3 in 4 reject paying for financial advice

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of people surveyed say they would not pay for financial advice, according to new research. The survey was commissioned by the ABI which believes providers and government bodies could play a bigger role in the future in offering pensions guidance to those unable to afford it or get it elsewhere. The ABI survey found that nearly 3 in 4 people reject the idea of paying for financial advice. Of those who do want advice four times as many wanted one-off financial advice (46%) instead of a traditional ongoing fees model (12%). The research revealed that consumers had mixed views on how they wanted to receive financial guidance. The most popular option for accessing information was through a Government website (29%), followed by pension provider (25%), family (23%), online information (22%) and Pension Wise (21%). ABI director general Huw Evans has called for a fundamental re-think of the regulatory environment to facilitate new forms of advice and guidance so it is “fit for purpose for the next 15 years.” He said changes were needed to shift the advice and guidance boundary and to enable customers to get advice that it is simpler and more affordable, or guidance that offers more help. He said changes would enable providers, trustees and the Money and Pension Service to, “help customers more effectively when choosing what they want to do with their pension”. He said: “With millions of people exercising unprecedented freedoms to make retirement choices, we need a system of guidance and advice that helps the majority, not a minority. "When people have saved all their working lives for their retirement, it is not good enough to allow most of them to make complicated judgements about drawdown rates, annuity options and pension options with very little help. This is a shared responsibility for providers, regulators, advisers and government bodies. “With the Brexit transition period coming to an end, the FCA has a uniquely timed opportunity to devise a system suitable for UK pension freedoms that ensures the majority of savers have access to either guidance or advice as they take decisions that will shape the rest of their lives.” The consumer poll of 2,368 UK adults was conducted in October on behalf of the ABI by Yonder. The sample for the survey was weighted more highly towards those approaching retirement. • Financial Planning Today Analysis: It's no surprise there is frustration among some providers about the poor availability of financial advice to the mass of UK pension savers. The coded message in the ABI's report is that financial advisers will never be able to reach the millions who need some form of pension advice. In addition, the survey results highlighted by the ABI suggest many pension savers simply do not want to pay for financial advice, cannot afford it or are unwilling to pay. This is unlikely to change without a radical restructuring of the advice market. Financial advisers may be concerned about the potential for providers to replace them as the first choice for financial advice pre-retirement but this is a possibility. It may be no coincidence that this week Aviva announced the launch of its own pension guidance service. Lobbying by the ABI to change the rules about regulated guidance or advice for pre-retirement savers is a distinct possibility. Pension providers may have a bigger role in future in providing pensions guidance.

3 in 4 reject paying for financial advice

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