Insights and events for financial advisers

The Pension Schemes Bill represents the most significant package of UK pension reform in more than a decade. This article explores what advisers need to understand, and how the new framework is likely to affect pension recommendations in practice.

Successive Budget announcements have set out a wide range of tax and pension changes that will be introduced over the remainder of the decade. While many headlines focus on what is changing, the more complex challenge for advisers is understanding when each change takes effect and how the staged implementation affects planning decisions for clients. This article provides a practical timeline of upcoming changes, highlighting the areas most likely to impact pension advice, retirement planning and holistic wealth strategies.

Markets turned unsettled after a red‑hot run, sparking talk of a top. We still see no case to cut equities, periods like this can bring new opportunities.

Passive investing is often viewed as a low-risk, diversified approach, but today’s market structure challenges that assumption. With a growing concentration in mega-cap technology companies, index-tracking MPS may introduce unintended risks and limit responsiveness to market shifts. This article explores the implications for advisers and highlights the role of active management in navigating an increasingly uncertain investment landscape.

We caution against too much caution, as we weigh up the risks posed by the Iran war and the growth of AI.

Our latest thinking and positioning for multi-asset and model portfolios.

We work with advisers to help make the investment side of decumulation more repeatable, more resilient, and easier to oversee.

As speculation rises that a left-winger could replace Keir Starmer, UK gilt yields have risen to levels last seen before the financial crisis, bringing renewed focus to inflation, public finances and borrowing costs. Equity markets continue to be supported by earnings growth and AI investment, even as higher yields play a more visible role.

Every so often, a change in legislation comes along that asks us to pause and reassess the fundamentals of financial planning. The government’s decision to include unused pension funds within inheritance tax (IHT) from 6 April 2027 is one of those moments. You will have seen headlines and be thinking about what this means for your clients and their retirement plans, specifically if they are planning to pass wealth on.

Markets remain resilient despite geopolitical and political uncertainty, with oil prices, strong corporate earnings, and AI optimism supporting momentum. However, investor behaviour and rising UK political instability could influence sentiment and keep risks firmly in focus.

Not too much and not too little. How investments can support you through retirement so your money provides the life you want without running out.

We caution against taking too defensive an investment stance. We believe markets will look through negative effects in the short term, as long as they expect resolution in the long term.

David Coombs joins Citywire journalists John Schaffer, Joseph Eden and Jeremy Gordon to discuss key topics including manager exits after Goldman Sachs Asset Management bought a Dutch asset manager, as well as SpaceX and the Halo trade.

Market volatility reinforces the value of having a clear investment plan. By setting asset allocations, diversification and valuation targets in advance, market dislocations can be used to rebalance portfolios and act where fundamentals and valuations justify it rather than reacting emotionally to short‑term noise.

A one‑year reflection on Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, assessing the real market impact and the long‑term investment lessons for advisers navigating periods of political and economic uncertainty.

The longer the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, the greater the disruption to the global economy. Recognising this risk, we're continuing to build resilience into portfolios.