Your 10 most-read articles in 2023 – here’s everything you need to know about SIPPs
After the political uncertainty of 2022, this year has again been a challenging one for advisers and planners.
In addition to continued market uncertainty, ongoing high inflation, and a continued squeeze on household incomes, financial firms had to navigate the introduction of Consumer Duty.
Navigating your clients’ financial plans through these choppy waters can be tricky. So, each month, we try and provide helpful and informative updates, tackling a range of SIPP and pension-related matters, so you’re better placed to answer your clients’ questions.
At this time of year we traditionally round up the most popular articles from the previous year, so you can find loads of useful SIPP guidance and information in one place.
Here are your 10 most-read IPM articles from 2023.
1. 4 important Budget pension changes and what they mean for your clients
While we were expecting some tweaks to pension rules in the 2023 Spring Budget, we didn’t expect the chancellor to pull a rabbit out of the hat and abolish the Lifetime Allowance tax charge altogether.
All in all, several of Jeremy Hunt’s Budget pension changes will have an impact on clients. Here’s a summary of the key takeaways and how they will affect advisers and clients who work with IPM.
2. 10 of your most common questions when transferring a property between SIPPs
A topic that often arises concerns clients moving SIPPs containing commercial property from one provider to another.
“Transfers in-specie” can be a complex area, so in this article you will find answers to 10 common questions that advisers and planners ask us about moving a property between SIPPs, including:
- Can IPM accept a transfer in-specie of property?
- How long will it take?
- How much will it cost?
Find out how a transfer in-specie works in practice in this useful article.
3. Consumer Duty and IPM: Everything you need to know (and some useful FAQs)
July 2023 saw the deadline for firms to adhere to the FCA’s new Consumer Duty – an overarching principle that a firm must act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers.
You may be familiar with the two terms used to describe regulated firms: “distributor” and “manufacturer”.
As a manufacturer, IPM spent the early part of 2023 looking at our business with the Duty in mind to see where it had an impact and what changes we needed to make.
In this article, find out how Consumer Duty affected the IPM SIPP and what your clients need to know.
4. The role of cash in SIPPs as interest rates rise – read an expert opinion
As interest rates have risen, we’ve received an increased number of enquiries about how to achieve better returns on cash held in a SIPP.
In this useful article, read about how SIPP clients can hold cash in their pension. You can also hear from expert Giles Hutson about how a cash management solution could add value to clients.
5. How do you find a lender if a client wants to borrow using their SIPP? Here’s an expert opinion
Undertaking a commercial property purchase with borrowing is not unusual, as roughly 1 in 3 enquiries we receive will require some level of funding.
HMRC state that SIPPs can borrow up to 50% of their net scheme assets. That’s a complicated way of saying that the maximum borrowing is half the value of the SIPP at the point the loan is drawn down.
In this useful guide, read about the issue to consider if your client needs borrowing. You will also find some useful insights from commercial property expert, David Whitehead.
6. The 10 most frequently asked questions about IPM and our SIPP
As a bespoke provider, we are used to being asked a wide variety of questions in relation to our SIPP.
So, to help you and your clients better understand our offering, here is a top 10 of some of the most frequent questions you ask us – from cash options to where IPM got our name.
7. SIPPs, properties and “connected transactions” – everything you need to know
Commercial property transactions remain a big area of expertise for IPM, and our fixed-fee structure makes us an attractive choice for any client wanting to hold a commercial property in their SIPP.
In this useful guide, you can discover more about “connected transactions” within SIPPs and property. Specifically, what impact will a connected transaction have on an investment in property made by the SIPP?
8. Everything you need to know about the pension transfer “flags” and how they affect your clients
Back in November 2021, the government introduced new rules concerning pension transfers, with the aim of protecting individuals and their savings from scams.
These new rules continue to catch a lot of financial advisers and planners unawares. This is especially true for bespoke SIPPs such as IPMs, where the rules mean that transfers to these types of arrangements are more likely to be caught by an “amber” flag.
In this article you will find a recap of these pension transfer rules, and some tips for working with these regulations in mind.
9. IPM retains prestigious five-star rating for the seventh year in a row
Each year, Moneyfacts – the UK’s leading provider of retail financial product data – undertakes an impartial assessment of the technical merits of SIPP providers.
For the seventh year in a row, we are delighted to report that we have achieved the prestigious five-star rating from Moneyfacts.
Read about what this prestigious rating means for you and your clients.
10. 4 simple and practical benefits of owning commercial property in a SIPP
Many advisers and planners ask us a simple question: what are the benefits of holding a commercial property within a SIPP?
IPM own more than 1,100 properties on behalf of our clients, with around 40 transactions taking place at any one time. While the number of transactions we undertake varies annually, enquiry levels continue to increase year-on-year.
In this useful article, you can find out more about why your clients might want to own commercial property in a SIPP.
Get in touch
Thanks for taking the time to read our updates in 2022. If there are any topics that you’d like us to cover in 2023, please let us know.
If you have any SIPP-related queries, or if you have any clients for whom SIPP or SSAS advice would be beneficial, please get in touch. Email info@ipm-pensions.co.uk or call 01438 747151.