Bestinvest, the D2C arm of Tilney Smith & Williamson, is to axe most ad hoc SIPP fees from 1 March as part of a wider shake-up of fees and services. The fee shake-up is part of a major relaunch of Bestinvest due in the spring. As part of the changes the company will also lower charges […]
Archives for February 2022
Get your hands on Victoria’s Omicron busting stimulus package
With the economic fog of Omicron still blanketing the southern state, the Victorian Government has delivered a stimulus package designed to get the state’s cash flowing again. With retail recovery still slow, consumer confidence low, and small businesses getting battered by cash flow and supply issues, it’s hoped that these recent stimulus measures will give […]
We review the new ABS report on what business conditions are like in 2022
On 11 February 2022 the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released an illuminating report on ‘Business Conditions and Sentiments’, with a particular focus on how small businesses are faring in early 2022. Based on data gathered through phone interviews from 27 January to 4 February 2022, the report is an enlightening snapshot of the current […]
Tax planning in the wake of Build Back Better
AJ Bell opposes ‘default’ pension fund plan
AJ Bell has opposed FCA plans for a default investment fund for non-workplace pensions. The platform and SIPP provider has warned that the idea risks “hard-wiring” inertia and could mean poor outcomes for non-workplace pension savers. The FCA closed its consultation on ‘Improving outcomes in non-workplace pensions’ on Friday 18 February. Under the FCA plans, […]
AJ Bell opposes ‘default’ pension fund plan
AJ Bell has opposed FCA plans for a default investment fund for non-workplace pensions. The platform and SIPP provider has warned that the idea risks “hard-wiring” inertia and could mean poor outcomes for non-workplace pension savers. The FCA closed its consultation on ‘Improving outcomes in non-workplace pensions’ on Friday 18 February. Under the FCA plans, […]
What Advisors Really Want From Their (Independent) Advisor Technology: Opportunities And Threats
The financial advisor marketplace is an incredibly fractured one, where even the largest mega-firms with 10,000–20,000 financial advisors have only single-digit market share, and tens of thousands of advisors operate on an entirely standalone basis as solo advisors. Which means it’s incredibly difficult for most advisor-technology solutions to grow and gain market adoption because of […]
What Advisors Really Want From Their (Independent) Advisor Technology: Opportunities And Threats
The financial advisor marketplace is an incredibly fractured one, where even the largest mega-firms with 10,000–20,000 financial advisors have only single-digit market share, and tens of thousands of advisors operate on an entirely standalone basis as solo advisors. Which means it’s incredibly difficult for most advisor-technology solutions to grow and gain market adoption because of […]
Fund ISA returns dip but still thrash cash ISAs
The average stocks and share ISA provided a return of 6.92% over the past 12 months – well down on the 13.55% seen in the previous 12 months. Research by data provider Moneyfacts found that between February 2021 and February 2021 the average equity-based ISA made just under 7%, comfortably above inflation. While this was […]
Weekend Reading for Financial Planners (Feb 19-20)
Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” – this week’s edition kicks off with the news that, according to population and moving data with increased relocations during the pandemic’s era of remote work, the states that lost the most population in 2021 were those with the highest personal income tax rates (and […]