Latest Columns
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Lisa Webster: Take the pension first? Think again
With the impending changes to tax treatment of pensions on death, there has been talk around the order of income in retirement being turned on its head.
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Tilley: Transfer reform welcome but SSAS governance is key
At first glance, DWP’s June 2026 consultation on proposed changes to the 2021 transfer regulations does something the industry has long asked for; it acknowledges that the current regime, while well intended, has created too much friction for some perfectly legitimate pension transfers.
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Lisa Webster: Good news from DWP for SIPPs but not SSAS
The DWP has just released its long-awaited consultation on the SIPP transfer regulations – and it’s largely encouraging news. As an employee of a reputable SIPP provider the changes are positive. SSAS providers may be less enthusiastic about some of the proposals.
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Lisa Webster: Should tax-free cash always be taken?
Since the Lifetime Allowance was abolished and replaced with the Lump Sum Allowance (LSA) and lump sum and death benefit allowance (LSDBA), we have seen an increase in SIPP members who want to take drawdown only – foregoing the right to take the associated pension commencement lump sum (PCLS).
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Tilley: Are we asking too much of pension savers?
Working in UK pensions, I’ve always accepted that the system evolves. Fiscal pressures change, demographics shift, and governments recalibrate policy objectives. But even allowing for that, the pace and volume of legislative change in the pensions space over the last few years feels unprecedented, and in my view increasingly problematic.
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SPP backs stronger SIPP rules but warns of over-regulation
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP), which represents more than 20,000 pension professionals, has called for stronger protection for consumers who use SIPPs (self invested personal pensions).
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TISA urges FCA to avoid unnecessary SIPP red-tape
The Investing and Saving Alliance (TISA) has today urged the FCA to ensure stronger SIPP protections do not add unnecessary regulatory complexity.
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Experts say AI survey shows investor misunderstanding
New research from the FCA about AI published today - which suggests younger investors are placing their trust in AI for investment guidance - reveals some concerning misunderstandings, industry experts say.
December was the fourth month in a row where pension transfer values monitored by XPS fell, although the number of people making a transfer rose.
Soaring SIPP claims have forced the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to increase its levy for 2020/21 by £87m to £635m.
Former Pensions Minister Sir Steve Webb is to become a partner at growing pensions and investment consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock LLP.
SIPP and platform provider AJ Bell has launched its Retirement Investment Account (RIA) today - a new low-cost pension with a ‘streamlined’ investment proposition.
Optimism in the financial services sector is improving at the fastest pace since June 2015, according to the latest CBI-PWC Financial Services Survey.
The latest data suggests that only 14% of divorcees are splitting retirement assets when they break up, according to a national wealth manager.
Wealth manager Quilter says that many divorcing couples may be missing out on a valuable benefit as a result.
With relaxation of divorce rules on the way the company believes more people may choose to divorce without seeking financial advice and will lost out as a result.
The company, which includes Quilter Financial Planning, says it is possible some divorcing couples may be choosing alternative arrangements, for example where one party keeps their pension but relinquishes the family home, but this still ignores the possibility that a retirement pot may be the most valuable asset.
Quilter has looked at the latest figures from the Family Law Courts. These show that there were 118,408 petitions filed for dissolution of marriage in 2018, but only 14% contained “some sort” of pension settlement order.
This is despite a recent trend in people getting divorced later in life, it says. According to the Office for National Statistics, the median age of divorce for men and women has increased by 10 years between 1987 and 2017, says Quilter.
As people divorce later, this group has less time to build a retirement income if they did not have a pension of their own, meaning dividing this asset could be key to avoiding “pension poverty”, says Quilter. ONS data shows that 45% of women aged 65 or over have no private pension wealth.
Since 2015 the use of pension attachment orders has increased by 61%, while pension sharing orders have risen by 41%. However, while both types of pension orders have increased in popularity, they still represent a relatively small percentage of total divorce cases, says Quilter.
|
Year |
Petitions filed for dissolution of marriage |
Pension sharing orders |
Pension attachment orders |
Total pension settlements |
|
2011 |
129,313 |
9,152 |
2,283 |
11,435 |
|
2012 |
124,453 |
9,841 |
3,100 |
12,941 |
|
2013 |
117,508 |
9,538 |
2,888 |
12,426 |
|
2014 |
112,603 |
9,039 |
2,855 |
11,894 |
|
2015 |
114,571 |
8,197 |
2,993 |
11,190 |
|
2016 |
114,127 |
10,394 |
4,243 |
14,637 |
|
2017 |
109,353 |
11,822 |
4,351 |
16,173 |
|
2018 |
118,421 |
11,532 |
4,817 |
16,349 |
|
2019 (Q1-Q3) |
88,217 |
8,586 |
3,395 |
11,981 |
Source: Quilter
Jon Greer, head of retirement policy at Quilter, said: “Divorce is an emotional and stressful period for those who have to go through it. However, it’s important that people think of these valuable assets when considering how they split their money. This is particularly problematic given the average age of divorcees and it is more likely that a woman will not have any sizable pension of their own.
“With rules around divorce potentially becoming more relaxed in the future via no-fault divorce laws, we could see a further increase in do it yourself divorces where specialist advice is not sought. This could see many miss out on important pension benefits.”