Paraplanners' Assembly

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 happens when someone running a business becomes critically ill or dies? What steps can you take to address the risk? How do you start a conversation about business protection?Tune in to hear Jon as he shares his expertise on:The business protection gap and what this means for SMEsHow to start meaningful conversations with business owners about their protection needsTechnically, what’s essential for robust business continuity planningThe range of solutions available – from key person and loan protection to shareholder protection and relevant life coverThe difference between shareholder and option agreementsThe role of trusts as part of business protection arrangementsTax and efficiencies for businesses and individualsWhether you want to develop your knowledge or make sure clients with business have the right plans in place, you’ll find this Assembly really valuable.Useful linksJon has shared a number of links and downloads – some of which he mentioned during his talk.CPD: request your certificateJon's slides: Paraplanners Assembly - Business Protection Essentials (PDF)Vimeo: watch this AssemblyAdviser guide to business protectionProtection tools and calculatorsConversation starters for clients with businessesVisit the event page

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 allowance) LSDBA (lump sum death benefit allowance) that replaced the lifetime allowance, highlighting that the standard allowance isn't scheduled for automatic increases.TTFAC (transitional tax-free amount certificate)MPAA (money purchase annual allowance)For each item, expect an easy-to-understand definition that also offers a bit of background per term. In a world that’s awash with word soups and acronyms, James’s jargon buster offers a welcome source of straightforward explanations of often quite complex ideas.You can also watch the video of this episode on Vimeo or the event page at our website.Can’t get enough pensions jargon?Then look out for part two, where James will tackle more modern pension terms.In the meantime, why not tune into James’s trio of old pensions jargon guides here in podcast or video formats? (Or visit the event pages for each episode at our website.)PodcastsListen to part one: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part oneListen to part two: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part twoListen to part three: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part threeVideosWatch part one: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part oneWatch part two: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part twoWatch part three: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part threeEvent pagesEvent details for part one: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part oneEvent details for part two: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part twoEvent details for part three: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part three

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 againHigher interest rates and inflation have led to a revival of interest in securing certainty of income in retirement. The trouble is that an emerging generation of paraplanners – and a sizeable chunk of the more established paraplanning population – had barely any recent experience of annuities.So we invited Andy Powell from Standard Life to join us to explain:How annuities work What drives annuity ratesThe practical differences between pension annuities and purchased life annuitiesWhy different providers offer different rates for similar circumstancesTailoring annuities to client needsDuring this Assembly, Andy explores the different ways annuities can be designed to meet sifferent requirements. For instance:Rising payments: increasing the amount clients receive each year in retirement Safety nets: making sure payments continue for at least 5 or 10 years, even if you dieFamily protection: keeping payments going for your partner or someone else after you dieMoney-back featuresAndy also covers newer developments like fixed-term annuities and platform-based solutions that let clients combine secure income with investment flexibility without splitting pension assets across different providers.For paraplanners, perhaps one of the most valuable takeaways is understanding enhanced terms where, in contrast to other insurance products, health conditions actually increase and not decrease income.This practical session will give you paraplanners useful knowledge to help clients weigh up their retirement income options. So why not watch now?Useful linksGrab your CPD certificate for watching or listening to this Assembly by visiting the link below.Plus there were some great links shared in the chat during the Assembly. This included the ‘Retirement Health and Lifestyle form’, which helps you prepare for the questions clients may be asked when purchasing an annuity (via Sarah Compton-Hall); and annuity rates chart, and IHT guaranteed annuity calculator (via Rob Collins).CPD: Request your certificateRetirement health and lifestyle formAnnuity rates chartInheritance tax guaranteed annuity calculatorListen to the podcast episodeWatch the Replay at Crowdcast (includes Chat)

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 likely to be? And what do paraplanners need to know now so you, your firm and its clients are ready when the reforms go liveWhat do you and your clients need to know?Well that's where technical specialist Les Cameron from M&G comes in. Because Les joined host, Richard Allum, to explore what the changes could mean for paraplanners and clients.What you can expect to take away from this Assembly?Les shares his thoughts on how the new IHT framework will affect pension death benefits after 2027 and, in a wide-ranging talk, covered things like:Whether it makes sense to think about taking money out of pensions earlier than plannedWhy bypass trusts might be making a comebackHow the pension reforms could affect red-amber-green assessmentPractical steps paraplanners can take now to prepare for the changesThere will be plenty of time for questions so, whether you’re wondering about specific client situations or broader planning strategies, this is a great chance to gain expert insight into a big change for pension planning.Interested? Then tune in now. And don't forget to grab one hour’s CPD by following the link below.Useful linksHere are useful links and downloads from this event. M&G Wealth have created a dedicated page for this event where you can take a quiz to receive a record for your CPD. Just follow the link to grab your certificate.Grab your CPD: take the quiz at M&G's siteWatch this Assembly at Vimeo (without Chat)Watch the Replay on Crowdcast (with Chat)Slides: download Les's presentation

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 changingIn this episode, Utmost’s international technical sales manager, Steve Sayer, explores how the new rules could affect clients in a range of scenarios – whether they’re UK residents planning to retire abroad or people returning home after years overseas.Using worked examples, Steve demonstrates how changes affect trust planning, and explains when trusts might shift between excluded and relevant property status. He also touches on the implications of pension death benefits becoming subject to IHT from 2027.Who is this Assembly for?Whether you’re already dealing with cross-border IHT planning or want to understand how these changes might create new planning opportunities, this session is a great way to get to grips with the new framework.What are the learning objectivesBy the end of this podcast, you'll understand the post April 2025 changes to:Inheritance Tax (IHT), andThe taxation of non domicilesHow trusts can help to mitigate IHT liabilitiesDiscuss and explain these with a client in a clear and concise wayApply this knowledge to appropriate, individual, client scenariosWant to learn more? Then tune in now.Download Steve's slides and follow alongSlides: download Steve's slidedeckOnce you've listened, grab your CPDCPD: Take the quiz to receive your certificateMore useful linksPodcast: Listen on AcastUtmost x Paraplanners' Assembly: all our previous sessionsUtmost Technical Academy webinar series

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: what happens to that carefully crafted financial plan if a client’s income falls or they’re faced with the financial consequences of a bout of serious illness or worse? To find out tune into the recording of this Assembly held online on 5 February 2025 when Jon Hall, protection specialist at Scottish Widows, joined us to explore protection essentials for paraplanners including:Why protection deserves a place in holistic financial planning (and how to make the case for it)Current trends in the protection market and how to tackle common misconceptionsThe fundamentals: from product types and processes to remuneration optionsPractical tools and technology that can help you research and recommend solutionsStraight after the event, Jon popped over to The Big Tent and created a thread where he answered questions that paraplanners had raised during the gathering but he hadn’t had time to answer live. Be sure to take a look at his responses.Useful linksJon has shared a number of links and downloads – some of which he mentioned during his talk.CPD: request your certificateJon's post-Assembly Q&A in The Big TentProtection factsBetter protection conversationsScottish Widows' protection recommendation toolFive protection mythsGuide to Scottish Widows’ Protect propositionJon also mentioned these tools which paraplanners should know about (if you don't already):UnderwriteMeCI ExpertProtectionGuru ProDefaqto Matrix

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 absolutely definitely over, James Jones-Tinsley from Barnett Waddingham and Transact's Brian Radbone joined us to put us all straight – once and for all.Over the course of one lunch hour, James and Brian offered their insights on all the corrections, clarifications and considerations that you could possibly want to know when it comes to the lifetime allowance.Paraplanners came armed with their questions and comments to share in the chat, and tuned in to hear what our experts – and paraplanners just like them – learned from the saga of the LTA abolition.Useful linksHere are some useful downloads and links from this Assembly. You’ll find PDF and PNG images of the LTA saga timeline visual that James talked through. Plus we’ve provided links to the podcast and video of James’s conversation with Pivotal Paraplanning’s Leanne Pickering about how Budgets become law (which includes quite a lot of LTA chat).CPD: request your certificateLTA abolition legislative timeline (PNG image)LTA abolition legislative timeline (PDF)Podcast - From Parliament to paraplanner: How do Budget measures become law?Video - From Parliament to paraplanner: how do Budget measures become law?

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 effecting positive economic, social and environmental change.But how many of your clients think this way? And if you did know how many, how confident are you that you can help clients make their social and charitable ambitions part of a practical financial plan? What you’ll learn at this AssemblyTo explore this topic we gathered together three wise people (appropriate for the time of year) to help us:look at different ways in which clients can give these dayswhy they might want to give in the first place; andthe evidence that clients do want to give but their advisers don’t seem to realiseHost Richard Allum is joined by pioneering ethical investing advocate and financial planner Jeannie Boyle of EQ Investors, Jack Chellman chief project officer of the innovative Global Returns Project and David McIntosh of chief executive of ShareGift – a brilliant service that has turned the shareholding equivalent of spare change into more than £50 million in donations to UK charities since 1996.Listen nowOnce upon a time, philanthropy was something that only the very wealthiest would consider. But in this season of goodwill – and in a world that doesn’t half need it – find out why that’s no longer true – and how paraplanners can help clients put their money to work in powerfully positive ways more easily than ever before.Useful linksGrab your CPD certificate for watching or listening to this Assembly by visiting the link below. We’ve also included a PDF of Jack's stats plus link to the podcast episode.CPD: Request your certificateDownload: Jack's stats on client appetite for giving (opens PDF in new browser tab)Watch the Replay on Crowdcast (includes Chat) or on Vimeo (no Chat)Visit the event page

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 that can help paraplanning leaders successfully prepare for and navigate discussions that you might otherwise dread.During the second half of this episode, our guests focused on questions, ideas and topics raised by paraplanners during the first Assembly.  But whether or not you joined Sarah and Ellie last time, and haven’t had a chance to listen or watch it on catch up yet, you’re sure to gain plenty to inform your reflections on successful leadership by tuning into this discussion.Useful linksMake sure you grab your CPD certificate for watching or listening to this Assembly by visiting the link below. We’ve also included links and downloads that Sarah, Ellie and Richard mentioned during this Assembly.CPD: Request certificateSlides: What kind of paraplanning leader could I be?Watch this Assembly on CrowdcastWatch this Assembly on VimeoTo catch up with the first Assembly in this series you can watch the replay on Crowdcast or listen to the podcast episode. You find all the links mentioned in that episode at the event page.