Please note that we have taken the professionally ethical view to “pause” delivering a defined benefit advice service in view of the impact on valuations experienced in 2022. We are pleased to state that we did not transfer any client out of their defined benefit scheme in the last three quarters of 2022. We believe the decrease in valuations to be relatively short-term and will resume delivering our service once inflation and interest rates in the UK become more stable.
If you have a defined benefit pension entitlement then you need to be very careful before transferring out. These pensions provide a guaranteed level of income, a spouse’s pension, and inflation proofing that you will lose forever if you transfer to another style of pension fund.
Only an adviser who has undergone specific, high-quality, UK-based training and can demonstrate being awarded the CII Diploma in Financial Planning and either a G60 or an AF3 (Pension) qualification has the proven ability to make a complete analysis of your current scheme versus any potential new scheme.
We hold these qualifications.
We need to be very clear here, we are not authorised to provide specific UK defined benefit advice. We are authorised by ASIC, the regulatory body for the country that you live in. This is incredibly important for you that we are.
Fortunately, we have connections with UK advice teams able to advise whether it will be in your best interests to transfer out of your defined benefit pension or not.
We facilitate the required advice reports and then, if the advice is to transfer, do we become involved. It is not our position (ethically and legislatively) to have any influence on the initial advice report. This is why we ensure an arm’s length relationship with our UK based advice team.
Our key point of difference is that Simon spent the majority of his career as a Pension Transfer Specialist working in the City of London, and having the requisite qualifications that would enable him to write these reports himself (if we were still the UK) you can rest assured that the report we provide you has met the highest quality control audits.
“We insist our UK advice team make a specific recommendation whether or not it is in your interest to transfer. We do not see the value of only receiving a comparative report with no specific recommendations attached.”
Simon Harding
As one example, we recently met a client with three separate defined benefit schemes and the advice we organised was to transfer two of the schemes into a SIPP but leave the other as a defined benefit entitlement. This is a typical ratio for us, in terms of whether to transfer or not.
Our Service to You
Our service includes:
- Liaising with the Trustees of your existing UK pension fund
- Gaining the Statement of Entitlement including the Cash Equivalent Transfer Value
- Completing a fact-finding meeting with you (physically or via Skype or telephone) to gain a better understanding of your financial position and desired outcomes
- When we understand the simplicity, or complexity, of your own personal circumstances we will calculate our fees. This is designed to provide you with full and complete disclosures before engaging or feeling committed to the advice process.
- Developing an appropriate investment portfolio for you based on your own comfort levels and appetite for risk
- Organising and then presenting the analysis of the CETV and the advice document making a specific recommendation for your personal circumstances – fee to be paid to the UK advice team.
If the advice is to remain in your defined benefit scheme we will have completed our role and you have no further obligation to us.
If the advice is to transfer out of your defined benefit scheme then we would provide you with our advice document tailored to your needs and objectives and referencing the UK advice you have received.
We will then hold a meeting with you to explain the Statement of Advice and cover any questions you may have. Then, and only when you are completely comfortable with the entire solutions offered, will you engage our fee paying services. This service includes:
- Completion of all necessary documentation
- Liaison between UK trustees and providers
- Creation and Implementation of Investment portfolio
- Full implementation of new contracts
- Maintenance of HMRC compliance
- Regular Advice service and ongoing maintenance and reviews
Combined with the UK based team we provide an end to end service delivering high quality, fully regulated advice. The recommendation you will receive from the UK advisers is covered under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the advice from Harding Wealth Management is covered under Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
The total package provided by Harding Wealth Management and the UK based Financial Advisory team delivers the sophisticated, quality advice that cross border advice demands.
Please see our pages Under 55 and Over 55 for how we then advise you depending upon your age at transfer.