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.

Host Richard Allum is joined by Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley for a bonus episode exploring the government’s announcement of an independent review of the state pension age review and its potential consequences for retirement planning. 

As well as considering the scope of the review, which is being led by Dr Suzy Morrissey, deputy director of the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), and what it means for the future, Richard and James discuss 

They discuss:

The review’s call for evidence closes on 24 October 2025. And with its focus on life expectancy and intergenerational equity, this episode is essential listening for paraplanners keen to stay ahead of the debate and its likely effects on retirement advice long into the future.

Here’s a question that might keep you awake at night: what do you tell clients who’ve spent years building pension pots specifically because they were IHT-free, only to discover that’s all changed?

On 21 July 2025, HMRC published their response to the pension IHT consultation, along with draft legislation that will bring unused pension pots into the inheritance tax net from April 2027. The writing’s been on the wall since Rachel Reeves’ October 2024 Budget announcement, but now we have the detail and it’s time to work out what this means for our clients.

As paraplanners, we’re about to face some of the most fundamental shifts in retirement and estate planning strategy we’ve seen in years. The days of treating pensions as the IHT-free golden goose are numbered, and clients will be looking to us for answers.

This isn’t just about understanding the new rules. It’s about completely rethinking how we approach pension planning, estate planning, and the delicate balance between the two.


Your crash course in the new pension IHT landscape

In what turned out to be an essential Assembly, we were joined by M&G’s Les Cameron to dive deep into the practical implications of these seismic changes. We strongly recommend reading M&G’s detailed response before watching the Assemly as it provides crucial context for our discussion.

During this Assembly, we evaluated the different options to mitigate pension-driven IHT liabilities, including:


What can you expect to take away?

You’ll leave this Assembly with a clear understanding of how the new IHT rules will work in practice and with strategies you can implement immediately to help clients navigate this changing landscape. We hope to give you the confidence to tackle those difficult conversations about restructuring retirement plans that took years to build.

Fair warning: there’s so much ground to cover that we may run slightly over our usual 60 minutes. If we do, we’ll schedule a follow-up session to tackle any outstanding questions.

Once upon a time, when taxes were relatively low, ISAs and unwrapped investments seemed like pretty obvious choices for clients’ money.

But the big cut in the capital gains tax allowance and rises in tax on gains and dividends has changed things. Tax wrappers that once seemed like more hassle than they were worth (like investment bonds) could now be the ideal vehicle – especially for higher rate taxpayers.

But which wrapper is right in which circumstances and why?

That’s the question that guest Neil Macleod from M&G’s technical team was invited to answer when he joined host, Leanne Pickering, for this Assembly.

What you’ll learn by listening

Over the course of one lunch hour, Leanne and Neil explored when bonds are more suitable, when offshore makes sense, and why the ‘best’ mathematical answer might not actually be the right choice for your client. In this Assembly you’ll:

You’ll discover that the right choice for your clients isn’t just about what the spreadsheet says but about the broader thinking

What’s more, once you’ve listened, follow the link below and you can request a record of 1 hour’s worth CPD too.

Last Monday (21 July 2025), the UK Government published draft legislation which means that, from April 2027, most unused pension savings and death benefits will count towards your estate when you die.

If you’re wondering…

…you’re not alone.

So in this bonus podcast episode, host Richard Allum met up with Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley to talk through the Government’s planned changes, what they mean for paraplanners and your clients, and suggest practical steps that you can already take to help clients get ready for the change.

The measures, which feature in the Finance Bill 2025-26, could still change as the proposals make their way through Parliament from September. But if you’re wondering where things stand right now and what you should be thinking about for clients with decent-sized pension pots, this is a fantastic update that gives you the current picture.

Speaking of the Finance Bill…

If you’ve ever wondered how Budget measures become law, James met up with Leanne Pickering of Pivotal Paraplanning last year to walk through each step in the process. Follow the link for more:

Listen: From Parliament to paraplanner: How do Budget measures become law?


And speaking of pensions…

James has recorded a series of really helpful jargon busters on new and old pensions exclusively for the Assembly. Help yourself by following these links:

New pensions jargon: part one
Listen: A plain English guide to new pensions jargon: part one
Watch: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part one

New pension jargon: part two
Listen: A plain English guide to new pensions jargon: part two
Watch: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part two

And if that’s not enough and you want OLD pensions jargon, here are links to James’s trio of episodes:

Podcasts: old pensions jargon
Listen to part one: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part one
Listen to part two: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part two
Listen to part three: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part three

Videos: old pensions jargon
Watch part one: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part one
Watch part two: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part two
Watch part three: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part three

Event pages: old pensions jargon
Event details for part one: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part one
Event details for part two: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part two
Event details for part three: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part three

Remember our Assembly on annuity essentials back in March?

