Latest Editions

• 

  OCTOBER 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  OCTOBER 2019

  VIEW THE MAGAZINE HERE

  IN THIS ISSUE

  Paraplanner Profile

  Rob Kingsbury talks to Ashley Wiltshire, owner of Wiltshire Paraplanning, about how she set up and runs her outsourced paraplanning firm and her imminent move to the United States

  Viewpoint

  Dan Atkinson considers retirement planning and asks: Do we really know what our clients want?

  Comment

  Jacqueline Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI, considers how our identity changes when we retire and what this means for paraplanners putting together a financial plan

  Tax

  While the answer to the question ‘would you rather all your money was taxed or just the growth?’ is a simple one, often clients take the opposite action, says Les Cameron, head of Technical, Prudentia

  Pensions head-to-head

  Given increased regulation, governance and the potential repercussions of court cases to deal with, we asked two industry practitioners: Can smaller SIPP providers survive?

  Buy-to-let tax traps

  The government is making life increasingly complicated for private landlords. Paraplanners now need to be wary of a number of potential tax traps when working with clients with second properties

  Post-death planning

  Catriona Brand considers the use of deeds of variation vs disclaimers in post-death planning

  Powwow 2019

  We highlight some of the discussion points from this year’s Paraplanners’ Powwow

  NEW SECTION: The Investment Committee

  Paraplanner viewpoint

  Rob Kingsbury speaks with Martin Green, paraplanning manager at Chadney Bulgin, about being a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and what it entails.

  Absolute Returns

  Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre looks at the Absolute Returns sector and asks whether these funds can finally prove their worth.

  Sustainable investing
  Mike Fox, head of Sustainable Investments at Royal London Asset Management, describes the sustainable investing landscape and demystifies the terminology

  Globalisation

  Globalisation today is profoundly different to the past, argues Govinda Finn, Japan and developed Asia economist, Aberdeen Standard Investments

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• 

  SEPTEMBER 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  Welcome to the first of our autumn magazines in which we introduce a new dedicated section.

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  Paraplanner profile
  This issue we talk to Samantha Gratton, senior paraplanner at Old Mill, about how recent structural changes at the firm have improved her role and the benefits when paraplanners are empowered to be self-driven

  Viewpoint
  With the ability to freelance and better control your work/life balance, there has probably never been a better time to be a paraplanner, says Jonathan Dawson, 1to1 Paraplanning. But going it alone can be daunting

  Training Development and Qualifications (TDQ)
  This issue’s article covers the CII Business Financial Planning exam and focusses on using a SIPP to buy commercial property

  Setting the Standard
  Reece Edwards, the first person to pass The Paraplanner Standard^TM talks about the experience and why firms need to throw their support behind paraplanners

  Pensions
  In two pensions articles we cover use of SSAS as a finance source and as a structure to facilitate the passing of wealth down through the generations

  Tax
  Understanding different income streams and their tax treatment opens up tax planning opportunities that paraplanners can use for clients.

  NEW SECTION
  We also introduce a new dedicated section The Investment Committee. In this we provide insight for paraplanners engaged in research into investments and those contributing to Investment Committee decisions.

  Alongside regulars features, such as from Darius McDermott MD of research and ratings agency FundCalibre, we kick off the series with two fund manager interviews, first with Gary Potter and Rob Burdett of the BMO multi-manager team, who have been managing funds together for 23 years, and also with David Harrison, manager of the Rathbone Global Sustainability Fund, who talks about the correlation between high-quality, profitable businesses and ethical and environmental sustainability.

  Professional body comment
  Also this issue, Jacqueline Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI, tells how she was inspired by how the Mercedes F1 team worked together at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix and the lessons to be taken from their performance.

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• 

  July/Aug 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  Welcome to the AWARDS 2019 issue of Professional Paraplanner

  15-pages of Awards coverage including interviews with the winners of the six Paraplanner Awards

  View the magazine here.

  For our Paraplanner Profile, Rob Kingsbury talked to New Paraplanner of the Year 2019 award winner Alana Quinn, who tells how since joining Murphy Wealth, alongside paraplanning, she has been encouraged to use her initiative and take responsibility for key projects within the firm.

  Also in this issue:

  Time management
  Good paraplanners can find they become swamped with additional tasks. If this is you, then it’s time get things back in order

  Viewpoint
  Sometimes we need to step back from the job we do and take in the bigger picture, says Dan Atkinson, head of Technical, EQ Investors

  TDQ: Taxation of Trusts
  A look at taxation of Bare Trusts, Interest in Possession (IIP) Trusts and Discretionary Trusts.

  Estate planning
  Business relief can be a powerful estate planning tool

  Investment
  Global dividends have almost doubled in a decade, which is good news for investors seeking income

  Investment
  Gin mixers and chocolate, two good reasons to invest in small caps

  Professional body
  The Woodford fund news highlighted the need to look deeper under the bonnet when researching, says Jacqueline Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI

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• 

  June 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  In the June 2019 issue of Professional Paraplanner:

  Paraplanner Profile

  Scott Daniels, director of the PLUS Group, has grown his outsourced paraplanning business from one-man-band to 47 people. We talk to him about the challenges involved and where he is taking the company from here

  Lifetime allowance planning
  If your client has LTA issues, is it better to take money out of a pension pre or post age 75? Charlene Young, senior technical consultant at AJ Bell, presents a case study to illustrate the key points

  SIPP property purchase
  How may a SIPP avoid unnecessary potential tax charges when purchasing a property with commercial and residential elements? By splitting the title. Denton’s Stephen McPhillips explains

  IHT and Gifting
  Six things paraplanners need to know about gifting

  Training, Development and Qualifications
  A look at the taxation of UK life assurance policies with a case study example – of particular relevance to R03 and AF1 exams

  Fund manager Q&A
  The Gravis Infrastructure Fund combines infrastructure and income. We asked the manager William Argent about the fund’s investment strategy and what it can offer investors.

