Latest Editions

• 

  OCTOBER 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  DOWNLOAD your copy of the October 2020 issue of Professional Paraplanner HERE: Professional Paraplanner Magazine October 2020

  Paraplanner profile

  In early September 2020, outsourced paraplanning firm Plan Works relaunched following founder Nathan Fryer being joined by experienced paraplanner Siân Davies Cole. Rob Kingsbury spoke to them about partnering up, what they will be offering financial planning businesses and their plans to grow the business over the next few years.

  Viewpoint

  In an honest and open article, Damian Zhang, paraplanner at Foster Denovo, describes his experience with mental health issues and provides practical advice for individuals and for employers in understanding and dealing with the issues that can arise

  White paper writing

  Recently, Dan Atkinson, head of Technical at Paradigm Norton, had the opportunity to co-author a white paper on potential tax increases, aimed at helping the firm’s clients to understand the potential impact on their financial plans. Here he describes the process.

  Exam lockdown

  Lockdown’s effect on this year’s exams meant candidates suffered from cancelled and re-arranged exams, while issues with remote invigilation for some CII exams also caused headaches. We spoke to Ann Mora, operations manager at Brand Financial Training, about what happened and how things look now.

  Team talk

  At the heart of any good business and work stream is good communication and… collaboration. We need more of it, says Michelle Hoskin, managing director Standards International

  Professional body

  CISI’s Jackie Lockie finds that writing a financial plan using the client’s own words doesn’t always provide a defined picture of what the client wants and an actionable strategy

  TAX PLANNING SPECIAL
  Game plan

  Is the current market, economic uncertainty and noise around potential tax hikes causing clients concern around tax planning and affecting firms’ advice? We spoke to paraplanners about their experiences

  IHT planning with a power of attorney

  Jessica Franks, head of Tax, Octopus Investments, shoes how clients can achieve their estate planning objectives when a power of attorney is in place

  The LTA charge

  Should the Lifetime Allowance charge be avoided at all costs or are there circumstances where it is worth the client paying the charge? Dave Downie, technical manager, Standard Life

  THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

  Certainty of income

  David Hambidge, director of multi-assets at Premier Miton, considers the problems in producing a sustainable income in a world where uncertainty rules

  Japan – what next?

  Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre, looks at the legacy of Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and following his announced resignation, where there may be potential concerns for investors

  Destructive capitalism

  Does recovery from Covid-19’s impact require more of a Darwinian than a Keynesian approach? David Coombs, fund manager, Rathbone Multi-Asset Portfolio Funds takes a view

  Sector considerations

  This issue the Fund Calibre team look at the UK Equity market

   

   

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• 

  SEPTEMBER 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  DOWNLOAD your copy of the September 2020 issue of Professional Paraplanner HERE: Professional Paraplanner September 2020

  In the issue you’ll find the following:

  Profiles

  For this issue’s profile, we break from our normal paraplanner interviewee, talking instead to Jackie Boylan, Head of FundsNetwork, about the milestone, her career, diversity in financial services, and developments with the platform

  We have 5 minutes with…  Steve Bailey, director, ATEB Consulting, talking about the compliance consultancy,  good compliance practice, tips for FCA visits and the firm’s work for the FCA on Section 166 reviews

  Viewpoint is from Micheala Hawkins, administrator with outsourced paraplanning firm Navigatus, who talks about failing a number of exams before she adapted her studying process and broke through the barriers that had been holding her back from achieving her potential

  Technical articles include:

  Pension death benefits: Looking at reasons why an individual might look beyond their spouse in respect of the beneficiaries of their pension

  SSAS: A case study covering how a business owner used good financial advice and planning to help expand his family business

  Pensions tax: Examining new rules in respect of Tapered Annual Allowance and Carry Forward that came into effect in April 2020

  And for our TDQ: Development article this issue, the Brand Financial Training team compare the options and benefits between setting up a business as a sole trader or as a limited company

  Comment

  We have Industry comment from Matt Lonsdale, relationship manager at BNY Mellon’s Pershing EMEA, discussing the future of financial planning

  Michelle Hoskin, MD of Standards International poses questions paraplanners should be asking of themselves at this crucial time for many businesses

