Press Releases

There has been a lot of noise in the press recently about annuities. The need for advice, or not; the need to consider factors other than just the initial rate (spouse provision, death benefits and inflation proofing); the crossover point at which an annuitant will get back the full value of their pension fund (age 82 has been quoted as the age at which full value will be returned and 90 to get ‘good value’).

Platform provider AJ Bell has today announced a new addition to its existing sports sponsorship activity by becoming title sponsor of the AJ Bell World Squash Championship 2013.

Jim is 45 and wishes to retire at 65. His wife is a non-taxpayer. Jim has a pension fund that is currently worth £500,000 and consists of a property valued at £400,000 and trustee investments valued at £100,000.

Mike Morrison looks at how people make retirement income decisions and concludes they are not always rational.

Probably the one subject that I get asked about most is annuity rates and whether I think they will go up again - invariably my prognosis is not good.

I started working with SIPPs right at the very beginning of their existence when, in 1989, the then Chancellor introduced a measure to allow people to take more control over the management of their pension scheme. The result of this was Joint Office Memorandum 101 from the Inland Revenue, which set out the concept of self-direction and gave a brief explanation of some of the dos and don’ts.

AJ Bell today announced the addition of 70 Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and investment trusts to its Sippcentre platform Regular Investment Service.

Alan is a partner in an accountancy firm. He was coming up to age 65, but realised he needed to work for a few more years. He was aware the default retirement age (DRA) had been removed. He understood he could just ask the partnership and they should let him continue to work.

EveryInvestor - Choosing a SIPP platform

Mailonsunday.co.uk - I've been texted an offer to get a third of my pension early through a loophole that makes it 'commission' and not 'liberation'

Telegraph.co.uk - Sipps: How to retire early on a DIY pension

Peter was a 65-year-old entrepreneur who had built up a £1 million pension, currently in flexible drawdown.

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Mike Morrison: 7 years on from A-day, whatever happened to simplification?

YourMoney.com - Trying to time the stock market could result in ‘significant’ losses

TheMadHouse - 10 ways to encourage children to save

BabyBudgeting - Ways to save for your child’s future

SundayTimes.co.uk - Investors told to stick with stocks

IFAonline.co.uk - Platform paper PS13/1: The end of the 'free' SIPP?

Citywire - Sipp Spotlight: All you need to know about the AJ Bell Platinum Sipp

EveryInvestor.co.uk - How does income drawdown work?

Peter was a 65-year-old entrepreneur who had built up a £1 million pension, currently in flexible drawdown.

6 April 2013 went very quietly in pension terms. Okay, there were the usual rushes with regard to paying contributions before the end of the tax year and using carry forward provisions, plus there was the last time to get 50% tax relief but, all-in-all, nothing drastic.

You’ve saved for what seems like an eternity, utilised your tax reliefs to make the most of the hard earned cash you have available to save and now the day has come to turn your pension into an income for the rest of your life. What now?

FTAdviser.com - Income drawdown a real alternative to annuities

FTAdviser.com - AJ Bell creates new regional arm

The lack of access to money in a pension scheme before age 55 is often one of the main excuses people give for not having one. Imagine the outcry if we restricted people on taking their money out when they reach age 55!

Citywire - Sipp shopping spree gathers pace as cap ad specrtre looms

thesundaytimes.co.uk - Route to a top retirement income

he lack of access to money in a pension scheme before age 55 is often one of the main excuses people give for not having one. Imagine the outcry if we restricted people on taking their money out when they reach age 55!

Telegraph.co.uk - My pension went from £50,000 to £15,000

Moneywise.co.uk - Make your pension work harder

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Billy Mackay: Certainty for platforms is worth celebrating

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - FCA urged to ban cash rebates to Sipps

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Platform paper: Industry reaction

Citywire - Clients need a reality check before taking drawdown plunge

It was coming up to tax year end and Peter had been overwhelmed with pensions business. There had been a significant amount of money paid to get the 50% rate of tax relief, while it was still available, then there was some carry forward plus all the usual contribution top ups, ISA and JISA subscriptions too.

In the run-up to the FCA Policy Statement 13/1 announcement, speculation was building that something big was on the cards. The twitter faithful were twitching and all interested parties were present and accounted for at their desks 7.00 am sharp.

Citywire - Why Woodford's head was turned by 8 exciting firms

The Platforum - An alternative view on the FCA Paper

The debate on pension tax relief continues. In the Autumn statement it was announced the annual allowance would be reduced from £50,000 to £40,000 in 2014.

Telegraph.co.uk - Income drawdown: Low cost ways to draw on a pension pot

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Industry warns auto re-reg for platforms is still a long way off

FTAdviser.com - Are these products just for higher net worth clients?

FTAdviser.com - Confusion about third way pensions

FTAdviser.com - The pros and cons of drawdown

FTAdviser.com - Clients that are best suited to drawdown

FTAdviser.com - An introduction to drawdown

FTAdviser.com - Guide to Income Drawdown and Third Way Products

Citywire - Client triumphs part 2 10 more advisers share their favourite cases

Money Marketing - The Platforum: How Transact's new costs stack up against rivals

Telegraph.co.uk - How we cracked DIY investing

I was at a SIPP conference recently and the main talking point of the morning was the proposed capital adequacy regime for SIPPs as outlined in the FSA consultation CP12/33.

