Latest Blogs
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Popular News
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FCA survey reveals 15% fall in adviser firms
The number of adviser firms has fallen by 15% since 2021 although the number of advisers overall has remained steady at 31,000.
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3 in 10 business owners have no pension
Three in 10 business owners do not have a pension independent of their business, according to new research.
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Surge in DC lump sum withdrawals around Budget
There were surges in lump sum withdrawals from private sector DC pensions in Autumn 2024 and 2025 as savers acted in anticipation of rumoured Budget changes.
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Massive ‘concentration of power’ in DC pension market
There’s a massive concentration of power in occupational pensions with less than 50 people controlling more than half the money, according to former Pensions Minister Steve Webb.
A judge has ruled in favour of allowing investors to pursue group legal action against a SIPP firm over claims of mis-selling.
The Xafinity Transfer Value Index fell steadily from £236,000 at the end of December to £231,000 at the end of January.
Sankar Mahalingham, head of DB growth at Xafinity Punter Southall, said: “Increases in gilt yields have been the main driver, with inflation remaining relatively stable.”
Graph below courtesy of Xafinity
Screen Shot 2018 02 12 at 09.38.10
The difference between maximum and minimum readings of the index over January 2018 was £6,000 or around 2.4%, Xafinity said in a statement.
The Xafinity Transfer Value Index tracks the transfer value that would be provided by an example DB scheme to a member aged 64 who is currently entitled to a pension of £10,000 each year starting at age 65 (increasing each year in line with inflation).
Different schemes calculate transfer values in different ways. A given individual may therefore receive a transfer value from their scheme that is significantly different from that quoted by the Xafinity Transfer Value Index.