Retirement

Retirement Planner's round-up of the top pension stories this week.

Santorini Financial Planning's Matthew Walne is one of four advisers collaborating on the Auto-Enrolment Advisory Group which offers support to advisers looking to get into the auto-enrolment market. Helen Morrissey asks him about his plans.

Peter Craddock, a director at the Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA), is among three new names on a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) committee responsible for approving applications and issuing warning notices.

Advisers and pension scheme members have been warned not to "overreact" to the pension lifetime allowance cut, which is due to fall from £1.5m to £1.25m on 6 April.

Equity release specialist Stonehaven has been bought out by annuity provider MGM Advantage.

Ex-GP Noble trustee Graham Pitcher has appealed his eight year prison sentence for his role in a £52m pension fraud.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

FIVE THINGS

The Treasury has spent more than £2.6m on administering the Equitable Life payments scheme (ELPS) in the three months to November, government figures have shown.

Support services provider SimplyBiz has launched an auto-enrolment (AE) tool to help its member firms deal with an anticipated influx of AE business.