The Paraplanners' Assembly Podcast

A special tax year end Assembly combining expert insights and Chat-powered Q&A. Coming just a week after the Budget statement on 6 March, a little over a fortnight before tax year end, and while the Finance Bill from last October’s statement is still making its way through Parliament, it was the ideal time to tune in to what you really need to know as the tax year hits its paraplanning peak. T...

How are other paraplanners feeling about the state of advice in the UK these days? What do they really think about working with advisers? The adoption of technology? How about regulation and The Consumer Duty? The Lang Cat’s Steve Nelson joined us to reveal insights gathered from paraplanners who responded to the research and communications consultancy’s annual State of the Advice Nation survey of...

Host Caroline Stuart from Sparrow Paraplanning is joined by Heather Hopkins of Next Wealth to explore how financial advice practices have addressed – and continue to address – the demands of The Consumer Duty. What did we cover? As well as recapping what firms are expected to do about the Duty, Caroline and Heather also considered what they could do thanks to the opportunities it presents. Over th...

For what seemed like AGES, low interest rates and low inflation rates gave the impression that the factors affecting a client’s future were pretty predictable. But more recently, roller-coaster interest and inflation rates, combined with pandemics and wars, could leave you thinking that the future is altogether more unpredictable. But is it? Assumptions that are fit for purpose During this online...

Have you ever wondered how the transfer of pension or ISA or other investment actually gets transferred? Well now you will. Because Transact’s Sian Ayling and Brian Radbone explain all in this bite-sized Assembly in conversation with host, Richard Allum. In fewer than 15 minutes, they recap the reasons why transfers became a thing in the first place, why it can be hard to predict the time it takes...

Rebalancing portfolios is a familiar task for paraplanners. Periodically – often after a client’s annual review – we make sure that fund allocations are tweaked so they’re true to original investment goals. But how does rebalancing work from a platform’s point of view? In the second episode of a three-part series on life behind the scenes at platforms,  Transact’s national sales manager, Stua...

In the last of his quartet of bite-sized Assemblies on investing, Timeline investment strategist, Laurentius van den Worm, tackles the topic of market forecasting. Given our recent experience with high inflation, higher interest rates not to mention pandemics, wars and conflict, is there much point attempting to forecast the future? Or put another way: what's the outlook for forecasting (geddit?...

In our latest episode, we’re exploring what clients need to know if they want to invest in property as part of their pension. To help us, host Richard Allum was joined by experts Rachel Geary and Murray Smith from Barnett Waddingham for a lunch-hour Assembly. Together, they covered the technical, regulatory and legal issues that influence pensions and property serving up practical and valuable ins...

The team from  Transact  recently joined us to record a series of fantastic 5-10 minute audio treats. We hope you enjoy them. Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when you place a trade on a platform? In this bite-sized Assembly Transact's head of distribution, Glen Sweet, does just that. In just FIVE minutes, Glen tells host, Richard Allum, all about trading points, set...

In the third episode of his series of bite-sized Assembly on investing, Timeline’s Laurentius van den Worm takes on the topic of sequencing risk. In just 15 minutes he offers a working definition of sequencing risk he brings the topic to life with an example of two fictional sisters who – despite enjoying identical returns over their 30-year retirement journey – experience starkly different levels...

What can you do to treat a case of fluctuating emoluments? Join  Barnett Waddingham’s  James Jones-Tinsley as he takes us on a third exploration of old pensions jargon for paraplanners – that’s what. James joins host Richard Allum to shed light on acronyms and concepts that paraplanners may encounter in the wild including FURBS, UURBS, cash balance schemes, the difference between final s...

Ever-popular Assembly regular,  Les Cameron  of  M&G Wealth , joined us to answer the question ‘What’s going on with the lifetime allowance?’ Why? Because in his Budget statement to the House of Commons earlier this year, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, announced the removal of the amount you could hold in pension savings before becoming liable for tax. And that’s...

