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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.
Failing retirement income market report being finalised
The regulator reported last year that many consumers have been missing out on a higher income by not shopping around.
A retirement income market study interim report was published in December, which echoed many of the concerns it had previously outlined in a thematic review.
The FCA called for the industry to give its views on the findings and possible remedies and ran a consultation, which ended last week.
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Officials said this week that a date for the final report's publication is not yet set. But it is expected imminently.
The interim report stated: "This market study found that competition in the retirement income market is not working well for consumers.
"Consistent with previous findings of the thematic review of annuities in February 2014, many consumers are missing out on a higher income by not shopping around for an annuity, and some do not purchase the best annuity for their circumstances.
"We found a common perception among consumers that annuities offer poor value, as reflected in media coverage.
"This is despite the fact that our economic analysis has shown that for people with average-sized pension pots, the right annuity purchased on the open market offers good value for money relative to alternative drawdown strategies and may therefore be a good option for those with low risk appetites."
Officials said they found various reasons for consumers not exercising their open market option.
One in five of those who purchased an annuity with their existing pension provider were unaware that they had the option to switch, they found, while others were deterred from engaging with their options by the length and complexity of the 'wake-up packs' sent out by providers or because they did not believe that the sums involved made it worthwhile.
The report said: "Consumers' tendency to buy from their existing pension provider weakens competitive discipline. Not only do incumbent providers feel less pressure to offer competitive vesting rates, but challengers find it difficult to attract a critical mass of consumers.
"As a result there has been limited new entry into the decumulation market in recent years. Our research confirmed that pension savers display well-known biases, such as a tendency to under-estimate longevity, inflation and investment risk.
"We also found that the choices savers make are highly sensitive to how the options are presented (framing effects), which means that consumers may make different decisions, even when the underlying choice remains the same, depending on the way the information is provided."