  And Caroline Stuart, director of Sparrow Paraplanning and PFS Board member, considers whether the Coronavirus crisis could actually turn out to be good for financial planning firms

  The Investment committee

  Premier-Miton’s Simon Evan-Cook observes that many fund managers say they dabbled with stocks when young, buying companies with products they knew but most also admit they got their fingers burned

  Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre, looks at income investing and whether dividend cuts could be a good thing for the market

  While Rathbone’s David Coombs believes commercial property investment as we know it is about to change – possibly significantly

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• 

  JULY/AUGUST 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  CLICK HERE TO ACCESS ONLINE

  OR DOWNLOAD IT AS A PDF HERE: ProfessionalParaplanner-July-Aug 2020

  Inside our biggest issue yet you’ll find:

  All the winners from our 2020 AWARDS

  The Paraplanner Awards

  Winners of the six Paraplanner awards including interviews

  The Provider Awards

  The companies nominated by you as the best in their category

  Paraplanner profile

  Editor Rob Kingsbury talks to Alistair Cartwright, winner of this year’s Paraplanner of the Year (in-house) award, about being promoted, his views on paraplanning and studying beyond the usual qualifications

  Viewpoint

  Understanding your client’s capacity for loss

  Tax

  John Humphreys, IHT specialist, WAY Investment Solutions, uses a case study to illustrate the disadvantages of putting off tax planning

  TDQ: Tax

  A look at the tax position of self-employed taxpayers whose income is affected by the Coronavirus lockdown

  Being a happy human

  Will we enter the ‘new normal’ able to feel better about ourselves or will we revert to our old ways?

  Pensions

  Practical tips for paraplanners needing to research SSAS providers

  Professional Body

  A book on resilience has Jacqueline Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI, re-assessing motivation and what it means for paraplanners.

  The Investment Committee

  Sector considerations: Correlation

  Crunching the numbers in respect of correlation of asset classes during the C-19 crisis

  Where next for income?

  Charles Luke, Aberdeen Standard Investments, considers income investing during the current pandemic and what is affecting the market outlook

  Avoiding Waterloo

  Current corporate bond markets offer rare opportunities but managers warn there will be clear winners and losers in the sector

  PLUS our regulars: Test your Knowledge, Parameters, data download and CPD

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• 

  JUNE 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ISSUE ONLINE

  OR DOWNLOAD IT AS A PDF HERE: Professional Paraplanner_JUNE 2020

  What you’ll find inside:

  Paraplanner profile

  Katherine Harvey, client services director, Russell Gibson had a novel means of winning her role at interview, particularly as it didn’t exist at the time, she tells Rob Kingsbury

  Locked down

  Dan Atkinson shares his thoughts on the unusual situation of starting a new job when the office is in lockdown.

  Tackling R06

  The 2019 pass rate for RO6 dropped by 10%. Catriona Standingford, MD of Brand Financial Training, looks at the October 2019 exam, what may have affected the pass rate and what future candidates need to consider

  The Power of Process

  Paraplanners are perfectly positioned to see where firms’ processes are working or not, which is why they should get involved in business improvement, says Michelle Hoskin, MD of Standards International

  The Scheme Pension trap

  Can scheme pension continue to have a place in financial planning? Stephen McPhillips, Technical Sales Director, Dentons Pension Management Limited, considers its use in financial planning

  IHT planning

  Exemption for BPR investments doesn’t apply until two years after the initial investment. What happens if the client is elderly or unwell?

  THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

  Dividends done?

  Aberdeen Standard Investments’ Will James considers the impact of recent cancelled and delayed dividends and what this means for equity income investing

  Under the microscope

  Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre looks at the Healthcare sector, which has a number of positive factors in its favour including a potential uplift in demand post the current crisis

  Sustainable investing

  Mike Appleby, Investment Manager, Liontrust Sustainable Investment team considers potential economic changes post Covid-19 and how they may affect sustainable investing. Could we see an economy that is cleaner, healthier, safer and more equitable?

