The Paraplanners' Assembly Podcast

Whether you’re just starting out in paraplanning or looking to make your next move, having a clear career plan makes all the difference. But how do you actually build one that works? That’s what this Assembly is all about: the practicalities of creating a plan for your career; an approach that you can use no matter what stage you’re at in your professional life. Your career roadmap in just one lun...

The last time the UK government convened a Pensions Commission it resulted in the equalisation of the State Pension Age between men and women, the launch of auto-enrolment plus the creation of the National Employment Savings Trust – better known as NEST. So will the recently re-constituted Pensions Commission prove to be as consequential as the last?  To answer that question, we invited Barne...

Here's a question that might keep you awake at night: what do you tell clients who've spent years building pension pots specifically because they were IHT-free, only to discover that's all changed? On 21 July 2025, HMRC published their response to the pension IHT consultation, along with draft legislation that will bring unused pension pots into the inheritance tax net from April 2027. The writing...

Host Richard Allum is joined by Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley for a bonus episode exploring the government’s announcement of an independent review of the state pension age review and its potential consequences for retirement planning.  As well as considering the scope of the review, which is being led by Dr Suzy Morrissey, deputy director of the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), and...

You’ve established yourself as a paraplanner, but now you’re thinking: ‘What next?’ For many paraplanners, staying in paraplanning is exactly what they want to do. But what does career development look like within the profession? How have people built on their paraplanning skills and experience? And what about those considering a move into other areas like financial planning or specialising in res...

Once upon a time, when taxes were relatively low, ISAs and unwrapped investments seemed like pretty obvious choices for clients' money. But the big cut in the capital gains tax allowance and rises in tax on gains and dividends has changed things. Tax wrappers that once seemed like more hassle than they were worth (like investment bonds) could now be the ideal vehicle – especially for higher rate t...

Whether you’re considering a move into paraplanning, just landed your first role or are just curious about the options, one question you might keep wondering about: ‘What kind of organisation should I work for?’ Do you choose in-house team or outsourced provider? A small boutique practice or large corporate? Whichever you choose, there will be pros and cons, so how do you decide which is most suit...

Last Monday (21 July 2025), the UK Government published draft legislation which means that, from April 2027, most unused pension savings and death benefits will count towards your estate when you die. If you're wondering… which pension benefits are in scope (and which aren't)? who's responsible for paying the tax? how will the income tax offset actually work in practice? what's the timeline for im...

The choices clients make during the 5-10 years either side of retirement can decide how comfortable they’ll be once they stop working. In fact, it’s such a distinctive stage in our financial lives that, among a growing number of advice professionals, it’s known as the ‘retirement risk zone’. The data says – and you’ll know this yourself – that clients tend to become more risk-averse on their appro...

With recent changes to capital gains tax rates reaching up to 24% and the CGT annual exemption frozen at just £3,000, many clients are looking for tax-efficient ways to structure their investments. In his latest 'Technically speaking' session for the Paraplanners' Assembly, Utmost's Steve Sayer explores how offshore bonds and trust structures work together – offering inheritance tax planning optio...

What knowledge, experience and skills will help you get hired? And, once you are hired, how will you know you’ve actually made the right choice? Whether you want to get into paraplanning, are just starting out, or know someone who would love to get their break, this online Assembly – recorded on 9 July 2025 – is jam-packed with insights on making your move into paraplanning. Hear for yourself how...

As paraplanners, we have the power to directly influence financial outcomes that are better for women – whether we’re reviewing fact finds, drafting recommendations, or creating financial plans. But are we truly creating plans for the individuals in front of us? Or are we unwittingly relying on conventional thinking and assumptions which are actually more likely to be rooted in men’s experiences r...

Remember our Assembly on annuity essentials back in March? Over the course of one lunch-hour, Andy Powell from Standard Life walked us through the basics of annuities – how they work, the differences between pension and purchased life annuities, and the kinds of options available like inflation protection and guarantee periods. Now annuity expert Andy is back and he’s taking things a little bit fu...

