The Paraplanners' Assembly Podcast

Paraplanners' Assembly
  • 5.0 (1)
  • INVESTING

Listen to our latest online Assembly PLUS bonus content created to help paraplanners from across the UK learn, fix and share. To join our Assemblies live, look and book for upcoming events at paraplannersassembly.co.uk/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. The financial planning assumptions that don’t work for women

    1 DAY AGO

    The financial planning assumptions that don’t work for women

    Think about the last financial plan you worked on for a couple. Who led the conversation? Whose risk profile shaped the recommendations? And if one partner wasn’t at the meeting – or didn’t really engage when they were – how much of a difference did that make to the plan you produced? If you’re not sure, that might be the point. As paraplanners, we work with the information we’re given. But some of the most consequential decisions in financial planning – which pension gets the contributions, how retirement income is structured, what happens when one partner dies – can be based on assumptions that nobody has explicitly questioned. And more often than not, it’s women who are most exposed when those assumptions go unexamined. This Assembly is a chance to look at three of those assumptions directly: where they come from, what they cost clients, and what paraplanners can do about them. Three recurring assumptions that could be impacting women’s financial future We’ve chosen three assumptions that come up again and again in financial planning for couples, and that can have a disproportionate impact on women’s financial outcomes.  They span different life stages, so wherever your clients are in their financial journey, there’s likely to be something that resonates. For each one, we explored how it shows up in real planning situations, what can go wrong for clients, and what the risks are – before asking the practical question: what can a paraplanner actually do about it? Host Sam Tonks was joined by Women’s Wealth founder, Sam Secomb, and Susan Hope, Business Development Director at Scottish Widows. Together they worked through each assumption, shared practical ideas, and had a (very) honest conversation about how paraplanners can raise these issues with planners in a way that gets heard. During this Assembly Sam T, Sam S and Susan covered: How planning assumptions form in practice – and why the ones nobody questions are often the ones that cause the most damageThe compliance and consumer duty implications when planning has only really engaged one partner in a coupleWhat can go wrong for clients at different life stages when assumptions go unexamined – and what it costs themThe risks for the business, and how to demonstrate on the file that you’ve done the right thingHow to raise these issues with a planner in a way that comes across as risk mitigation, not criticismPractical things you can put in place – in the file, in your processes, and in your conversations – that make a real difference Useful linksHere are links, articles and further reading mentioned during this Assembly. CPD: Request your certificate Watch the replay at Crowdcast (with chat) Sam Secomb’s Telegraph article Hers and His: Opening up the family budget from the Fawcett Society Women and Wealth: Building Better Advice Relationships Women in Retirement insights from Scottish Widows Be Money Well resources Living with and beyond cancer in 2045 Financial abuse: does it concern you? How paraplanners can transform women's financial futures Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min
  2. Protection and IHT planning: a guide to the essentials for paraplanners

    26 FEB

    Protection and IHT planning: a guide to the essentials for paraplanners

    Pensions will become subject to inheritance tax (IHT) from April 2027, but how much of a role does protection play in your approach to building IHT strategies for your clients? And how confident are you about the protection options that are available to you? But with IHT receipts expected to almost double, and sweeping changes to business and agricultural property relief already landing from April 2026, paraplanners can expect more and more clients to want to explore all the options. So at this Assembly, host Richard Allum was joined by Alan Jenkinson, protection specialist at Scottish Widows, to walk through the essentials. During their lunch-hour discussion, Richard and Alan unpack IHT and how it works, run through the key exemptions and reliefs, and explore how protection fits into an IHT planning conversation alongside gifting strategies, trust structures and the normal expenditure out of income rules. There's also a really useful section on the underwriting process: what to do when a client has health risk factors, when concurrent applications make sense, and why a declined application isn't necessarily the end of the road. If you're looking for a solid grounding in this area — or a practical refresher before your next client review — this one's well worth an hour of your time. Useful linksCPD: Request your certificate Watch the replay at Crowdcast (with chat) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr
  3. What can the professional bodies do for you? Part 2