  Opinion
  Consumers deserve and need faster pension transfer times. So, what’s holding back the industry and what can be done about it?

  Investing
  Can the big brands survive in a world where disruption is ever easier to achieve?

  Your future is in your hands
  ‘When a paraplanner has achieved Chartered or Certified status, what comes next?’, asks Jacqueline Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI

  And much more…

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• 

  May 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  In your May issue of Professional Paraplanner:

  Kat Mock talks to Rob Kingsbury about starting up her new outsourced business, Unity Paraplanning, and the challenges and practicalities involved

  Dan Atkinson, head of Technical at EQ Investors, looks at recent academic research from the Centre for Ageing Better and how it can be applied to paraplanning

  John Humphreys, Inheritance Tax specialist at WAY Investment Services, demonstrates how two families with the same value of estate might choose different strategies to plan for IHT

  Catriona Standingford, managing director of Brand Financial Training, looks at the similarities and differences between the CII’s AF5 and R06 written financial planning papers and what to expect from each

  Parmenion’s Patrick Ingram delves into longevity and explains why paraplanners need to look beyond ONS figures when undertaking clients’ retirement planning

  Sarah Atkinson, training manager, IRESS, reveals how technology can make a difference to the client experience by enabling that personal touch

  Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre examines Emerging Market debt, an asset with obvious risks but with much to offer

  And Jacqueline Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI, considers how client views on managing money are not always aligned with reality

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• 

  April 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  Your April edition of Professional Paraplanner is now live.

  This issue we cover the Paraplanning Report 2019, published by Research in Finance. Our 4-page special looks at areas such as paraplanners’ salaries, qualifications and aspirations and the growing influence of paraplanners in the industry.

  For our Paraplanner Profile we speak to Tom Lloyd-Read, head of Advice at Thomas Miller Investment, about using a centralised system of paraplanning and why he thinks more firms will implement this way of working. He also offers advice for paraplanners considering the move into management.

  Along the same theme, for Viewpoint we asked two team leaders for their top three tips for managing a team.

  If you are taking the CII’s AF1 and R03 exams then one area you might not have thought to cover is the personal tax issues for private landlords. Brand Financial Training covers this for us in their regular article.

  For firms who undertake asset allocation and then look to keep their clients invested in the best performing funds in the relevant sectors, we spoke to Clever Adviser, a maths-based fund monitoring and selection system, which focusses on funds’ performance and when they are “coming off the boil”.

  While Fund Calibre’s Darius McDermott delves into how the company researches which fund management teams deliver consistent value for investors.

  Michelle Hoskin argues that while paraplanner is one of the single most important roles in the financial planning profession, it needs clear boundaries.

  And the CISI’s Jacqueline Lockie wants you to help her start a revolution.

  Happy reading!

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• 

  March 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  In March’s jam-packed issue we have 10 articles for you plus your usual favourites.

  Our Paraplanner Profile maps the paraplanning career of Grant Callaghan, who was Para-Sols’ first graduate recruit and is now the firm’s head of paraplanning. Rob Kingsbury spoke to him about his views on paraplanning and his journey so far

  Dan Atkinson, head of Technical at EQ Investors, looks at the final opportunity to use unused allowances from the 2015/16 tax year

  Did you know you can use a buddy transfer for clients under the age of 55? Intelligent Pension’s Fiona Tait provides a case study

  As well as our regular exam testing Q&A Catriona Standingford, MD of Brand Financial Training, looks at AF7, the exam with the lowest pass rate in 2018

  And for our article Investing differently, Rob Kingsbury met with Marcel Bradshaw, head of UK Retail at Orbis, to talk about launching into the retail space, performance fees, democratising investing and the company’s status as a charitable trust

  This issue’s articles also cover

  • VCTs and pensions carry forward

  • Why having an effective Centralised Retirement Proposition needs to become the norm

  • 6 tips to help clients be better investment decision makers

  • Using technology to make first impressions count when bringing on a new client

  • What investment opportunities Europe might offer amid ongoing uncertainty

  • And why the bigger picture must inform the selection of the right long-term tech solutions for wealth management firms

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• 

  February 2019

  THIS ISSUE

  Welcome to your February 2019 edition of Professional Paraplanner

  For this issue’s paraplanner profile we spoke to Peter Mason, director of PJM Paraplanning and Consultancy Services, about his paraplanning journey, from employed, to self-employed to business owner and his pension transfer specialist work

  Also, we have a plethora of technical and insight articles for you this issue, including:

  • SSAS as an ideal business exit planning tool

  • The use and taxation of discretionary will trusts and how to navigate the first 10 years of exit charges

  • Divorce and re-marriage amongst baby-boomers and the impact on inheritance, requiring talks with clients about their wishes, wills, trusts and tax

  • How the Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) can be a good starting point for discussions with clients

  We look at what might 2019 hold for paraplanning, asking in-house and outsourced paraplanners for their views

  And, alongside our regular TDQ Q&A to test your pre exam knowledge, this issue Catriona Brand, MD of Brand Financial Training, provides six easy steps to working out an individual’s income tax liability.

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