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  • Tilley: Will IHT reforms really threaten pension saving?

    The Government’s decision to bring most unused pension funds and lump sum death benefits within the scope of inheritance tax (IHT) from 6 April 2027 has provoked widespread criticism from across the pensions industry. Providers, advisers and trade bodies have warned that the change risks undermining confidence in pension saving and damaging long term retirement provision.

  • Lisa Webster: Salary sacrifice cap will hit some hard

    The headline story from Budget 2025 - in the pension world at least - was the plan to cap National Insurance relief for pension contributions paid through salary sacrifice at £2,000 a year.

  • Tilley: Rebooting the FOS makes sense

    I’ve written before about the lack of coherence in the UK’s pension complaints landscape and it remains a source of real frustration for those of us working in the sector.

  • Lisa Webster: Pension age uncertainty lingers on

    We’ve known for many years that normal minimum pension age, NMPA it's known, is going up.

  • Lisa Webster: Beware IHT and pensions double taxation

    One of the most disliked aspects of bringing pensions into the estate for inheritance tax (IHT) purposes from 6 April 2027 is the double taxation that will occur when the member dies on or after their 75th birthday.

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Latest News
A pensions expert has spoken of the personal risks he faced when helping members of the BSPS pension scheme affected by the recent transfer debacle.

The AMPS conference in London yesterday featured a warning on the increasing proliferation of  ‘ambulance chaser’ companies seeking to press claims against SIPP providers.

The FSCS has defended itself against suggestions it takes a punitive, enforcement approach against those firms deemed in default.

A senior director at The Pensions Regulator has called on pension holders to be more vigilant to combat increasingly "clever and devious" scammers.

Seven Investment Management (7IM) has become a pension provider this week by launching its own Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) with no annual fee on accounts above £75,000.

Platform and SIPP provider AJ Bell has today announced a profits surge of 24% in its interim half-year results, its most profitable ever it says.

The firm reported “strong growth” for the six months ended 31 March, which, as well as increasing profits to record levels, included a 12% rise in customer numbers from 164,557 to 183,482 and a 5% increase in assets under management from £39.8bn to £41.8bn .


Elsewhere in the report highlights included:
·       New business growth with net platform inflows of £3.5bn, up 17% (H1 2017: £3.0bn)
·       Customer retention of 95%
·       Revenue increased 16% to £42.9m (H1 2017: £37.0m)
·       An interim dividend payment of 14p per share, a 10% increase compared to the interim dividend last year (H1 2017: 12.75p)

In the period the company launched two new income-focused multi-asset portfolios within its Managed Portfolio Service (MPS) for financial advisers, as well as a new Lifetime ISA.

Preparations for a listing on the London Stock Exchange “later in 2018 or early 2019” were said to be “progressing well.”

Andy Bell, chief executive of AJ Bell, said: “These are the most profitable interim results in our history and are a great endorsement of our strategy and market position. 

“The UK retail investment and savings market continues to display strong growth and investment platforms are central to this.”

“We are well placed to continue our growth trajectory and are progressing well with our plans for a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange later this year or early 2019.”

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