Beginner Archives

We like a collaboration, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with Aegon where we’ll cover tax topics in these video shorts. Think tax topics cut into easily bitesize videos that you can watch on the go.

Whizzing us through the tax topics is Elaine Cruickshank.

Elaine is a qualified account and member of STEP. She is Tax and Trusts Manager in the Aegon retail sales team and has been with Aegon for 17 years. She provides tax and trusts support to the Aegon retail and protection sales teams and advisers. She is Aegon’s tax and trusts spokesperson – writing articles, delivering webinars and presenting at seminars.

There’s five videos to dive into covering:

Capital losses
Taking money from a bond
Shares and capital gains tax
Scottish rate of income tax
IHT planning

So, don’t delay, get watching and if you find these useful let us know and we will make some more.

So what can you expect from a technical short?

Here’s Richard to explain what you can expect from this series.

Capital losses with aegon

Taking money from a bond

Shares and capital gains tax

Scottish rate of income tax

IHT planning

Understand the importance of behavioural science within paraplanning.

Learning Objectives

In this session we covered…

Influencing advisers
Applying behavioural principles in client communication
The EAST framework
Why picturing their future self tells you more about a client than their income
Building trust
The power of ‘pre-suasion’
Self behaviour tips for dealing with stress

Take a deep dive into the lifetime handling of a bond

Learning objectives

In this session we covered…

Dealing with an estate
What tax is due on a bond and who pays it?
Succession planning
How a Discounted Gift Trust can be used
Single life or joint life?
Using a Loan Trust
What about the grandchildren?

Looking at how you build and manage your SRI/ESG strategy

Learning objectives

In this session we covered…

Chargeable event regime
The power of gross roll up
Top slicing – basic and advanced
Update on the Silver case with worked examples
Bonds vs GIA

Looking at how you build and manage your SRI/ESG strategy

Learning objectives

In this session we covered…

How to comply with MiFID 2 and FCA requirements
Tips on discussing this with clients
Researching this area
The compromises clients might have to make
A paraplanner’s experience of building a firm’s process and strategy.

Looking for an introduction or useful refresher on UK tax for savings and especially offshore bonds? Here we take it all the way back to the essentials.

Learning objectives

In this session we covered…

Overview of different taxes
UK savings regime
Structure of bonds
Taxation of bonds
Myth busting
Reasons to use an offshore bond

Active. Passive. Multi-Asset. Evidenced Based. Advisory. Discretionary. There’s plenty of jargon there but what do they all mean? How do they work? Is it possible to work out which one is best?

Learning Objectives

In this session we covered…

The jargon and what it means
How do the different investing approaches work
How do you determine the right approach

Explore the basics of ethical investing.

Learning objectives

In this session we covered…

Understanding the terminology – ethical, ESG, SRI, sustainable etc.
Navigating the range of products and styles of ESG investing
The change in attitudes to ESG among companies and investors
Greenwashing! How can investors combat this?
How ethical considerations vary for different asset classes and regions
Pros and cons of the increasing amount of data and ESG ratings available
Active versus passive in ESG investing, what are the advantages or disadvantages?
Negative screening
MIFid II – Discussions with your clients

State Pensions are an important part of many peoples’ financial plansplans and in this video we explore the considerations.

Learning objectives

In this session we covered…

How state pension age has changed and further proposals to amend Comparison of old State Pension and new State Pension

What will your client get?
What are the differences?
How the State Pension is Accrued

Foundation amounts

Qualifying National Insurance credits and pitfalls to avoid
Working and retiring abroad
State Pension death benefits

Differences between old and new state pension
Guiding your client through a State Pension forecast

Assessing what your client may get
Eligibility and cost of topping up state pension
Considerations before topping up state pension
State Pension deferral

Comparison of old State Pension v new State Pension rules
Who can defer?
Considerations for deferring and alternative options

In 2013, we set out with a simple ambition: To create an informal gathering designed by paraplanners for paraplanners to exchange views, learn things, fix things and share things.

Taking inspiration from the unique quality of teepees to create space for conversation and cooperation in-the-round, we settled on the idea of staging an unconference event held in rolling countryside under open skies – in teepees.

And because of the teepees’ association with Native American tradition, we named the event the Paraplanners Powwow. The language and imagery and props and furnishings we adopted drew on the depictions of the 19th century United States popularised in ‘Western’ films and TV.

Despite being intended as a one-off event, the organising principles adopted for that original event proved compelling.

So much so, in fact, that paraplanners who attended the very first Powwow decided to organise their own events: Powwow Up North was born, and then Powwow Down South, and then Powwow North of the Border, and so on and so on.

The Paraplanners Powwow name stuck and so we stuck with the whole Powwow theme.

But in recent weeks we’ve had plenty of reasons to think again about persisting with the ‘Powwow’ theme – not least because we received an email challenging us directly about our adoption and use of the powwow idea, naming and associated branding.

To be confronted with the idea that our events contribute to cultural appropriation of Native American tradition and, in doing so, perpetuate prejudice has been upsetting. And we know that participants in our events would feel exactly the same as us.

But as organisers, we should have recognised the harm that the adoption of the powwow would cause. We didn’t and we are sorry.

What we can do is make changes now.

We have already begun to take steps to remove the Powwow and Howwow names and end the use of imagery and props that contribute to cultural appropriation of Native American tradition.

That’s why, from now on, we’re the Paraplanners Assembly.

And although we’re changing our name, the idea that’s made our events and the community that’s flourished around them remains exactly the same: To create informal gatherings designed by paraplanners for paraplanners to exchange views, learn things, fix things and share things.

We’re learning from our mistakes. We’re fixing it. And – today – we’re sharing our news.

We’ll be publishing details of new events coming up and will see you at an Assembly soon.