When it comes to the idea of innovation are you more likely to radiate Ted Lasso energy rather than Roy Kent? More Bandit than Bluey? Or put another way (that doesn’t rely on eclectic TV viewing habits): does the prospect of change make you feel more ‘Yeah!’ than ‘Meh!’?  The reason we ask is that we were inspired by paraplanner Zara Okoro’s recent thought-provoking article in Professional Pa...

How often do you recommend investment bonds compared to ISAs or GIAs for non-pension money these days? If it’s rarely or not at all, that’s not so surprising. Because bonds seem to have become a bit neglected planning option in recent years haven’t they? It’s a trend which means that paraplanners can be forgiven for being a bit rusty when it comes to the latest investment bond knowledge. Yet they’...

In the second of two specially recorded bite-sized Assemblies, Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley returns to tackle six items of new pension terminology including: CDC (collective defined contribution schemes) PAA (pensions advice allowance)  OTA (overseas transfer allowance) Crystallised and uncrystyallised pensions funds FP2016 or FP16 (fixed protection 2016) IP2016 or IP16 (individua...

Following his popular Assembly debut in February , Jon Hall returns to finish his exploration of protection essentials. And this time it’s the essentials of business protection that the Scottish Widows’ protection expert will be focusing on. The chances are you’ll have business owners among your clients. And plenty of you run your own businesses as outsourced and freelance paraplanners. So what ha...

After his popular ‘Plain English guide to old pensions jargon’ Barnett Waddingham’s James Jones-Tinsley has returned to record two specials on new pension terminology called - and we bet you’ll never guess this - ‘A plain English guide to new pensions jargon’ (parts one and two). In part one, James’s conversation covers five essential terms: PCLS (pension commencement lump sum) LSA (lump sum allow...

If you don’t feel all that confident about annuities, you’re not alone. Once the default choice of guaranteed income in retirement for generations of UK pension savers, for a whole bunch of reasons, annuities had been falling out of favour for year and years. Why annuities matter again Higher interest rates and inflation have led to a revival of interest in securing certainty of income in retireme...

The way pensions are treated for inheritance tax (IHT) is set for a big shake up in April 2027 when unused pension funds will count as part of a client’s estate and become liable to IHT. In preparation for the change, the government announced a consultation on the liability, reporting and payment of IHT at last October’s Budget. That consultation ended in January 2025. But what are its conclusions...

From April 2025, the rules determining who pays UK inheritance tax are changing.  Instead of the complex domicile rules, a new ‘long-term residency’ test will decide whether someone’s worldwide assets fall into the IHT net. Discover what’s changing In this episode, Utmost’s international technical sales manager, Steve Sayer, explores how the new rules could affect clients in a range of scenar...

Do you find that, even though you spend each and every day working on financial plans for clients, you hardly ever get mixed up in protection?  Well you’re not alone. Because despite being a foundational long-term financial security, for paraplanners, the topic of protection often takes a back seat compared to consideration of investment and retirement strategies. Which invites the question:...

For our very first online Assembly of 2025, we asked whether we'd absolutely definitely seen the back of all the corrective legislation, clear-as-mud HMRC guidance, and lifetime allowance (LTA) limbo that paraplanners, advisers and clients endured for long periods over the previous two years. So for those who wanted to be certain where things stood, and confirm for themselves that the LTA saga was...

Each of us shares an ever more complex and connected planet. One where we’re all facing the consequences of a human-made climate emergency and conflicts. A world of profound inequalities in health, economic and social outcomes between – and within – populations.  So it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that more and more clients are looking for returns that aren’t measured financially, but by...

Aegon UK’s Sarah Purves and Succession Wealth’s Ellie Welling return for a follow-up to last month’s ‘What kind of paraplanning leader will I be?’ Assembly. Picking up where they left off in November, Sarah, Ellie and host, Richard Allum, explore a topic that every aspiring and existing leader will experience during their career: difficult conversations.  Sarah shares ideas and techniques tha...