"It's best to look at the guidance session as a first start, a fact find, something to help you get an overview of your potential choices" - Karen Barrett, chief executive of unbiased.co.uk
You'll have heard about Pension Wise, the government's service to offer free guidance to those at or near retirement. But a lot of people think 'guidance' means the same thing as 'advice' - and we all know that's not the case. So we've put together a quick guide to help consumers understand the key differences. If you want to share it with your clients find it here.
This week we were featured in the FT Adviser discussing the up and coming pension guidance. The article also reveals that Pension Wise may involve both telephone and online consultations. You can find the full story here.
Since launching our campaign we've seen some fantastic use of our TaxAction research. Over the past two weeks both you and the press have actively championed our message to consumers. On social media we've spotted great use of our hashtag #TaxAction and widespread sharing of our TaxAction guide. Our latest features include The Times, Daily Mirror, Daily Express and more all helping to raise consumer awareness. Stay tuned as next week we'll be sharing our handy tips on how to avoid tax waste.
Already established among large organisations, workplace pension auto enrolment is set to be rolled out across SMEs. Paul Mitchell of Towergate Financial brings us 'How to overcome staging fright' - a guide to getting ready for your staging date to make sure the change goes smoothly for you. Be ready!
Are you a pension checker or mortgage reviewer? Let your potential clients know. Our special offers are stirring up a buzz as a great way to attract new clients. Featured in this weeks Professional adviser, as an invaluable supplement, follow-up or even alternative to the Pension Wise guidance, they're a sure-fire way to get you noticed.
Do you ever consider the huge untapped market out there, of all the extra clients you could reach? Inevitably, more people think about seeking financial advice than ever actually get round to it. How can you encourage them to take that decisive step? We talk about that in our new article 'Over the rainbow - taking your advice to new horizons'. In the meantime, here are some simple tips for getting noticed by more people, more often:
Be active on social media - Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc - as much as you can. Don't use these for direct marketing, but rather for developing your personal 'brand'. Get involved in discussions, present yourself as someone with knowledge, authority and warmth. Potential clients will look you up online and decide you're the sort of adviser they want.
AXA Life Invest and Retirement Intelligence are continuing to help advisers make sense of the changing pensions landscape and the role of unit-linked guarantees in retirement planning.
They have hosted a total of six roadshows up and down the country, in locations as various as Cheshire, Cardiff, Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham and Cornwall, with a further 5 roadshows planned in Colchester, Bristol, Kent, Basingstoke and Newmarket.
AXA Life Invest predicts that the market for unit-linked guarantees will grow significantly from April 2015, as clients seek to take advantage of the flexibility which the pension reforms afford, while continuing to demand a minimum level of income in retirement. In the new pensions world, financial advisers will break the shackles of the compulsory annuity and deliver personalised retirement recommendations that deliver the very best retirement outcomes to clients.
To download a copy of "The role of unit-linked guarantees in retirement planning," please click here.
Category: Tax