Timeline’s Laurentius van den Worm returns for the second in his series of four fast-paced fact-filled bite-sized Assemblies. Last week it was  modern portfolio theory  (you can watch or listen to after this). This week, investment strategist Laurentius takes on the topic of asset allocation. Tune in and in less than 20 minutes you’ll have explored what asset allocation is and why it’s i...

Timeline's investment strategist, Laurentius van den Worm , serves up a fast-paced fact-filled bite-sized Assembly exploring the elements of modern portfolio theory. After a whistle-stop summary of the origins of modern portfolio theory, Laurentius introduces the five key principles driving the approach: risk and return trade-off, diversification, risk assessment and the correlation of assets. And...

Patrick Ingram  from  Parmenion joins host, Richard Allum, for a lunch-hour Assembly exploring the issue of capacity for loss. Even though the combination of a client’s capacity for loss and their attitude to risk are significant factors when you’re working on a case, Patrick shows why both ideas are so different – and what that means for clients. He digs into ideas like ‘client balance...

We all occupy our place in a neurodiverse world. But if the way we think is plotted on a spectrum, most of us would be considered 'neurotypical'. Yet plenty of us - at least 1 in 10 in the UK - function, learn and process information differently from the neurotypical. So we may be neurodifferent but, despite thinking differently, we're expected to adapt and succeed in a world that's geared towards...

There are already plenty of reasons for business-owning clients to consider investing surplus profit rather than, for instance, taking it as income. And April’s 6p rise in corporation tax could add impetus to business owners’ interest in weighing up their options. But with so much uncertainty around these days what strategies should you be considering for clients with businesses? Les Cameron of M&...

We recently teamed up with friend of the Assembly, Steve Sayer of  Utmost International , to record a three-part series of special Assemblies. Each one-hour session explores the issues affecting tax and tax planning, and offers practical ideas that paraplanners can consider for their firms' clients. In the  first part of the series , Steve looked back at the last two budgets - the 'mini-...

In the first part of the series , Steve looked back at the last two budgets - the 'mini-budget' in September 2022 and spring Budget in March 2023 - to demonstrate the cumulative effect of 'stealth' tax rises and explore strategies to alleviate their effects. In this episode, Steve explores the potential for loan trusts to feature in inheritance tax planning – especially in the wake of the 'stealth...

We recently teamed up with friend of the Assembly, Steve Sayer of Utmost Wealth International, to record a three-part series of special Assemblies. Each one-hour session explores the issues affecting tax and tax planning, and offers practical ideas that paraplanners can consider for their firms’ clients. In the first part of the series, Steve takes a look back at the last two budgets - the 'mini-b...

Paraplanners' Assembly host, Richard Allum, is joined guest expert, Barrie Dawson from  M&G Wealth , to ask: 'What happens to tax wrappers when a client dies?' It’s a big deal because, for surviving family and friends, knowing there's a posthumous financial plan of action can help avoid a wealth of distress, doubt and anxiety. What’s more, getting it right has the potential to be one of t...

In the third and final Assembly in our 'It’s all kicking off in the world of retirement income planning' series we're joined by Karl Steadman from Just to explore three client case studies. Each case allows us to consider the suitability of different strategies to meet the ambitions for retirement income of each client. In addition, we explored the effect of the Consumer Duty on client choices. Ka...

This is the second in our series of  It’s all kicking off in the world of retirement income planning Assemblies  exploring the new practicalities of retirement income planning – a series made possible with the support of our friends at  Just . In our first Assembly, we asked why it’s all kicking off in the world of retirement income and considered events that have prompted paraplann...

Years of stability in the retirement income planning world changed abruptly on 23 September 2022 when former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, presented his ‘mini budget’. Ever since, uncertainty about rising interest rates, anxieties about inflation, and even worries over the stability of pension funds themselves, have led paraplanners to rethink how clients can achieve the outcome the...

New consumer duty rules come into force on 31 July (for new products and services, that is). Yet as recently as last month, Citywire reported that  59% of advisers have not started preparing  for the July deadline – that’s according to a survey of 1,000 advice firms commissioned by Aviva. It got us wondering: what’s going on in advice practices across the UK? Are firms comfortable with t...