Over the course of one lunch-hour, Andy Powell from Standard Life walked us through the basics of annuities – how they work, the differences between pension and purchased life annuities, and the kinds of options available like inflation protection and guarantee periods.

Now annuity expert Andy is back and he’s taking things a little bit further.

In the second of his two-part guide to annuities essentials for paraplanners he talks to host, Richard Allum, about how annuities can feature as part of your clients’ retirement income strategies. For instance, among the practical planning tips that go beyond the basics, are things like:

After years of being out of fashion, annuities have been enjoying a bit of a renaissance lately. So what better time to refresh your annuities knowledge and – who knows? – maybe challenge your thinking about how they can contribute to a client’s retirement strategy these days?

Fancy topping up your annuities knowledge? Then tune in now.

In the second of two specially recorded bite-sized Assemblies, Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley returns to tackle six items of new pension terminology including:

For each item, expect an easy-to-understand definition that also offers a bit of background per term. 

In a world that’s awash with word soups and acronyms, James’s jargon buster offers a welcome source of straightforward explanations of often quite complex ideas.

You can also watch the video of this episode on Vimeo or the event page at our website.

Can’t get enough pensions jargon?

Then look out for part one, where James tackles even more new pension terms.

In the meantime, why not tune into James’s trio of old pensions jargon guides? Scroll down and follow the links to watch the videos and podcasts (and visit the event pages for each episode.)

After his popular ‘Plain English guide to old pensions jargon’ Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley has returned to record two specials on new pension terminology called – and we bet you’ll never guess this – ‘A plain English guide to new pensions jargon’ (parts one and two).

In part one, James’s conversation covers five essential terms:

For each item, expect an easy-to-understand definition that also offers a bit of background per term. 

In a world that’s awash with word soups and acronyms, James’s jargon buster offers a welcome source of straightforward explanations of often quite complex ideas.

You can also watch the video of this episode on Vimeo or the event page at our website.

Can’t get enough pensions jargon?

Then look out for part two, where James will tackle even more new pension terms.

In the meantime, why not tune into James’s trio of old pensions jargon guides here in podcast or video formats? (Or visit the event pages for each episode at our website.)

If you don’t feel all that confident about annuities, you’re not alone.

Once the default choice of guaranteed income in retirement for generations of UK pension savers, for a whole bunch of reasons, annuities had been falling out of favour for year and years.

Why annuities matter again

Higher interest rates and inflation have led to a revival of interest in securing certainty of income in retirement. 

The trouble is that an emerging generation of paraplanners – and a sizeable chunk of the more established paraplanning population – had barely any recent experience of annuities.

So we invited Andy Powell from Standard Life to join us to explain:

Tailoring annuities to client needs

During this Assembly, Andy explores the different ways annuities can be designed to meet different requirements. For instance:

Andy also covers newer developments like fixed-term annuities and platform-based solutions that let clients combine secure income with investment flexibility without splitting pension assets across different providers.

For paraplanners, perhaps one of the most valuable takeaways is understanding enhanced terms where, in contrast to other insurance products, health conditions actually increase and not decrease income.

This practical session will give you paraplanners useful knowledge to help clients weigh up their retirement income options. So why not watch or listen now?

The way pensions are treated for inheritance tax (IHT) is set for a big shake up in April 2027 when unused pension funds will count as part of a client’s estate and become liable to IHT.

In preparation for the change, the government announced a consultation on the liability, reporting and payment of IHT at last October’s Budget.

That consultation ended late in January 2025. But what are its conclusions likely to be? And what do paraplanners need to know so you, your firm and its clients are ready when the reforms go live?

What do you and your clients need to know?

Those are the questions that M&G‘s head of technical, Les Cameron, addressed when he joined us for an online Assembly to explores what the changes could mean for paraplanners and your clients (or clients of clients if you’re outsourced or freelancing).

What you can expect to take away from this Assembly?

Together with Assembly host Richard Allum, Les shared his thoughts on how the new IHT framework will affect pension death benefits after 2027. The conversation to covered things like:

Stop press: post-event answers to questions raised in the chat

There were loads of questions from paraplanners in the chat but, because we ran out of time, Les posted his responses to them in this thread at The Big Tent.