'Advisers need to protect clients from themselves over pensions'

The job of advisers will be to "protect people from themselves" in the new era of pensions being ushered in from April, Partnership's chief executive says. Addressing the IFP conference this week, Partnership's chief executive Steve Groves spoke of the enormous transition that the sector has undergone since 2010.He pointed to various changes over the last four years, not just the Budget reforms, and in particular RDR.He described it as "frankly an absurd period of change - its bizarre."Speaking about George Osborne's Budget bombshell, he said: "I don't know if I was the only person on Budget day when he stood up (to announce the reforms) who was as little surprised by it."It got a lot more complex on March 19, which makes advice more valuable, in fact I think it's more valuable than it has even been before."In some ways I think advisers' job will be to protect people from themselves." {desktop}{/desktop}{mobile}{/mobile} On annuities, he said that the City overreacted with predictions of the demise of annuities.Analysts have made the same prediction only a few years ago but were wrong, he said.He said Partnership have never had that view that annuities will perish as a result.However, he said: "We think there is a case for healthy people to deter switching to annuities later."He described how he sees annuities and their role in the changing landscape.He said: "I'm in the minority that sees annuities as an insurance, it's an insurance contract that assures income for life,"Fundamentally I think they are a component of a rational portfolio."{desktop}{/desktop}{mobile}{/mobile}He said if he was going to retire himself he would look at covering the essentials such as paying the gas bill for the rest of his life with annuity cover, whilst also investing some of his retirement funds.Trying to assess the changing situation in pensions in the UK, he said it was worth a look elsewhere in the world.Switzerland and Denmark were two examples he looked at. Though he does not believe the UK should adopt these systems he was interested to learn about the length of time Danes spend preparing for retirement and being taught about their options – about ten years.He said 50% of people in the USA have been running out of money and explained the trouble the country has with pensions. He said a congress in America wants to see further annuitisation because people can not cope.He said Australia is a "bigger mess" than America though, even though this has been heralded as an example of how a system similar to that being created in the UK after the Budget operates.He spoke confidently about Partnership's plans for the future and how it would adapt to the new rules.

'Advisers need to protect clients from themselves over pensions'

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