Everyinvestor.co.uk - Should I consolidate my pension pots?

Guardian.co.uk - Investment Isas offer a wealth of potential

Lights. Curtain. And that is that. To coin one of poet Philip Larkin’s phrases, “All great stories have a start, a muddle and an end” and this one is no different. But in this case, our very own West Side Story has a start, a squabble, a muddle, a cuddle and an end.

A recent survey confirmed that one quarter of adults have lost a pension pot!

InvestmentWeek.co.uk - More platforms launch tax calculators after HMRC ruling

InvestorsChronicle - Buy-to-let in a Sipp

IFAonline - What effect will capital adequacy changes have on SIPP market?

Staying invested - rather than trying to time markets to avoid the dips – can make the difference between big gains and significant losses, analysis of the FTSE 100 by low-cost investment platform Sippdeal has shown.

AJ Bell today announces the appointment of Dave Saunter, who will take up the post of Business Development Manager for the company’s South West region.

I was at a SIPP conference recently and the main talking point of the morning was the proposed capital adequacy regime for SIPPs as outlined in the FSA consultation CP12/33.

Money Observer - Financial resolutions worth keeping this new tax year

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Platforms welcome Tisa share conversion proposal

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Case Study: The need to get risk assessment right

The other week I had to get a flight up to Scotland for a day or two of meetings and - because you can - I picked up an extra newspaper at the plane door. I always love taking the opportunity to read a paper that I would not have normally purchased, and I always go for the one that is perhaps most opposed to the views of my usual paper.

Everyinvestor.co.uk - Fund platforms slammed over exit charges

IFAonline - Fund groups face pressure to introduce 'bare' share classes

Low-cost investment platform provider AJ Bell is encouraging investors to set themselves financial resolutions for the new tax year to reap greater long-term benefits.

Citywire - Platforms kick off scramble for clean fund discounts

Money Marketing - Platforms demand equal share class treatment from fund groups

YourMoney.com - New financial tax year: the resolutions worth keeping

FT.com - Welcome to TripAdvisor for Sipps

Investortoday.co.uk - Keep it in the family to save up to £3.3m tax efficiently

FTAdviser.com - Firing Line: Andy Bell

Peter had just reached age 50 and was briefly reflecting on retirement. Although he had some time to go, he thought it would be a good idea to have a chat with his financial adviser about his plans.

I went to an adviser CPD day a week or so ago and in the afternoon we were presented with a couple of case studies, one of which was a consideration of the pros and cons of SIPPs and SSASs.

The debate on pension tax relief continues – in the Autumn statement just before Christmas it was announced by the Coalition that the Annual Allowance would be reduced from £50,000 to £40,000 in 2014. There was debate but I get the feeling that most commentators thought that it could have been a lot worse.

Herald Scotland.com - Government 'hitting savers with discount tax'

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Could stamp duty move bring small caps back in favour?

Citywire - Combine pensions and ISAs for harmonious tax planning

YourMoney.com - Save thousands by upping your pension contributions

Peter had just reached age 50 and was briefly reflecting on retirement. Although he had some time to go, he thought it would be a good idea to have a chat with his financial adviser about his plans.

FTAdviser.com - Sipps survey: A new dawn

YourMoney.com - Families could save £3m with ISAs and pensions

With the tax year end only days away, new figures from low-cost investment platform provider AJ Bell highlight the enormous saving potential of families exploiting their pension and ISA allowances – they show that by consistently using these tax efficient savings vehicles a family of four could accrue £3.3m over 18 years.

Telegraph.co.uk - Risk averse pensioners get 33pc less income

AJ Bell has announced details of a new investment research centre which is available from today on the Sippcentre platform.

Telegraph.co.uk - Pensioners await 20pc income lift

iii.co.uk - Bonds and ISAs: Frequently asked questions

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Aim stamp duty reprieve much needed

MoneyMarketing.co.uk - Mike Morrison: Plenty to talk about behind the pension headlines

FinancialPlanneronline.co.uk - Budget 2013: Stamp duty abolished on AIM shares from April 2014

A sigh of relief from the pensions world with no further change to the previously announced reductions in the lifetime allowance (from £1.5m to £1.25m from 2014 -2015) and annual allowance (£50,000 to 40,000 from 2014 - 2015).

Andy Bell, Chief Executive of platform provider AJ Bell has provided the following immediate reaction to today’s Budget.

FT.com - Ministers consider property for Sipps

Lovemoney.com - Self-employed are facing disaster

Telegraph.co.uk - Budget 2013: Osborne dashes hopes of annuity rate rises

Telegraph.co.uk - Budget 2013: Sipps may be allowed to hold residential property

Billy Mackay, Marketing Director for investment platform provider and SIPP operator AJ Bell, explains how income drawdown works and outlines a u-turn in government policy that will permit higher incomes to be taken from later this month.