    12 FEB

    What can the professional bodies do for you? Part 2

    Back in November, guests from CISI, PFS and LIBF joined us to talk about what the professional bodies can do for paraplanners. But there was too much to cover in just one session. So we’ve invited Nicola Mellor (PFS), Chris Morris (CISI) and Sally Plant (LIBF) back to pick up where they left off. This time around, they answered questions including which body to join and why, exams and qualifications, the role of CPD and how paraplanners can influence the work of professional bodies. Got questions? Here's your chance to ask. Useful links CPD: request your certificate Watch this Assembly: Crowdcast Replay (includes Chat) Vimeo Here's the event page with all the details and links: What can the professional bodies do for you? Part 2 Here are links to each of the professional bodies: CISI PFS LIBF Listen to the first part of this Assembly recorded back in November 2025: Podcast: What can professional bodies do for you? Part 1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 2m
  4. Steve Sayer’s timeline of tax changes – all the way to April 2031

    5 FEB

    Steve Sayer’s timeline of tax changes – all the way to April 2031

    We’ve been recording ‘Technically speaking’ sessions with Utmost’s Steve Sayer for a few years now. And because they offer really crunchy case-study based content, they’re really popular with paraplanners.  But we like to plan ahead so late last year, we sat down with Steve and the team at Utmost to talk about the ‘Technically speaking’ plans for 2026. During the conversation, Steve talked about each of the major tax planning milestones that stem from the measures announced by the Chancellor since October 2024 and stretch ahead to 2031. And when Steve revealed that he had a single slide that set out each of the changes against a timeline, we decided – there and then – that was definitely something paraplanners would like to hear more about. So we invited Steve into the studio to talk us through it. And here’s the result: Steve Sayer’s guide to the tax change timeline until April 2031. In it, Steve covers inheritance tax and the domicile regime, excluded property trusts and the new foreign income and gains regime, the agricultural and business property relief changes, pension death benefits in 2027, plus the effects of the freezing of tax bands until 2031. Plus you can download his slide using the link below. Useful links Download: Steve's timeline of tax changes Video: Watch at our website Utmost Technical Academy webinar series Utmost x Paraplanners' Assembly: all our previous sessions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min
  5. Tune up your tax year end to-do list

    29 JAN

    Tune up your tax year end to-do list

    How are you feeling about this year’s tax year end? Whether you’re already deep in the detail or still getting your head around everything that’s changed or going to change, one thing’s certain: there’s plenty to think about. From pension allowances and ISA planning to the upcoming changes to Business Relief and Agricultural Relief, the list of considerations for clients seems longer than ever. And that’s before we get to CGT, investment bonds, salary sacrifice, and all those tax traps lurking around child benefit and personal allowances. A chance to get ahead before AprilWe were joined by M&G’s Mark Devlin for a practical run-through of everything paraplanners should be considering in the lead-up to tax year end. It wasn’t isn’t about theory. It was about making sure you’re thinking about the right things for the right clients at the right time. During this Assembly we covered: making sure the right allowances are being used for clients across pensions, investments and IHTwhat you need to think about for small business clientsBed & ISA opportunitiesinvestment bonds, including whether it’s time to turn offshore bonds onshoreCGT considerations and rebalancingthe April 2026 changes to Business Relief and Agricultural Reliefmoving unwrapped investmentstax traps around child benefit, personal allowance and childcare allowancesalary and bonus sacrificeWatch and you'll gain a clearer picture of what to prioritise before April, practical prompts to check you’re not missing anything for your clients, and the confidence that comes from knowing you’ve thought it all through. Sound useful? Catch up now. Useful linksCPD: Request your certificate Watch the replay at Crowdcast (with chat) M&G Tax Year End hub M&G tools and calculators Visit 'Tune up your tax year end to-do list' event page Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m
  6. IHT and pensions: could the government still change course?

    22 JAN

    IHT and pensions: could the government still change course?

