What will I learn from this online Assembly?
By the end of this Assembly, you’ll be able to:
- identify the types of trusts which can be created on a person’s death
- describe the income tax and CGT treatment of trustee investments
- identify appropriate investments for a particular trust
No matter how complex the cases you deal with, this is a great chance to tune in to Neil’s expertise, and get up to speed on death and trusts.
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 5 July 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.
Believe it or not, it’s already been nine years since the introduction of pension freedoms. And while it’s fair to say that the arrival of drawdown has transformed the way that clients can plan income in retirement, when the new measures were announced back in 2015, they were made against the backdrop of a generally benign economic climate.
What had changed and what could paraplanners do?
Today, high interest rates and stubborn inflationary pressure, coupled with greater regulatory scrutiny courtesy of The Consumer Duty and the FCA’s retirement income review, make for altogether more changeable weather.
So how are paraplanners expected to make forecasts and hatch plans that will deliver sustainable incomes for clients in their retirement? Plans that stack up under scrutiny – and against the demands – of The Consumer Duty?
During this lunch-hour Assembly, Gareth not only explored these issues but dug into other considerations that could influence paraplanners, advisers and clients when thinking about accumulation and decumulation strategies including:
- Cash flow modelling and stress testing – and its importance
- Is it ‘annuities vs drawdown’ or ‘annuities + drawdown’?
- Platform selection and what to consider
- The abolition of lifetime allowance – what does it mean?
No matter what your experience or expertise as a paraplanner, this 60-minute session offers insights and ideas when considering options for successful and sustainable income in retirement for your clients.