Paraplanners from all over the country gathered on Thursday 9 October 2025 at FarmED in rolling Cotswold countryside – the last time the Big Day Out was being at the venue.
An introduction to AI for Paraplanners
Participants were welcomed by The Big Day Out hosts, Aleks Sasin and Chris Wormwell, before Harriet Meyer kicked the day off with An introduction to AI for paraplanners.
What were the big takeaway messages from the session?
Used properly, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini can be powerful tools to aid the writing process that sits at the heart of your role. From client communications to suitability reports, the quality of your written work directly impacts client outcomes and regulatory compliance.
In this highly interactive session, award-winning financial journalist and AI trainer Harriet, cut through the AI hype using hands-on exercises where participants could practice effective prompt design and see real examples of how AI can improve client communications, streamline report writing, and support documentation tasks.
Whether you had never used AI tools, experimented with basic applications, or were already incorporating AI into your workflow but want to improve your technique, Harriet’s session offered lots of opportunities to learn together with paraplanning peers.
Technical pick-and-mix sessions
Ahead of the Big Day Out, participants were invited to pick two hour-long technical and financial planning client scenario sessions (from a choice of four). The topics were:
IHT Planning: Foundation
This session focused on helping participants strengthen foundational understanding of inheritance tax planning, and offer a structured refresher on core principles.
Through an interactive scenario-based discussion, they worked through client situations and explored different approaches, understanding the practical application of IHT planning principles and the trade-offs involved in different strategies. We explored the essential framework of “spend it, gift it, or insure it” and how these principles apply in practice. Issues covered included residence nil rate bands, tapering rules, and gifting allowances, alongside practical solutions like life cover. Participants also touched on the importance of Wills and Powers of Attorney, and even some discussion of deed variations.
IHT Planning: Advanced
This session tackled more complex planning scenarios involving multiple strategies and significant assets. Participants considered the complexities of advanced planning strategies, examining real-world trade-offs and the practical challenges of implementing sophisticated solutions, including the order of gifting, trust planning, and business relief considerations. With pensions now in the IHT net from 2027, the session explored how pension planning intersects with inheritance tax strategy. The session also examined when and how to use different planning tools, and the consequences of getting the sequencing wrong.
Retirement Income Planning: Foundation
If you wanted to strengthen your understanding of retirement income options and, particularly, building confidence around annuity recommendations, this was the session for you. Participants gained a comprehensive grounding in the core retirement income options available to clients with the session covering the fundamentals of drawdown versus annuities, tax-free cash decisions, securing essential income, and how State Pension fits into the picture.
Retirement Income Planning: Advanced
If you are comfortable with retirement income products but wanted to enhance your skills in creating comprehensive, client-focused retirement strategies that meet FCA expectations, then this was the session for you.
Participants explored sophisticated techniques for capturing client requirements, categorising needs into essential, desired, and legacy funds, and creating robust cash flow models. Groups discussed tax wrapper strategies, sequencing risk, and how to build retirement plans that will withstand regulatory scrutiny while truly serving client needs.
Your career, your choice: Designing your professional future
Paraplanner Zara Okoro invited participants to explore what really drives you professionally, where your strengths lie, and how to turn sector changes into career opportunities. Using a framework, Zara asked the Assembly to break out into groups of four and work through a series of questions which participants could use as lenese to explore where they are in their career today, and what they want to do next.
Whether you were early in your career or well-established, this session worked for anyone ready to take ownership of their professional development.
The ideal session for heading home knowing where to focus your efforts and how your future career growth could benefit both you and your employer.
The Assembly
Led by Big Day Out hosts Aleks Sasin and Chris Wormwell, and observing the Chatham House Rule, this open session handed the floor over to participants. Whether you wanted to dig deeper into topics covered earlier, raise something completely new, or simply pick the brains of the experts and fellow paraplanners in the room – it was entirely up to participants.
paraplanners and we also welcome administrators, so if you are not one please don’t book a ticket. If you’re still really interested in coming along then get in touch with us at [email protected].