  Professional comment

  Tom O’Hara of the PFS Paraplanners Practitioners Panel reflects on what has been achieved in the five years since the panel was started

   

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• 

  MAY 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ISSUE ONLINE

  OR AS A PDF HERE: PP_May 2020

  Paraplanner profile

  Tony Slimmings, Managing Director, Paraplanning Hub talks to Rob Kingsbury about establishing his paraplanning businesses and why he thinks the days of the freelance outsourced paraplanner are numbered

  Viewpoint

  Rebecca Kowalski, paraplanner and compliance officer at Cornerstone Asset Management, explains how a new project for work has been key in fulfilling her personal aspirations too

  Suitability: Being human

  In the current climate, it is more important than ever that suitability reports are personal to the client and provide the reassurance they need, says PFS Paraplanner Panel member Rebecca Tuck

  Compliance: Agent as Client

  Many advice firms use discretionary investment managers to run client portfolios, often on an ‘Agent as Client’ basis. However, this can increase risks for advice firms, as explained by Steve Bailey, director ATEB Consulting

  TDQ: Investing for Children

  It’s important to be prepared for a question on the subject of investing for children, says Catriona Standingford, MD of Brand Financial Training, as questions can arise in R02, R03 and R04 and could also be included in case studies in R06.

  Remote working

  Enforced remote working could be the chance to prove how awesome you are, says Michelle Hoskin, managing director, Standards International

  Financial tidy‐up

  There are things to think about today to pre-empt the things we may have to deal with in the future. John Humphreys, inheritance tax specialist at WAY Investment Services, offers up some items for the checklist

  THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

  ESG catalyst?

  The current pandemic is seeing greater focus on ESG issues across the globe. The investment industry may not be the same from now on, says David Smith, head of Corporate Governance, Asia Pacific, Aberdeen Standard Investments

  Asia ahead

  Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre, considers whether the

  Covid-19 pandemic will result in an acceleration of the rise of the east, providing greater investment opportunities

  Sector analysis

  The return of negative correlation. FundCalibre analysts reveal the effect of the Coronavirus crisis on correlation between sectors and what that means for portfolios.

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• 

  APRIL 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ISSUE ONLINE

  OR AS A PDF HERE: Professional Paraplanner April 2020

  Paraplanner profile

  Rob Kingsbury spoke to Kimberley Tyson senior paraplanner at Telford Mann in Kettering, who recently received an award for her exam achievements, reflecting a career progression that started when she joined the firm five years ago

  Advice during a pandemic

  Dan Atkinson considers the effects of situations like the Corona virus pandemic and what can be learned from it in terms of relationship with clients.

  Career progression

  When you’ve reached the top of your game what do you do next? A look at the options and the challenges many people face and key questions to be asking others and yourself in this situation

  Viewpoint

  A recruiter’s experience on why paraplanners leave their jobs. It’s an important point and firms need to take action on it

  TECHNICAL & PRACTICAL

  This issue’s TDQ feature looks at pension input periods, including a useful example calculation

  Access to insurance

  Signposting for vulnerable customers means going beyond TEXAS, says Johnny Timpson, Technical and Industry Affairs manager, Scottish Widows

  PROFESSIONAL COMMENT

  Life expectancy is not the same as the likely age at death. Jackie Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI, looks at why and what impact it has on financial plans

  Exam study tips

  PFS Paraplanner Practitioner Panel member Alan Gow, provides some tips and useful practices that have worked for him in his recent studies

  THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

  Pitfalls of fund picking

  Asked to pick funds for a client, Rebecca Kowalski, paraplanner and compliance officer at Cornerstone Asset Management, came to realise that outsourcing has distinct advantages for her firm.

  Passive vs active

  David Coombs, multi-asset manager at Rathbones, considers the downward pressure on portfolio cost and whether, when it comes to passives, the ultimate price we pay could be far higher than first anticipated

  VCT clients

  There are three client types that could benefit from a VCT, suggest Octopus Investments’ Paul Latham

  Tech apples and pears

  You can’t compare today’s technology sector growth to the ‘90s bubble, says Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre

  Impact leaders

  European companies feature high in the ranks of sustainability listings. Sarah Norris, European Investment director at Aberdeen Standard Investments, looks at companies with business strategies that take them beyond economic profit

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• 

  MARCH 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  VIEW YOUR MAGAZINE ONLINE HERE

  OR AS A PDF HERE: PP_March_2020

  What you’ll find  inside this issue:

  Paraplanner profile

  Luan Mahoney tells Rob Kingsbury how she progressed her career from mortgage administrator to head of operations and a partner with Chadney Bulgin

  SPECIAL REPORT

  Insights from the recent Professional Paraplanner Team Leader Seminar

  TAX SPECIAL: End-of-year tax planning

  Preparing for Tax Year End
  Paraplanners talk about the increased workload, how they tackle last minute demands and share their top tips for staying in control.

