Helping you make sense of information relating to pension transfers and using it to make better informed decisions.
Pension Basics (That You Might Understand)
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Defined Benefit vs Defined Contribution
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Pension Transfers Client Information for Recommendations COBs 9.2.2
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Pension and Investing Posts
Self Invested Personal Pensions – The Destination of Choice?
SIPPS are a good destination for those looking for investment opportunities. Beware of SCAMs
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Defined Benefit Pensions – Who Would Give These Up?
Defined Benefit Pensions commonly known as money purchase. Contributions? Funding Rates? Scheme Rules?
Likely Pattern of Benefits in Retirement
How does a reliable source of income sound for the years of your retirement? Those that are fortunate enough with their health, enjoy life, without the uncertainty of worrying about income and have the freedom to be able to do whatever it is they want to do. ...
ABP Stichting Pensioenfonds Review 2021
The move from Fossil fuel investments ‘en masse’. As the great, good, wicked and corrupt gather in Glasgow to sip soft water and get covered in damp greyness a hot topic will be a pension funds vow to disinvest from fossil fuel related investments. Who is this...
Xtrackers (IE) PLC Accm Shares – 1C-USD/Xtrackers MSCI Japan ESG UCITS ETF
At the pension transfer hub we like to keep track of things. 'Punting is punting' and 'investing is investing' but when it comes to retirement funds investing for returns whilst maitaining value is a primary objective. Whilst it’s apprcieated that some risk is...
Pension and Investment Scammers and the Internet
Do Social Media firms serve as a gateway for scammers? What action could the FCA take against Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? Everybody was shocked to learn of the suffering that customers of London Capital and Finance Group (link is to FSCS with latest updates and...
Abridged Pension Advice – Planning for the Unplanned?
Thoughts on abridged pension advice - planning for the unplanned? Before we scuttle down any dark alleys keep in mind this isn't regulated financial advice. Contact the regulator to find an authorised and regulated 'advisor' if you need one. The purpose of this post...
Raising National Insurance – Alf and Simon Discuss
Alf and Simon got talking some more about #nationalinsurance #taxes. After some thought Alf has concluded that it's not as simple as just raising taxes on the wealthier in #society as there's no guarantee of #returns/#profits into the future! Alf also reckons that...
Abridged Pension Transfer Advice – Risk of Death
Death is a Risky Business WARNING: THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE . Whilst terms such as 'you' and 'yours' may be used there is no malovolent intention of swaying, persuading, selling, referring or advising. It is with certainty that you will die - when you die is...
Pension Transfer Abridged Advice – Role of Pension Transfer Specialist
What happens if a client wants to proceed to having full pension transfer or conversion advice? Regulatory guidance states that the FCA's expectation is that where abridged advice concludes that a client should stay in their existing defined benefit pension...
What is Pension Transfer Abridged Advice?
In October 2020 the FCA made changes around 'abridged' advice in relation to defined benefit pension transfers. WARNING: This is chunky so I've split it into a number of posts! It's not financial advice (but is commentary and opinion). However, due to the highly...
National Insurance for Social Care September 2021
On 7 September 2021 the UK Government announced the biggest tax rise for generations. Increasing national insurance contributions (that all workers pay) by 1.25%. The increase is to pay for increase social care costs. The rise is rubbish and to get the message across...
Protected: Who Are London Capital and Finance Bondholders?
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Protected: Mini bond Scamming
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I Need Financial Advice – Don’t shoot me!
Do you feel confident enough to make important decisions about pensions and investments without taking professional financial advice? If you do, well done! Oddly though, most of us don't feel confident enough with such...
Crypto and The Network Transactions Ratio
Read this if you're trying to make sense of cryptocurrency and the conflicting data around it. I'll be using Bitcoin as an example, but the same applies to other cryptocurrencies. This post focuses on the Crypto and the Network Transactions Ratio. If you're a crypto...
Is Property a Bad Choice for Retirement?
Is Property a Bad Choice for Retirement? Long gone are the days of a cushty pension. Just 'do you time' and retire at 50 odd? For many of the baby boomers you see strolling around - that is their reality - but for the generations after, not so much so (civil servants...
Pension Fear Gauge
The Pension fear gauge. Forget the volatility index there’s something much better to trade off. Being a fan of VIX (and not the kind you rub on your chest after a couple of ‘Es’ at a rave) and how it ‘gauges’ relative fear of markets I love it when similar...
Is The One Eyed Man King in the Land of The Blind?
Pensions and Investments - Is The One Eyed man really King? Most of us have come across the saying 'In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king'. If you haven't, don't worry. You have now! The saying may come from Judaism's B'reshith Rabba or from...
Pension Transfer Regulation COBS 9.2.2 Experience and Knowledge
In today's post we take a look at Pension Transfer Regulation COBS 9.2.2 Experience and Knowledge. Section 1 parts (b) and (c). 1. A firm must obtain from the client such information as is necessary for the firm o understand the essential facts about him and have a...