Years of stability in the retirement income planning world changed abruptly on 23 September 2022 when former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, presented his ‘mini budget’.
Ever since, uncertainty about rising interest rates, anxieties about inflation, and even worries over the stability of pension funds themselves, have led paraplanners to rethink how clients can achieve the outcome they want from their financial plan.
One consequence of all this? Secure lifetime income has become a thing. And annuities are back in fashion.
What’s more, the demands of the consumer duty means more and more firms are kicking the tyres of their centralised retirement propositions to test suitability – or are setting one up for the first time.
In other words IT’S ALL KICKING OFF IN THE WORLD OF RETIREMENT INCOME PLANNING. And in the eye of the storm (because it does feel a bit like that doesn’t it?) there are paraplanners.
So how are we supposed to make sense of it all? What do we need to know? And what should we be doing about it? (And – while we’re talking about it – how DOES an annuity work?)
It’s all kicking off in the world of retirement: a series of online Assemblies with Just
Working with our friends at Just, we’re hosting a series of three online Assemblies to help you understand where we are, how we got here and – by combining case studies and practical tips – give you the knowledge you need to navigate what’s ahead.
1pm on 25 May 2023: Why is it all kicking off in the world of retirement?
In this first session in the series, we were joined by Karl Steadman from Just to explore what’s changed in the world of retirement income planning and what it means to paraplanners. During the Assembly we covered:
- what’s happened in the economy and markets
- why things won’t be the same again
- what it all means
- income stability and sustainability
- what is an annuity
- assessing attitude to risk
Save your spot at the second and third Assemblies in this series
The second Assembly in this series – ‘Getting real: the new practicalities of retirement income planning’ – is taking place at 1pm on 1 June. For more info and to save your spot now visit the event page now.
Join us online for the third and final Assembly – called ‘The realities of retirement income: clients, case studies and consumer duty’ – which starts at 1pm on 8 June. Grab your spot and get more info here.
Les Cameron of M&G Wealth joined us to explore what the Budget in March 2023 meant for paraplanners, financial planners and clients.
Over the course of a lunch hour, as well as fielding questions from paraplanners in the chat, Les talked through the key financial planning questions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s statement.
In particular, Les tackled the changes to lifetime and and annual allowances and their consequences.
Scroll down to view the video replay or listen instead via our podcast.
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Planning for small and medium size businesses can often feature in a paraplanner’s role. But guess what? We don’t think we’d ever explored the issues that affect small businesses – and the people who run them – in an Assembly.
So we decided to fix that. And to help us navigate the topic, we were joined by Les Cameron from M&G Wealth.
Whether you already have experience in this area or are new to it we’re confident that this Assembly will be right up your street. Over the course of an hour, we expect to cover:
- how corporation tax works
- what the changes mean and how will they work
- corporate investments for surplus profits
- profit extraction and remuneration strategies
From now on, there’s no need to visit Crowdcast to save your spot at an online Assembly. Just tap ‘Book event’ and follow the step-by-step instructions.
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For the first time in three years paraplanners from all over the country were able to gather for real for the Paraplanners Assembly’s Big Day Out at FarmED near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire on 15 September 2022.
Learning objectives
We opted for a blend of small group sessions – which we called Crop Rotations – and all-together sessions.
Crop rotations: Morning
For the pre-lunch sessions, we split the Assembly into three groups: Barley, Oats and Wheat.
Participants were assigned to a group and each group rotated around the three topic sessions. Conversations in each topic session were facilitated by hosts and experts. Each session lasted for 45 minutes. The topic session for rotations 1, 2 and 3 were:
What will consumer duty mean to you?
Experts: the lang cat’s Mike Barrett and Mel Holman from CATS.
The art of challenging conversations
Expert: Becca Timmins from Time to Think and Emery Little led a session on challenging conversations.
Pep up your paraplanning processes
Experts: LIFT Financial’s Jonny Stubbs and Chris Baigent-Reed from Jigsaw Tree.
After lunch, participants were assigned to a NEW group: Apples, Cherries, Pears or Plums.
That’s because we combined two groups for the session on report writing but – by the miracle of organisation – ensured each group gets a technical Q&A all to itself. So the topics for rotations 4 and 5 were:
Technical Q&A
Panellists: Les Cameron and Neil MacLeod from M&G Wealth, and Transact’s Brian Radbone and Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley.
Three things that get in the way of clear, compliant and client-friendly report writing
Experts: Melissa Kidd of Motem with Mel Holman from CATS.
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Long term care and what paraplanners should know about it
Learning objectives
During the session we covered…
- Powers of Attorney
- Working with attorneys
- Care fees planning case studies
Long term care and what paraplanners should know about it
Learning Objectives
During the session we covered…
- Appreciating the divide between health and social care
- Recognising how care needs and financial assessments work
- The privately funded options for care funding
- Evaluating the issues of possible deliberate deprivation of assets
Long term care and what paraplanners should know about it
Learning Objectives
During the session we covered…
- Assessing the size and potential for advice in the care market
- Analysing the longevity and demographic issues in the UK
- Evaluating the government proposals for dealing with health and social care
A back to the basics on inflation and what it means for paraplanners.
Learning objectives
During the session we covered….
- What is inflation?
- What is it made up of?
- Why has it gone up so much, so fast?
- What do we think will happen in the future?
- How it affects assumptions and cash flow planning
An exploration of the factors paraplanners should consider when planning for couples.
Learning objective
During the session we covered…
- Examples from other professions on working with couples
- An overview of the new Consumer Duty rules (currently in consultation)
- Why it’s important you know who you are working with and how to know
- Considerations around partners who are passive in financial decision making
- Where gender bias can play into risk discussions The dynamics introduced age, longevity, divorce and same sex partnerships and marriage
A large number of clients have an objective to pass their wealth on to the next generation or generations. We explore the issues paraplanners should be thinking of when creating a suitable strategy.
Learning objectives
During the session we covered…
- Gifting during life vs gifts made after death
- Access and control
- Using the right tax wrappers
- Trusts Investment strategies