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Blacktower financial management Cayman welcomes new Head of Private Wealth and Chief Compliance Officer

International investment and financial planning firm Blacktower Financial Management’s Cayman entity has announced the appointment of Jim McLean as Head of Private Wealth and Chris Shaw as Chief Compliance Officer.

Cayman, September 2022

Blacktower Financial Management Cayman, provider of financial services and independent wealth management advice, has announced the addition of two new accomplished industry leaders to their team, continuing the entity’s expansion of their services, footprint, and licensing. Both will be working alongside Group Executive Director, Ally Kerr, who oversees the operations of Blacktower Cayman.

The first appointment is of Jim McLean as Head of Private Wealth, working in partnership with the existing team, Jim will provide expertise for clients with complex personal financial and business requirements. Commencing his career in financial services in 1974, McLean has worked within some of the leading and most reputable financial establishments across the globe, such as Barclays, AXA, Coutts, and Fidelity Cayman. His area of expertise lies in retail banking and lending, with much complementary experience in sales and marketing.

The second addition sees Chris Shaw appointed as Chief Compliance Officer. Shaw will be guiding the entity and its advisers on regulatory conduct, ensuring that Blacktower Cayman continues to uphold its conformity to the relevant regulations and processes that protect both financial advice firms and their clients. Before joining Blacktower, Shaw also spent time at Fidelity Cayman as their Group Head of Compliance, with additional experience at the FCA and MRLO/MLCO within a compliance capacity.

Group Managing Director, Gavin Pluck, comments that ‘we are fortunate to already have an extremely experienced and competent compliance team here at Blacktower, something which is intrinsic in upholding the standard of service we pride ourselves on; it gives our advisers confidence in their roles and in turn provides security for our clients. Having Chris join one of the fastest-growing divisions of the group will help to ensure that we continue our strict compliance to all necessary regulations upon which our heritage and prestige has been built’.

Group Chairman, John Westwood, comments that the addition of Jim McLean will ‘help to cement the direction of our Cayman entity, putting emphasis on growth and development in an area where demand is high. Jim’s appointment will allow us to personalise our services to our clients further, making our offering truly bespoke and enabling the provision of effective solutions to individuals who might be experiencing significant stress or uncertainty when it comes to securing their financial future.’

This team expansion follows the entity’s recent acquisition of a full Broker Dealer license, as granted by CIMA.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

Other News

Final salary pensions – why now is a good time to cash in

Juicy lottery-sized sums are being offered to savers to tempt them out of gold-plated workplace pension schemes and into personal plans. We’ve explored whether you should consider taking a final salary pension, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of withdrawing.

What is a final salary pension?

A final salary pension, sometimes referred to as a gold-plated pension, is a special style of retirement fund that is based on your final or average salary.

The main difference between this and a defined contribution pension is that a final salary scheme gives you a guaranteed sum annually for the rest of your life when you retire.

To work out the value of your final salary scheme, consider a few factors: 

  1. Your final or average salary at your place of employment (confirm this with your employer)
  2. Your length of service
  3. The final salary scheme’s accrual rate (this is often 1/80th)

Your final salary pension will take each factor into account, and the resulting figure will be the guaranteed annual sum you are entitled to.

For instance, if you worked somewhere for ten years, and leave on a salary of £100,000, with an accrual rate of 1/80th, you will have a guaranteed retired annual income of £12,500.

It is possible to undertake a final salary pension transfer. Depending upon how long you expect to enjoy retirement, this could be a favourable choice. However, it’s important to consult a financial advisor to make your final salary pension transfer values work harder.

What are the benefits of transferring a final salary pension?

Assessing your final salary pension transfer value, you might consider it worthwhile to withdraw. We’ve outlined the main benefits of taking your final salary pension:

Receive the cash value of your final salary pension

Withdrawing from a final salary scheme allows you to receive a cash lump sum in return for forfeiting your guaranteed income in retirement. This final salary pension transfer value is the main reason to withdraw from a scheme, as it offers you financial freedom.

Remove ties with your employer

This is an especially important point if you’re concerned that your employer may not exist throughout your full retirement. For most, the pension protection fund (PPF) will cover your pension, but, for especially high earners, there is a PPF ceiling of £41,461 (as of April 2020).

Enjoy a flexible income in your retirement

A final salary scheme entitles you to a guaranteed annual income when you retire, but if you go down the route of transferring your final salary pension you will be able to enjoy a little more flexibility in how you receive your income. Usefully, by withdrawing from your final salary scheme, you can choose to take more out in your younger years.

Choose how you want to invest your pension

A final salary scheme is controlled tightly to accommodate all employees and their interests. When withdrawing from the scheme, however, you can take complete control over how your pension fund is invested.

The considerations you should make before transferring your final salary pension

While there are certainly benefits of going down the route of transferring final salary pension funds into various other pots, it’s important to consider what you’ll be giving up:

  • Entitlement to a fixed annual income for the rest of your life
  • A safe income that doesn’t fluctuate with volatile markets and share prices
  • Spousal and family benefits that come with a final salary scheme

 Example: Should I cash in my final salary pension?

An example is Mrs Dee (not her real name), 4 years ago she asked for her final salary transfer values, which came in at £250,000 – a nice sum, you may think. After reviewing all the facts and figures available, however, I advised Mrs Dee to leave her final salary pension where it was, which she duly did.

Towards the end of last year, because of favourable market conditions, I applied again to see the value of transferring her final salary . This one came in at just under £600,000.

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