    The Government's Finance Bill which includes the provision for pensions to become subject to inheritance tax (IHT) has reached a critical point in its progress through Parliament. But as James Jones-Tinsley from Barnett Waddingham explains in this 15-minute briefing recorded especially for the Paraplanners’ Assembly, the measure isn’t necessarily a done deal. He suggests that the government’s recent decision to raise its proposed threshold on agricultural and business property relief from £1 million to £2.5 million indicates that the government can be persuaded to rethink its plans. So the next few weeks matter. And that’s why James is encouraging advice professionals and clients to write to their MPs – not least to encourage the government to consider the practical consequences of its planned changes.  For instance, James asks, how reasonable and realistic is it to expect personal representatives, many who are likely to be recently bereaved family members, to successfully negotiate their way through complex pension death benefit rules against the clock? And is adding to the anxiety of family members worth it when the government's own projections suggest this will raise £1.5 billion by 2029-30 – a fraction of the £6 billion that is already being collected thanks to freezing of the threshold? If you want to know the latest on the progress of the law resulting from last November’s budget and its consequence for advice colleagues and clients, then you’re in the right place. Speaking of the Finance Bill… If you’ve ever wondered how Budget measures become law, James met up with Leanne Pickering of Pivotal Paraplanning back in 2024 to walk through each step in the process. Here's the podcast episode: From Parliament to paraplanner: How do Budget measures become law? And speaking of pensions… James has recorded a series of really helpful jargon busters on new and old pensions exclusively for the Assembly: New pensions jargon: part one Listen: A plain English guide to new pensions jargon: part one Watch: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part one New pension jargon: part two Listen: A plain English guide to new pensions jargon: part two Watch: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part two Old pensions jargon: parts one, two and three Listen: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part one Watch: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part one Listen: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part two Watch: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part two Listen: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part three Watch: A plain English guide to old pensions jargon: part three Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    13 min
  7. AI in paraplanning: what does the future hold for paraplanners?

    15 JAN

    AI in paraplanning: what does the future hold for paraplanners?

    In the second of her two-part special on AI in paraplanning, Zara Okoro asks where we are heading as a profession. What plans are AI tool providers and financial planning practices likely to pursue in future? And what could it mean for the role of paraplanner itself? In conversation with Benjamin Fabi of Principled Paraplanning, Aram Kupelian of Holden and Partners, Jonny Stubbs of Brooks Financial, and Ben Wright of Melo, Zara asks how far and fast AI adoption should go, what could go wrong, and what needs to happen to get this right? Our last episode looked at where AI in paraplanning stands today. In this concluding episode, we're looking ahead. Useful links and downloadsAs well as links to the podcast episode on Spotify, Apple and Acast, we’ve included downloads of Harriet Mayer’s slides on AI and paraplanning from The Big Day Out in 2025, and Harriet’s glossary of AI terms too. Spotify: Listen to Part One Apple: Listen to Part One Acast: Listen to Part One Download: Glossary of AI terms Download Harriet's slides: An introduction to AI for paraplanners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 min
  8. AI in paraplanning: what's happening, what's working, and what could come next?

    23/12/2025

    AI in paraplanning: what's happening, what's working, and what could come next?

    In the first of a two-part special on AI in paraplanning, Zara Okoro hears about the tools paraplanners are using now, the ways they’re being adopted, and the boundaries practitioners are drawing when it comes to their use. In conversation with Benjamin Fabi of Principled Paraplanning, Aram Kupelian of Holden and Partners, Jonny Stubbs of Brooks Financial, and Ben Wright of Melo, Zara discovers how AI is already influencing multiple parts of day-to-day work that will be very familiar to paraplanners, such as meeting notes, research and collaboration. But we also hear about reasons for caution: concerns about accuracy, security, and the pace of change. What is clear is that we’re at the beginning of widespread adoption of AI tools in paraplanning. And no matter how much exposure you’ve had to AI at work so far, this episode (and the next) make for essential listening to understand what’s happening to paraplanning now and in the future. Useful links and downloadsAs well as links to the podcast episode on Spotify, Apple and Acast, we’ve included downloads of Harriet Mayer’s slides on AI and paraplanning from The Big Day Out in 2025, and Harriet’s glossary of AI terms too. Spotify: Listen to the podcast episode Apple: Listen to the podcast episode Podcast: Listen to the podcast episode Download: Glossary of AI terms Download Harriet's slides: An introduction to AI for paraplanners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
See All (98)

About

Listen to our latest online Assembly PLUS bonus content created to help paraplanners from across the UK learn, fix and share. To join our Assemblies live, look and book for upcoming events at paraplannersassembly.co.uk/events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

You Might Also Like