A number of British firms offering bespoke self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) could go out of business when the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) new capital adequacy requirements come into force in September, according to James Hay, one of the UK’s largest Sipps providers.
UK Sipp provider AJ Bell has created three risk-rated portfolios designed to deliver returns in a low return, low interest rate and low inflation world, explains investment director Russ Mould.
More than a third of pension advisers in the UK admit that they have been ‘caught out’ by unexpected charges on self-invested personal pension (Sipp) wrappers, research by retirement specialists Momentum Pensions shows.
Concerns around the upcoming UK budget saw consumers making the most of their pension benefits in February with self-invested personal pension (Sipp) contributions up by 203% compared with the same month last year.
Axa Wealth International has reported flat growth in its annual results against a backdrop of stock market volatility and pension reforms.
Momentum Pensions is extending its product range to include lower-cost solutions for international clients to meet a rise in demand from investors with minimum funds of £20,000.
Legal & General has further rationalised its offering by announcing the sale of Sipp provider Suffolk Life to Curtis Banks Group. The move follows L&G’s recent decision to dispose of non-core businesses, which saw it withdraw from France, Ireland, and Egypt in 2015.
Australia-headquartered platform technology provider Praemium has set its sights on acquiring a SIPP provider in the UK to tap into the opportunities created by George Osborne’s radical pension reforms.
Complaints about self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) rose by a third during the second quarter of 2015, while term assurance product complaints decreased by 23%, according to the UK’s Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
Brooklands Pensions is to change its name to IVCM, close the Self-Invested Personal Pension in the UK and launch a new SIPP in partnership with specialist provider Heritage Pensions.
The only three certainties in life are all intrinsically linked – death, taxes and pension changes, says Mark Gaywood, group chairman of Momentum Pensions in a video interview.
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme paid out £327m in compensation to British consumers over 2014/15, a significant rise from the previous year after payments for SIPP-related claims made against financial advisers soared by 50%.
