How are you feeling about this year’s tax year end?

Whether you’re already deep in the detail or still getting your head around everything that’s changed or going to change, one thing’s certain: there’s plenty to think about.

From pension allowances and ISA planning to the upcoming changes to Business Relief and Agricultural Relief, the list of considerations for clients seems longer than ever. And that’s before we get to CGT, investment bonds, salary sacrifice, and all those tax traps lurking around child benefit and personal allowances.

A chance to get ahead before April

Join us online at 1.00pm on Wednesday 28 January as M&G’s Mark Devlin joins host Richard Allum for a practical run-through of everything paraplanners should be considering in the lead-up to tax year end.

This isn’t about theory. It’s about making sure you’re thinking about the right things for the right clients at the right time.

During this Assembly we expect to cover:

What can you expect to take away?

You’ll leave this Assembly with a clearer picture of what to prioritise before April, practical prompts to check you’re not missing anything for your clients, and the confidence that comes from knowing you’ve thought it all through.

Sound useful? Save your spot now.

It’s been more than a decade since auto-enrolment in workplace pensions was first introduced by the UK Government.

And it’s fair to say that the measure has transformed the level of pension saving in the workplace. Plus it’s transformed the role that businesses (and their owners) can play in the financial wellbeing of their employees.

Mind you, there are plenty of paraplanners who weren’t around when auto-enrolment was rolled out. Or when the Pensions Commission was formed in 2005. Or when personal pensions were launched in 1988. 

So in this bonus Assembly episode, we asked Barnett Waddingham’s DC pension and employee benefits expert, Lucy Clark, to provide paraplanners – whatever your level of expertise – with a primer on the origins of workplace pensions, auto-enrolment and where things might be going in the future.  

Past

In just 20 minutes, Lucy provides a potted history of personal pensions, stakeholder pensions, why the original Pensions Commission was formed and its legacy.

Present

What’s more, Lucy walks through the employer duties that need to happen each pay period and the common pitfalls she sees in practice (contribution deductions and certification crop up a lot). She offers a helpful explanation of the net pay anomaly that’s affected lower earners in occupational schemes and – this is a new one for us – Lucy talks about ‘sidecar savings’: an idea that could help people build emergency funds alongside their pension in future.

Future

Speaking of the future, Lucy also considers what it might hold. We’re talking potential changes to age thresholds, removing the lower earnings limit, and the ongoing push for contribution adequacy.

This is a fantastic backgrounder packed with knowledge, know-how and insight from a DC pension and employee benefits expert. 

Budget measures are often the subject of media speculation. But the level of attention in the run-up to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget statement on 26 November 2025 was unprecedented.

So did the reality match the hype? 

For our final Assembly of 2025, we invited Les Cameron from M&G Wealth to join us and share his latest thoughts on what paraplanners need to know following Rachel Reeves’s statement.

Les covers a bunch of different topics that include:

Plus more besides. So if you want to catch up with what’s been announced, what’s changing, or what’s staying the same, this is the Assembly for you.

Assemblies featuring the M&G technical team in 2025

This is the fifth Assembly of the year featuring experts from M&G Wealth’s technical team. Here are the other four from 2025:

February 2025 – Pensions, death and taxes (with Les)
April 2025 – A guide to investment bond essentials for paraplanners (with Barrie Dawson)
August 2025 – Tax wrappers: which, why and when? (with Neil Macleod)
September 2025 – The pension IHT bombshell has landed – now what? (with Les)

When a client dies, their will isn’t necessarily the final word on how their estate gets distributed. Deeds of variation and disclaimers give beneficiaries a valuable window – two years from death – to reshape inheritances in ways that can reduce tax bills and improve family outcomes – often both.

In the latest episode in our ‘Technically speaking’ series, we invited Steve Sayer from Utmost to join host Richard Allum, to cast his expert gaze on the post-death planning issues that paraplanners need to consider.