  Business Property Relief
  Business Property Relief is helping advice firms to unlock estate planning opportunities, says Paul Latham, Octopus Investments

  Pension tax planning
  Which clients do you need to focus on at this busy time running up to the end of the tax year?

  TECHNICAL & PRACTICAL

  Pensions
  Denton’s Stephen McPhillips, looks at unauthorised payments from registered pensions schemes that are SIPPs or SSAS

  Trusts
  Trust registration deadlines are changing and paraplanners need to know about them

  Portfolio performance evaluation
  Use of money-weighted and time-weighted rate of return measurements when evaluating performance of an investment portfolio

  Business Protection
  Ensuring business owners have the right insurance protection in place not just for their personal circumstances, but also for their business, can be a valuable part of their financial planning, says Scottish Widows’ Chris Dunne

  Viewpoint
  Natalie Bell, co-founder & director of The Art of Finance, on finding and keeping good people

  Para-meters
  This issue we asked you about pension tax relief

  Recruitment rights and wrongs
  How do you ensure you employ the right paraplanner for the role? Michelle Hoskin looks at where firms get it right – and wrong

  Professional comment
  What are goals’, ‘objectives’, ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ and how do you use them? Robert Harper, PFS Paraplanner Panel member considers this question in relation to client portfolios

  THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

  Average performance
  When is average better than average? Simon Evan-Cook, senior investment manager, Premier Miton Investors, uses the body size of 1940s US Airforce pilots to explain.

  Markets
  Are US equities still worth the risk? Darius McDermott, managing director, FundCalibre looks at the pressures on the US economy and markets

   

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• 

  FEBRUARY 2020

  THIS ISSUE

  VIEW THE MAGAZINE ONLINE HERE

  OR DOWNLOAD IT AS A PDF HERE:  PP FEB 2020 issue

  IN THIS ISSUE

  Paraplanner Profile

  Benjamin Fabi talked to Rob Kingsbury about the first two years of running his outsourced paraplanning firm Principled Paraplanning, his ethos and why he has specialised

  In this month’s Viewpoint paraplanner Damian Zhang contemplates whether cashflow modelling is king.

  PFS comment

  As well as setting up her firm Unity Paraplanning, in late 2019 Kat Mock joined the PFS Paraplanner Panel. Here, she talks about why and her goals for 2020

  SIPPS

  How can a SIPP make a loan to an unconnected party? Using a case study to illustrate, Stephen McPhillips, technical sales director, Dentons Pension Management, explains

  TDQ (Training Development Qualifications)

  We look at Discounted Gift Trusts, useful IHT planning schemes and are often tested in the CII AF1 Personal Tax and Trust paper

  Protecting a client’s home

  Scottish Widow’s Chris Dunne looks at insurance necessary to protect a client’s family home

  In our 5 minutes with… article, Rebecca Lucas talks to Rob Kingsbury about her decision to launch her App, WrapCompare

  What happens when a client dies?

  Advice firms should make supporting a client’s executors their New Year’s resolution, says Octopus’s Ben Charrington

  The Investment Committee

  Outlook for 2020

  David Jane and the Premier Miton Multi Asset team give their collective assessment of themes and trends to consider in 2020 and beyond

  Infrastructure investing

  Darius McDermott, managing director of FundCalibre looks at the evolution and growth opportunities of infrastructure investing

  Guide to…

  This issue we look at Investment trusts. The AIC’s Elmley de la Cour provides insight into investment companies and how they can be used in client portfolios

  CISI comment

  F.I.R.E. Could this be a new strategy for a new decade? Maybe, says Jacqueline Lockie, head of Financial Planning, CISI

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