Retirement Planner Awards finalist - Best Individual Pension Advice firm

Friday 18 May, 2018

The finalists for the 2018 Retirement Planner Awards (RPA) have been announced.  Lonsdale Services is a finalist in the Best Individual Pension Advice Firm category for the South East and Anglia Region.

Allan Ross, Lonsdale Wealth Management independent financial adviser Ware, Hertfordshire is also a finalist in the new category - Best Estate Planning Adviser award. 

Richard Porter, Lonsdale Wealth Management St Albans independent financial adviser submitted a Lonsdale Wealth Management pension case study which has also made the final of the Best Pensions Freedom Service award.

The winners will be announced at an awards lunch on the 15th June at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel, London.

Retirement Planner Awards

The Retirement Planner Awards are in their fifth year and according to The Professional Adviser website their aim is to: ‘highlight the importance of retirement planning in the UK. This year's Retirement Planner Awards will celebrate how providers and intermediaries are rising to the challenge of pension provision, particularly in the light of recent pension freedoms.’

In 2017 Lonsdale Services entered the RPA Awards for the first time and Deb Nolan independent financial adviser in our Leeds / Bradford office won the Outstanding Customer Care RPA Award.  The client case study we submitted was for a member of a money purchase occupational pension scheme who was due a financial entitlement in the form of scheme-specific tax-free cash protection.   

Simon Hawker, Managing Director Lonsdale Services and independent financial adviser in the St Albans financial planning team said:

‘It is really exciting for Lonsdale Services to be recognised for our individual pension advice work, and be nominated as a finalist in the Best Individual Pension Advice firm for the South East and Anglia region.   Following on from our success at the RPA awards last year we also submitted two client case studies, to show how we work with our inheritance tax planning and pension freedom clients.  We are delighted that we have made the final in both these award categories too.  At Lonsdale Services we operate a client charter. This details how all our financial planning consultants are committed to offering the best possible independent financial advice and client service at all times.’

Richard Porter, independent financial adviser, St Albans, Hertfordshire said:

‘Offering individual clients pension advice is a large part of the financial planning work we do at Lonsdale Services.  The case study we submitted for the RPA Awards is typical of the pension transfer work we are currently involved with.  The client wanted to transfer both their defined benefit pension schemes into a defined contribution pension scheme.  However, by providing pension advice and a “Cash Flow Analysis” report we advised the client that this was not the best course of action, we only advised and approved one pension transfer. This case study shows that despite the new pension freedoms clients are often better off keeping their final salary pensions to provide certainty of a guaranteed income, to cover essential living costs in retirement.

Allan Ross, independent financial adviser Ware, Hertfordshire said:

‘Estate planning represents 30% of the Ware team’s financial planning work so it is great for myself and Ware administrators Natalie Rispin and Jo Ross to be recognised for our work.  When we discuss financial planning with our retired clients their aim is to plan tax efficiently so their beneficiaries inherit as much of their estate as possible.  We often work closely with our clients’ solicitors and accountants to make sure their legal, tax and financial planning is all joined up.  We have many inheritance tax planning case studies we could have submitted but the case we chose highlights how we work with our clients over the long-term.  We encourage them to involve their families in their financial planning decisions so everyone understands the inheritance tax planning advice we offer.  We find that the clients who do this are often relieved that everyone knows and understands their financial priorities.’

Please note: The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate Tax or Estate planning and Cash flow modelling

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