During the hour-long session, Steve explains:

What’s more, the session also explores disclaimers – the simpler but more restrictive alternative to variations. Steve clarifies:

Throughout the episode, Steve offers examples to help illustrate concepts such as periodic charges and ten-year anniversaries.

If you’re working on suitability reports that cover post-death planning options, are supporting a client following a death, or would just like to give your technical knowledge a boost, this is the ideal ‘Technically speaking’ episode for you.

It’s more than a year since speculation ahead of last autumn’s Budget led to a surge of savers raiding their pension pots in a bid to beat rumoured changes to tax-free lump sums. 

But when no changes were announced and people sought to reverse their withdrawals, they discovered that the 30-day cancellation rule didn’t apply. Or did it?

That confusion over conduct of business rules led to calls for HMRC and the FCA to clarify whether or not savers could cancel – and they’ve now responded.

In this episode of the Paraplanners’ Assembly podcast popular Assembly expert, James Jones-Tinsley of Barnett Waddingham explains how cancellations became an issue, what the clarification means for clients, what regulatory issues the statement throws up, and what paraplanners need to know from now on.

Professional bodies are an influential feature of any paraplanners careers, whether we’re members of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), Personal Finance Society (PFS), or pay for LIBF courses.

So we fork out for fees, collect our CPD, and maybe sit an exam or two. But are we really getting the most from these organisations? 

What do they offer that can support us in our careers? And is one more suited to me than another? Or are all three much the same?

That’s what this Assembly was all about. We invited Chris Morris from CISI, Nicola Mellor from the PFS, and Sally Plant from LIBF to field questions posed in advance and in the chat by paraplanners.

Note: Because technology didn’t work the way it’s supposed to, Sally wasn’t able to join us on screen BUT she did join us in the Chat while her colleague (and director of financial services at the LIBF) John Somerville, was able to join Richard, Chris and Nicola on screen (from about 15 minutes in).

It’s a great conversation from start to finish and comprehensively explored:

Plus plenty more.

What can you expect to take away?

Once you’ve listened or watched, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of what each professional body offers, which could be the right one for you, and how you can get more value from your membership.

Look out for another installment in 2026

There was so much to talk about that we didn’t manage to address even 50% of the questions that paraplanners had submitted so we’ll be setting up a second session featuring Chris, Nicola and – hopefully – Sally early in 2026.

If you want to know what’s on the minds of other paraplanners, then this is definitely the Assembly for you.

That’s because Scottish Widows’s Craig Spittal joined host, Richard Allum, and guests Alison Neale of Principle Paraplanning, to exclusively reveal key findings of this year’s Scottish Widows‘ Paraplanner Survey ahead of it’s formal publication in November 2025.

Since recording the results have been published and you’ll find them here.

Original  insights on the big issues

During this recording of a lunch-hour online Assembly, Craig shares findings from a sample of 200 paraplanners who completed the third annual survey of paraplanners. Topics covered include:

What can you expect to take away?

Listen and you’ll hear practical insights, honest reflections, and a clear idea of where paraplanners like you think our profession is heading.

So tuck in to a helping of hot-of-the-press original research and take this chance to reflect on the attitudes and trends that are influencing paraplanning today.

The last time the UK government convened a Pensions Commission it resulted in the equalisation of the State Pension Age between men and women, the launch of auto-enrolment plus the creation of the National Employment Savings Trust – better known as NEST.

So will the recently re-constituted Pensions Commission prove to be as consequential as the last? 

To answer that question, we invited Barnett Waddingham’s self-invested pensions specialist, James Jones-Tinsley, to join host Richard Allum, to share his thoughts on the scope of the Commission and what it could mean for paraplanners and clients. 

In 20 minutes, James explains why it has been necessary to revive the Pensions Commission and what problem it has been asked to address.

As well as considering the big trends driving reform – such as demographic pressures – the conversation covers:

Plus James and Richard discuss how advice professionals can influence the Commission’s work through upcoming consultations. 

All in all, this episode is a fantastic backgrounder for paraplanners who want to stay ahead of changes in pensions and pension policy.

