Tag Archives: advice

BSPS – a big win – but at what cost?

Posted on January 30, 2018 by henry tapper

  It now seems quite certain that the New British Steel Pension Scheme will happen and that it will be populated by the majority of members of the current British Steel Pension Scheme. In announcing the results of “Time to … Continue reading →

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

Let’s stop pretending guidance is enough.

Posted on January 27, 2018 by henry tapper

News that the Government has thrown out proposals for compulsory guidance to protect us from ourselves comes as no surprise to me , though it has clearly angered Ros Altmann. Writing on her blog, the former Pensions Minister writes of  the … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Cost and value of advice in Port Talbot

Posted on November 9, 2017 by henry tapper

Al Rush and I drove down to Wales yesterday and spent a day in the Taibach Rugby club at the invitation of the moderators of the BSPS Facebook groups. Good chatting with steelworkers in Taibach. Met up with a schoolmate … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“A decision to take a transfer cannot be reversed and should not be rushed”

Posted on October 31, 2017 by henry tapper

This blog is mainly written for deferred members of the British Steel Pension Scheme, but many other people may find it interesting. There’s no doubt that what is going on in Tata-land, will go on with other employers who feel … Continue reading →

Posted in accountants, advice gap, Bankers, Change, drawdown, Facebook, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Advising the 5,000; so where are the loaves and fishes?

Posted on September 18, 2017 by henry tapper

The mass market of people retiring over the next few years  no default means to spend their money and no access to suitably priced advice. That is the conclusion of the FCA consultation on Retirement Outcomes that has just closed. … Continue reading →

Posted in annuity, auto-enrolment, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Reaching the places advice cannot reach

Posted on August 15, 2017 by henry tapper

  Only a handful of pension providers have adapted their systems to allow people to use the Pension Advice Allowance. The pension advice allowance, introduced in April, allows pension savers to take £500 tax-free from their retirement funds to help … Continue reading →

Posted in actuaries, advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

No demand, no supply, no advice- wonder why?

Posted on July 31, 2017 by henry tapper

No demand? We learn today that advisers are not demanding providers rebate them portions of their client’s funds to pay for their pension related services. This is really odd; as pension funds are tax-advantaged and investors are missing out on tax-advantaged … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why should frustration blight the pension promise?

Posted on July 27, 2017 by henry tapper

I have been following a series of tweets from Jo Cumbo; they concern an interview with a man who has recently “encashed” his pension with the cash being invested in a drawdown product. He is 57, has worked for British … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Who wins from platforms?

Posted on July 18, 2017 by henry tapper

    I enjoyed reading the FCA’s Terms of Reference for its Platform Market Study, it posed many questions and I’m looking forward to the answers. Few investors properly understand what platforms are , what they do and  how much they … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

This market failure’s not about advice but product.

Posted on July 13, 2017 by henry tapper

  The FCA paper on structural problems with the pension freedoms that I wrote about yesterday, is the first evidence of Government admitting all in this garden is not rosy. What has happened since 2015 is an increase in people hammering … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, CDC, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments