Paraplanners' Assembly

Welcome to The Self-Assembly Paraplanning Show, a monthly unscripted conversation where we invite a small group of paraplanners to compare notes on what’s actually happening in their world.Just so you know: guests appear in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the business that employs them.This month’s host, Sam Tonks, is a technical advice specialist at Lloyds Wealth. Sam is joined by Adam McCarthy, a paraplanner trainer at Succession Wealth, and Kyle Kennedy, a paraplanner at Trinity Bridge.Topics that Sam, Adam and Kyle cover in this Self Assembly include:the Budgetthe difference smaller and larger firms when they react to significant changes – and who decideswhy explaining the reasons behind a process change can help people accept itgifting out of surplus income: where HMRC’s rules on capital and income leave room for interpretation, and where flexible reversionary trusts and business relief fit inhow to make complex planning work for clientswhat paraplanners gain from joining client meetingsguess how many defined benefit schemes are still active in the UK – and why annuities are backwhere to find CPD when you work for a bigger firmAI as an ‘artificial intern’the advice gap – including the % of UK adults who receive regulated adviceA potential Treasury commission on careers in financial servicesPlus Adam and Kyle share what’s in their diaries – gigs, a trip to Australia, a talk at the PFS Festival of Financial Planning – and Sam has some thoughts on when mince pies should be allowed.Useful linksSam mentioned The Pension Regulator’s ‘Occupational defined benefit landscape in the UK 2025’. Download it here: https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/occupational-defined-benefit-landscape-in-the-uk-2025The PFS’s Festival of Financial Planning at the NEC in Birmingham from 18-19 November 2026: https://www.pfsfestival2026.org/Kyle was taking part in AJ Bell’s Investival: https://landing.investcentre.co.uk/investivalSam mentioned Progress Together a Government-backed initiative to ensure that progression in financial services is determined by capability, not background: https://progresstogether.co.uk/Adam mentioned that 8.6% of the adult population received regulated financial advice in 2024. This stat comes from page 18 of the FCA’S Financial Lives Survey 2024: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/financial-lives/financial-lives-survey-2024-key-findings.pdfKyle gave a shout out to the PFS’s Roadshows and CII’s New Generation Programme. For upcoming roadshows visit: https://events.thepfs.org/. Entries to the 2026-27 New Generation Programme have closed but here's the page at the CII site: https://www.cii.co.uk/about-us/initiatives/engagement/new-generation-programme/Adam also mentioned Professional Paraplanner webinars. For details of upcoming events visit: https://professionalparaplanner.co.uk/events/Adam also mentioned M&G’s Adviser Zone, which we’re pretty sure is now M&G’s Tech Matters site: https://www.mandg.com/adviser/tech-matters

The Autumn Budget landed on 28 October. A week later, we sat down with Les Cameron from M&G to unpack what the Budget actually means, for clients, for financial plans, and for paraplanners.Les needs no introduction in paraplanning circles, and this is your chance to hear his take on:What the Budget changes (and what it doesn’t)The practical implications for planningWhat paraplanners should be thinking about nextCPD is available.Useful linksCPD: Request your CPDWatch: Crowdcast Replay (with Chat) Download Les's slides: Autumn Budget 2026M&G's Tech Matters siteM&G tax wrapper comparison tool

Every year, Scottish Widows survey UK paraplanners to find out how they’re feeling about their work and the changes shaping the profession. And every year, Scottish Widows give the Paraplanners’ Assembly an advance look at what they’ve discovered, before the results are published. Harry Keating-Coyne from Scottish Widows joined us to discuss the emerging themes from this year’s survey. It’s no surprise that the April 2027 changes bringing pensions into the IHT net are a big shift for advice firms and their clients. But the survey shows it might be a bigger shift than some first currently realise. The research looks closely at how prepared the profession is, including: how ready paraplanners feel for the changeswhat firms have already changed or are in the process of changinghow client conversations and planning strategies are changingpotential product implications and unintended consequenceswhether they could spark broader intergenerational and whole family planningAI and the future of adviceRichard and Harry look at what paraplanners and advisers think about AI, Targeted Support and simplified advice. For AI, this covers how far firms are adopting it, how confident people feel, and whether it’s seen as an opportunity or a threat.Richard and Harry talk about the future shape of advice businesses and the role of paraplanners within them. This includes the impact of regulation on workload (a returning theme from previous surveys), recruitment and changing client expectations. What can you expect?This is a chance from you to hear what peers are thinking before the full report lands. You’ll get a sense of how your own firm’s approach to IHT and AI compares with others. The Assembly lasts one hour and CPD is available. Useful linksWatch in Crowdcast (with chat)Grab your CPD

Have you ever stopped to think about the assumptions baked into a fact find? A tickbox for ‘marital status’. A question about ‘your wife’ or ‘your husband’. A box that asks for ‘gender’ with only two options to choose from. A form that only makes room for children who are biologically yours.These assumptions, and experiences of LGBTQ+ clients raise some important considerations for financial planning and, as paraplanners, we are well placed to make sure the file and the advice reflects who the client actually is, not who they’re assumed to be.In this Assembly, Jawaad Tanwir, of ParaplanX is joined by Esther Clemmey of Integrity365 and Jamie Lowe of True Self Wealth to explore what paraplanners may be unintentionally overlooking when working with LGBTQ+ clients, and how to build a process where those clients feel understood without ever having to justify who they are.Together, they look at where assumptions most often creep into the advice process – about marriage, gender, children, beneficiaries and ‘chosen family’ – and the practical planning issues that follow including: Wills and intestacy for unmarried couples, pension nominations and protection underwriting.During this Assembly we discussed:what paraplanners may unintentionally overlook when working with LGBTQ+ clientsthe practical planning issues that can arise how to build a process in which LGBTQ+ clients feel understood, without making assumptionsSound like something you’d like to know more about? Tune in now.Useful linksGrab your CPDWatch in Crowdcast (with chat)Terence Higgins TrustTrans Support HubEsther mentioned Oasis Church, the inclusive faith space in Reading that she helped found. So we thought we'd link to that too:Oasis Church Reading

Welcome to The Self-Assembly Paraplanning Show, a monthly unscripted conversation where we invite a small group of paraplanners to compare notes on what’s actually happening in their world.Just so you know: guests appear in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the business that employs them.**This month’s host, Julie South, is founder of outsourced paraplanning firm, Bee Paraplanning. Julie is joined by guests Lucy Halliday, a senior paraplanner at Argonaut Paraplanning, and Chris Wormwell, an in-house paraplanner at Wesleyan Financial Services.Among the topics that Julie, Lucy and Chris cover this month are:- the UK Government’s Autumn Budget – set for Wednesday 28 October – and what’s rumoured to be in it?- who’s been hearing about clients asking to take their tax-free cash?- the potential CGT changes that are on their radars plus chat about IHT and agricultural property relief- why clients should plan for both sides of care – paying for their own, and understanding what caring for someone else could mean for their finances- why cash flows should factor in the risk of redundancy and illness (and caring responsibilities)- what the UK Government's consultation on the rights of cohabiting couples in England and Wales could mean for things like IHT and willsIt’s an episode that’s big on the potential of cash flows and annual reviews as a way to prompt conversations with clients about the stuff that doesn’t get mentioned as much as it could.Oh and Lucy and Chris offer their gaming and streaming recommendations for October, plus plugs for events they’re planning to attend, too.AI in this episodeWe used Adobe Podcast's Enhance tool to clean up audio levels and quality.We used Canva's background remover for the head-and-shoulder shots of Julie, Chris and Lucy in the cover image of this episode.Useful linksOnline Assembly: Les Cameron's take on the Budget, 5 November 2026Previous Assembly: A dead interesting Assembly on death and dying, 12 August 2026Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA)SOLLA membership for paraplannersONS life expectancy calculatorUK Government: A fairer end to relationships – consultation (closed 14 August)Lucy and Chris's recommendationsA Big Day Out Whodunnit, 3 NOovember 2026SOLLA Later Life ConferenceGrand Theft Auto VIBBC iPlayer: Colin from AccountsITVx: Jordskott

Host Richard Allum is joined by Transact’s chief development officer, Andrew Cullen-Jones, to explore how paraplanners and the firms they work for can get the most out of advice tech.Among the topics Richard and Andrew tackle in their half-hour conversation are:the enduring issue of rekeying datawhat an API is and what it doeswhy you should know which system’s data wins when two disagreedistinguishing between AI hype and AI helphow the role of CRMs could changewhy the human side of advice mattersPlus Andrew suggests one thing that all paraplanners and their firms should consider doing before seeking the next bit of software for help.When launches of new tech and AI innovation seem never-ending, and keeping on top of what’s new feels like an impossible task, this conversation offers a welcome pause for thought.Useful linksWoven Advice Market MapVideo: watch this episode on Vimeo

Most financial plans treat cancer as a rare event, or as though a diagnosis always means the end of the road.New joint research from Scottish Widows and Macmillan, tells a different story. By 2045, cancer prevalence in the UK is forecast to rise by 58%, taking the number of people living with or beyond cancer to 5.4 million and survival rates have doubled in the last forty years. So, cancer is no longer the death sentence it once was, and that changes what financial planning needs to do.That’s why we invited Jonathan Hall from Scottish Widows to join host Richard Allum and talk through what the research means, and help paraplanners understand what it might mean to their day-to-day paraplanning.John talks about what’s driving the increase and what it means for clients at every stage: building cash flow models that stress test a plan against a cancer diagnosis, why premiums for the same cover roughly triple by your thirties and more than double again by your forties, and how needs shift from a client in their twenties protecting a lifestyle to one in retirement assuming their savings will simply see them through.Tune in now to find out how to bring this conversation to life for your clients.What can you expect?the numbers behind a forecast 58% rise in UK cancer prevalence by 2045, and what’s driving ithow to use cash flow modelling to bring a 'what if' conversation to life for clientshow protection needs and objections shift across generations, from Gen Z to those approaching retirementwhy 'I’ve already got cover' and 'I’ve got savings to fall back on' are worth gently challenginghow protection can work as an intergenerational planning tool, including for clients’ adult childrenCPD is available for this episode with links available below as well as further resources. Useful linksSlides: Living with and beyond cancer in 2045Report: Living with and beyond cancer in 2045CPD: request your certificateWatch on Vimeo

Temporary pension income guarantees are nothing new to retirement income planning. But how much do you actually know about how they work?During this Online Assembly, Richard Allum and M&G’s Mark Devlin take a practical look at temporary pension income guarantees, and what they mean for cases that you may work on. During this Assembly, Mark explained:what temporary guarantees are and how they workthe options available to clientswhat happens to death benefitswhy you might consider using them in a client's retirement planPlus they added a couple of real-world case studies into the mix to bring it all to life.What can you expect to take away?A clearer, more practical understanding of temporary pension income guarantees, and a sense of when and why they might be worth putting in front of a client.Ready to top up your knowledge? Catch up now.Useful linksWatch in Crowdcast (with Chat)Collect your CPDDownload: Mark's slides on temporary pension income guarantees

The near-Dickensian language of a Will doesn’t half make the clarity of its contents harder to grasp, doesn’t it?And then there’s LPAs, which come with limits that catch you out. Things like what an attorney can and can't gift, whether they can set up a trust, what happens if the attorney themselves loses capacity.So if you’re prone to befuddlement – and, let’s be honest, who isn’t? – then tune into this conversation with Shaun Moore, Technical Specialist at Quilter. Because Shaun joined us for a lunch-hour conversation that’s all about deciphering what wills and LPAs actually say.But this isn't about which form to fill in or which portal to log into. It's a planning conversation about why these documents matter, what they can and can't do, and what paraplanners need to look out for.And with pensions becoming vulnerable to IHT, and plenty of plans now out of date, this is the ideal time to revisit both documents.So during this Assembly we coveredwhy pensions coming into the estate means old wills need a second lookResidence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) pitfalls and old discretionary trusts left over from before the transferable nil rate banddeeds of variation, and what your options are when a will hasn't been drafted wellinvestment powers in will trusts, including bonds for life tenants, STEP provisions and when the Trustee Act 2000 defaults applythe limits on what an attorney can do, including gifting and setting up trustsLPAs and discretionary fund management, and the Office of the Public Guardian's reversed guidance on discretionary fund management (now allowed unless the document says otherwise)what happens when an attorney themselves loses capacity, and whether a will can be changed or revokedWhat can you expect to take away?Watch or listen and you'll gain a clearer idea of the role of wills and LPAs so you can spot the planning opportunities.Useful linksWe’ve listed useful links below, as well as all the places you can catch up on the Assembly. If you watch the Replay at Crowdcast, you can also see the very active Chat contributions posted throughout the session.CPD: Grab your certificateWatch in Crowdcast (with chat)What if someone dies without a will?Power of Attorney info for Northern IrelandArticle on charitable gifting and unused pensionsArticle on deeds of variation covering setting up trust through a DOVTechnical guidance from QuilterQuilter’s support page for paraplannersTools and calculators from Quilter