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Tax planning opportunities to soar post-April as hesitant retirees make income choice – Zurich
Maximising retirees’ tax positions will become all-important post-pension freedoms, giving advisers huge on-platform planning opportunities, Zurich’s Alistair Wilson has said.
Wilson, head of retail platform strategy, said many retirees had so far put off making a decision on retirement income and were waiting for April’s rule changes to kick-in.
He said: “There will be a lot of people making these decisions who have been putting them off. I am not sure there will be a surge [in platform inflows] but it will allow people to crystalise their decision.”
Wilson said there had been a significant drop off in the volume of pension cash flowing into the market since the Budget announcements.
“It is possible people have held back while awaiting the legislation to maximise their tax position,” he said. “It is now their decision on how to take income. That is where platforms are well placed.
“It is about managing your tax in retirement, taking your income through various wrappers that are suitable. To me this is an advised market.”
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He added: “Platforms will have a key part to play in providing income and the methodology of keeping capital working.”
Last week pension consultant Hymans Robertson predicted £6bn would be extracted from pension funds in the first four months of pension freedoms.