Holroyd appoint Cullen Financial Planning
We’re delighted to announce that we were recently appointed to look after the corporate pension arrangements of Holroyd Ltd. Late last year Holroyd took the decision to use our Managed Pension Service, recognising the need for employee advice that supported their own strong pensions culture and commitment to staff welfare. Read more →
Workplace pension advice – the most common questions
Pensions are far from simple, many in our industry take a certain level of knowledge for granted when delivering pension advice. Our experience is that many employees have little understanding of retirement planning and are left to make their own decisions.Undersaving Britain
Pension saving is at its lowest level for 10 years according to recently published Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) analysis by the Family Resources Survey (FRS), a key source for pension information. The analysis came from interviews with around 25,000 private households across the UK in 2009 and 2010. Read more →
Welcome to the team….
In support of the continued increase in corporate and individual clients that we look after, we’re delighted to introduce two new members of the Cullen team, this month we welcome Mike and Claire. Read more →
Abolition of contracting out on a defined contribution basis
Do these changes affect you and your pension savings arrangements? From the 6th April 2012 individuals will no longer be able to contract out of the additional State Pension (also known as the State Second Pension) on a defined contribution (money purchase) basis. Instead individuals will automatically be brought back into the additional State Pension and begin to build up entitlements from this time.
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Pension auto-enrolment must be postponed – IoD
The Institute of Directors has called for the Government to postpone the phased introduction of its controversial pension auto-enrolment scheme for two years, until 2014. At present, the plans will see some employees being enrolled onto the scheme from October 2012.
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UK suffering from chronic lack of preparation for retirement
The seventh annual Scottish Widows UK Pensions Report 2011 has revealed worrying and widespread inertia when it comes to preparing adequately for retirement.
The Scottish Widows Pensions Index, looking at those between 30 years old and state pension age earning more than £10,000 per year, reveals that while 80% of workers are saving for retirement, only 51% are putting away what is considered to be an adequate amount to live comfortably, and this figure drops to 25% when those with a final salary pension are excluded.
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Government confirms auto-enrolment delay for small firms
With George Osborne’s Autumn Statement and the strike by public sector workers happening almost simultaneously, an announcement by Pensions Minister Steve Webb about auto-enrolment in pension schemes was never going to grab the headlines. However, the announcement does have significant implications for Britain’s small businesses.
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George Osborne’s Autumn Statement
Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement at lunchtime on Tuesday, November 29th against a backdrop of gloomy economic forecasts.
The previous day, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) had predicted that the UK would slip back into “a modest recession” early in 2012, with unemployment reaching 9%. The OECD blamed this on a weak demand for exports, the Government’s austerity measures and the squeeze on consumer spending. Read more →
Introducing David Snailham
Here’s a quick introduction to David Snailham, our latest recruit, who has joined as our Compliance and Technical Manager. David fulfills an important role, but one that is rarely seen by those outside the business, so we’ll treat this article as a rare public appearance. Read more →
