UK accountants overwhelmed by pension advice boom

Accountants working in the UK are ill-equipped to deal with the growing demand for personal financial advice following recent changes to early pension access, according to a new poll by retirement lending adviser Bower Private Clients.

UK accountants overwhelmed by pension advice boom

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The independent poll of 105 accountants found that 36% had experienced an increase in demand for advice about personal finance from clients in the past 12 months; with the majority seeking advice on inheritance planning.

In addition, 72% of accountants noted inheritance planning as a major growth area.

However, the rising demand is causing concern among accountants as nearly a third say they are worried that some of the advice they are giving goes beyond their core expertise.

As a result, nearly half of those polled believe their work with independent financial advisers will increase over the next two years due to recent changes to pension rules.

Andrea Rozario, chief corporate officer at Bower Private Clients, said: “It’s no wonder that accountants are seeing clients increasingly enquiring about financial planning given the recent changes in pensions, high property prices and the complex nature of estate planning.

“The wealth tied up in homes is a potential source of retirement funding but people need to be properly advised.”

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