Curtis Banks has revealed that property investment, the annual allowance and how to structure expressions of wishes dominated the queries received by their leading technical support team in the first half of 2023.
The company has seen a 10.6% increase in property investment queries over the same period last year, as well as an increase in the number of questions received on death benefits and the annual allowance, due, in part, to the annual allowance changes made at the Spring Budget earlier this year.
With continued regulatory changes putting pressure on advisers, such as the introduction of Consumer Duty, keeping abreast of all technical changes can be problematic. Curtis Banks has continued to strengthen its technical capabilities and provide advisers with a number of ways of getting technical help.
Damien Bowler, Pension Technical Manager, Curtis Banks, said: “Having spent 15 years at Curtis Banks, the need for technical help and guidance has increased year on year. Since the introduction of pension freedoms, we have seen a number of trends in the queries received by our business development managers, administration and technical teams. As you would expect, queries around investing in property continue to feature as we are one of the largest landlords in Europe and are seen as a leading expert in commercial property investment.”
Barry Foster, Technical Sales Manager, said: “I spend the majority of my time presenting to advisers around the country, both in person and virtually, and also answering email and telephone queries. Since covid, we have seen a marked increase in queries around death benefits and also the most efficient way to pass on wealth through the generations. Offering a SIPP and a SSAS means we can do this very effectively, but due to the complexity, we work closely with advisers to ensure their clients have the financial future they want.”
