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Blacktower Ready to Respond to New Challenges

Passporting Concerns

The Financial Conduct Authority recently stated that it was working with the government and the Bank of England to try to achieve a solution that would allow UK-interested wealth management and cross-border financial advice clients to “continue to be able to access global market infrastructures established in the UK after Brexit”.

Part of this strategy is allowing a temporary passporting arrangement for EU firms to carry on regulated business in the UK even in the advent of a no-deal Brexit. Similarly, it hopes to achieve a situation in which UK-based wealth management firms can be passported to work in EU jurisdictions in the event of a no-deal scenario.

Blacktower, Established and Innovative

The Blacktower Group began life in 1986 and since then has been providing world-class independent wealth management advice and bespoke financial services to its clients.

Over the course of this time we have established our reputation while continuing to innovate. For example, around two decades ago, Blacktower began its offshore expansion when it opened its first office in the Algarve, Portugal.

In 2003, Blacktower Financial Management (International) Ltd (BFMI) was formed and incorporated in Gibraltar. Since then we have continued to expand our international operation across the EU and the world, including our Caribbean Office in Grand Cayman and offices serving America.

We have our ears to the ground and our fingers on the pulse, while always keeping an eye on the future. We remain committed to staying abreast of and responding to every regulatory change and challenge that comes the way of us as a firm and our clients, including those relating to Brexit.

With our knowledge and expertise we can save you time, money and bring you peace of mind as the UK and the EU enters a new chapter.

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

Auto-Enrolment increases number of savers, but are they saving enough?

Piggy bankStatistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have shown that a record number of savers are now members of workplace pension schemes.

The figures show that the proportion of employees who are contributing to a company pension has risen significantly in the five years since Auto-Enrolment (AE) began.

AE was introduced in 2012 and makes it compulsory for employers to automatically enrol all eligible employees into a pension scheme unless the employee actively opts out. An employee is eligible for AE if they are aged between 22 and the state pension age and have a salary of more than £10,000.

In 2012, prior to AE, 47 per cent of UK employees were enrolled on a company pension scheme. This figure has now risen to 73 per cent in 2017. In other words, there are over 9.5 million more people saving for their retirement than there were five years ago, and it’s mainly thanks to AE.

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Type of Pensions – Jargon Buster by Laura Mann Regional Manager Canary Islands

Blacktower FM - Costa Blanca - PensionsAs you already know there are a substantial number of pension types available.  How we came to have them, or what they actually are, still remains a mystery to many of us since these were thrust upon us (to some extent) by well meaning employers way back when.  This week we´re going to bust the Pension Jargon for the types of Pensions available.

Cash Balance Pension

A Cash Balance Pension is a pension arrangement, where your employer promises you a pension pot of a specified amount, when you reach retirement age.  Typically, the amount is calculated as a proportion of your salary for each year of service.  You know how much your pot will be, but there is no promise as to the amount of pension you will be able to buy (or take) from it.

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