Individual annuity sales jumped 22 per cent last year at Legal and General, latest results show. Bucking a wider market trend of falling sales since the pension freedoms, the insurer put part of the spike down to “increased intermediary presence”. FCA data shows annuity sales from October 2015 to March 2016 for those accessing their pots for the first time …
FCA fines Standard Life Assurance £30m over annuity sales failures
Standard Life has been fined £30.7 million by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over failures in selling non-advised annuities. The regulator took action against Standard Life Assurance, now owned by closed-book pension provider Phoenix, over enhanced annuity sales between July 2008 and May 2016. ‘Standard Life Assurance failed to put in place adequate controls to monitor the quality of the …
Annuity rates up 19% since Brexit nosedive
Annuity rates have increased nearly 20 per cent since hitting rock bottom two years ago, Hargreaves Lansdown analysis shows. In an update, the fund shop notes annuity rates that nosedived following the EU referendum result have risen. Rates for 65 year olds are up 19 per cent since their low on 15th September 2016. At their lowest, a 65 year …
What an annuity costs and where to buy it
If you’re looking to purchase a life-long income with your pension savings, there’s a lot to think about when making the irreversible decision about where to put your money. Where can you find a good annuity? How much do they cost? Where to buy First of all, your pension provider may offer their own annuity six months before you retire, …
Drawdown regrets for savers ‘putting pension freedoms at risk’
Drawdown regrets for savers are putting pension freedoms at risk. Savers who invested in drawdown are unhappy with their choice while others admit they did not understand the risks before buying, new research* from MetLife shows. – More than one in five admit they did not understand the risks of conventional drawdown and more than one in 10 are unhappy …
Hargreaves Lansdown – Bring back ABI annuity window to avoid ‘misselling scandal’
Tom McPhail – Head of retirement policy at Hargreaves Lansdown has voiced concerns and called for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to bring back its comparison annuity window, to avoid ‘another misselling scandal’. The investment and advice provider says because of the wide disparity between best and worst annuity rates, all providers should submit their rates to public scrutiny. …