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Hargreaves Lansdown hits landmark 2m clients
Investment platform and SIPP provider Hargreaves Lansdown has notched up its milestone 2 millionth client and has also seen record assets under management, according to its 2025 Annual Report.
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Failed SIPP firm clients updated ahead of legal judgment
Clients of failed SIPP provider Hartley Pensions Limited - who have had funds ring-fenced - have been given an update from joint administrators UHY Hacker Young ahead of a legal judgment expected in late October.
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JPMorgan to replace Nutmeg with new investment platform
JPMorgan is to launch a retail wealth management and investment business with its own DIY investment platform next month.
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5 year gap between dream retirement age and expectation
While people dream about retiring at 62 they do not expect to be able to retire until they hit 67, according to new research.
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Sales of escalating annuities surge
Sales of escalating Guaranteed Income for Life annuities that have some inflation protection, accounted for a fifth of all sales in 2024/25 and have increased by 17% year-on-year.
Pensions firm issues fixed protection warning
Broadstone said many pension members and their advisers could overreact to the decrease in the Lifetime Allowance to £1.25m from 6 April 2014.
Individuals are being given the chance to fix their Lifetime Allowance at £1.5m after April 6 through Fixed Protection 2014 but must leave their pension schemes by April 5 to do so.
The firm said members might not be adequately compensated for leaving pension schemes and the consequent significant savings the employer may be making.
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Broadstone pension director Simon Nicol said: "Leaving a pension scheme, particularly some years from retirement, is a hugely significant decision and not to be taken without very good reasons.
"Those that are in defined benefit schemes should be particularly wary of leaving."
Suggestions to leave are based on growth assumptions but these may be "wildly optimistic" and presuppose the pensions system will not change in the next decade, Broadstone warned.
Mr Nicol said: "The Lifetime Allowance has become a political matter but if pensions are to retain their relevance the Lifetime Allowance will surely rise at some point or be completely changed.
"Continuing to accrue tax relievable benefits must still remain an important part of good saving discipline until there are clear and immediate benefits to changing that course of action.
"To suggest that a pension member forgoes the benefits of an employer's pension scheme to potentially avoid a tax charge at some future date without adequate compensation or clear short term benefit means members throwing money away."