Here’s a question that might hit close to home: when you’re crafting retirement recommendations, are you addressing the three big risks that keep clients awake at night — or are you unknowingly leaving them exposed to sequence of returns risk, longevity risk, and inflation erosion?

As paraplanners, we have the power to transform retirement outcomes by understanding how product innovations can take these critical risks off the table. But are we truly using the full toolkit available to us? Or are we sticking with conventional approaches that might not deliver the stable, reliable income our clients need?

It matters because retirement planning has evolved beyond traditional drawdown strategies. The FCA expects us to distinguish between accumulation and decumulation approaches, and innovative product solutions now exist that can protect clients from running out of money — even if they live to 100.

Expand your knowledge in one hour

This Assembly – originally recorded on 1pm on 15 October 2025 – was the second part of our exploration into the retirement risk zone, focusing specifically on how product innovations can deliver better outcomes for your clients. You’ll find part one here.

In this online Assembly Connor Stewart from Standard Life joined host, Richard Allum, to explore this facet of the retirement risk zone.

Together, they explore what clients truly want from retirement (and what terrifies them), how regulatory expectations are driving change, and most importantly, how you can use cutting-edge product solutions to deliver the security and growth your clients need.

During this Assembly we:
What can you expect to take away?

You’ll leave this Assembly with actionable insights into product innovations that can transform your retirement planning approach. You’ll understand how to match these solutions to specific client needs and circumstances, ensuring you can deliver genuinely tailored retirement strategies.

Most of all, this session will equip you with practical tools and case study examples so you can confidently recommend product innovations that protect clients from the major retirement risks while helping them achieve their long-term goals.

Stop wondering if you’re doing the right things to grow your business: A power-up for outsourced paraplanners

Here’s a question that might keep you awake at night: how do you know whether what you’re doing to promote your outsourced paraplanning business is actually working? Or perhaps more fundamentally – where on earth do you even start?

If you’re nodding along, you’re definitely not alone. Whether you’re a new business needing to generate leads and build awareness, or you’ve been established for a while but want to grow and increase enquiries, the challenge is the same: cutting through the noise and actually getting noticed.

The good news? You don’t need an MBA in marketing or a hefty advertising budget to make meaningful progress. Just book your ticket to join us and your fellow paraplanners at this business power-up, Marketing that actually works (for outsourced paraplanners).

A full day focused entirely on practical marketing for outsourced paraplanners

Join us at Aegon’s London offices on Friday 14 November for a day designed specifically for outsourced paraplanners who want to take control of their marketing – without the jargon, without the overwhelm, and definitely without walking away with more questions than answers.

We’ve partnered with New Tradition, marketing and brand experts who specialise in making the complex simple, to deliver a hands-on workshop that cuts straight to what actually matters for your business.Plus, we’re delighted that Dr Tom Mathar from Aegon will be joining us to share his insights on achieving better success from referrals – because we all know that word-of-mouth remains a powerful tools in your arsenal.

What makes this day different?

This isn’t about theory or abstract concepts. You’ll spend the day building your own marketing plan using practical tools that you can take away and continue using long after the event ends.

We’ll focus on four fundamental areas that every successful outsourced paraplanning business needs to get right:

Who should attend?

This day is designed for outsourced paraplanners at any stage of their business journey:

What will you take away?

By the end of the day, you’ll have:

Most importantly, you’ll leave with the reassurance that comes from having a clear plan and the tools to execute it.

Agenda

Morning session

Afternoon session

Ready to take control of your marketing?

If you’re tired of wondering whether you’re doing the right things to promote your business, and you want to walk away with a clear plan and the tools to implement it, this day is for you.

Places are limited to ensure everyone gets the individual attention they need to build their own marketing plan.

Book your place now.

This image displays text promoting Aegon's association with the workshop outsourced paraplanners. The text reads "A personal and business power-up for outsourced paraplanners would not be possible without the generous support of Aegon UK". On the far right of the image is Aegon's logo. The overall design is minimalist with black text on a white background.