Tag Archives: Financial adviser

Do pension customers get value for money from financial advisers?

Posted on August 9, 2018 by henry tapper

This is the last of eight blogs I’ve written in response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s inquiry into Pension Transparency. Today’s exam question is “Do pension customers get value for money from financial advisers?” and the quick answer … Continue reading →

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A note on transfer values and “reverse transfer risk”.

Posted on March 30, 2017 by henry tapper

James Greer of Old Mutual is reminding financial advisors that there’s a risk of advising clients to stay put and not take a DB Transfer Value. Our data suggests that only about 15% of transfer values applied for are taken … Continue reading →

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Can technology solve our savings problems?

Posted on February 19, 2017 by henry tapper

We are putting too large a trust in technology to manage our pensions. The brave new world of Fintech may give us the pension dashboard, pot aggregation and robo-advised spending mechanisms, but are we ready for self-empowerment? In this article I … Continue reading →

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FINANCIAL UNDERSTANDING – what one insurer’s doing to improve things.

Posted on March 18, 2015 by henry tapper

A lot of people think that big financial institutions prey upon the ignorance of the public. Many have, many have treated their customers as seals to be clubbed on the beach. Part of the problem for insurers was that they … Continue reading →

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A code of good practice for transfer advice?

Posted on February 26, 2015 by henry tapper

  We are rubbish at financial risk and we know it. We take decisions on financial matters with as much confidence as betting on the horses and if our horse falls at the first we blame everyone but ourselves! Small wonder that … Continue reading →

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Can advisers make money from auto-enrolment?

Posted on January 18, 2015 by henry tapper

Almost every day I get a call from an advisory firm having trouble recovering costs from advising on auto-enrolment. The problems are less to do with pricing than getting paid. |I’ve been thinking about all the issues that we’ve had … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Keeping the vultures at bay (pension liberation)

Posted on October 5, 2014 by henry tapper

This message hit my inbox this  morning from the indomitable Angie Brookes A new campaign has been launched to warn people of the dangers of pension liberation and the fraudsters who are peddling this junk. Pension Life – http://www.pension-life.com – … Continue reading →

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Replacing the financial salesman in the workplace.

Posted on May 17, 2013 by henry tapper

Auto-enrolment killed this kind of adviser as video killed the radio star. Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, annuity, auto-enrolment, Payroll, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Pension agnostic?

Posted on February 18, 2013 by henry tapper

An “agnostic” is someone who knows he cannot know and so gives up trying to find out. You hear the phrase “pension agnostic” bandied around at the moment, mainly from the providers of ancillary services that help companies auto-enrol. If you key … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, Consolation, corporate governance, dc pensions, defined aspiration, Fiduciary Management, Financial Education, First Actuarial, hargreaves lansdowne, pension playpen, pensions, Retirement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The solid value of insurance

Posted on January 19, 2013 by henry tapper

“The people I talk to full into one of two categories, either you’ve built up some money and want to hang onto it, or you are looking to .” That was our opening gambit when we met with prospects. I … Continue reading →

Posted in economics, Fiduciary Management, life insurance, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment