Retirement

Fiona Murphy says although annuity sales have slumped, new research shows they can still represent fair value for money.

Nick Elphick asks whether the general public understands what the recent Budget changes mean for them and whether we need a different approach to financial education.

Royal London has reported a 45% slump in pre-tax profit in H1, pointing to regulatory charges as a key contributor, while its wrap platform Ascentric saw new business slide 20%.

Product provider Aegon has distanced itself from a view attributed to its head of marketing that advisers have been "disintermediated" and that its future lies in direct relationships with consumers.

The scale of commissions taken by HSBC bank advisers for one-off pension transfer work has been revealed in a judgement delivered by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

Tom Nall has been appointed to the newly-created role of director of workplace solutions at support services firm SimplyBiz Group.

Four out of five investment advisers are concerned that inappropriate products are being rushed to market to take advantage of changes announced in the Budget, research has found.

The average gap between the best and worst annuity rates is almost 35%, according to analysis of official market figures by Hargreaves Lansdown.

Prudential is planning to move into the platform space as part of a drive to diversify its business, the company has told analysts.

Most of our ideas about retirement need to be… retired, writes Brendan Llewellyn