<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Curtis Banks Blog</title>
    <description></description>
    <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/</link>
    <language>en</language>
    <pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:02:47 +0000</pubDate>
    <generator>TYPOlight webCMS</generator>
    <item>
      <title>The DIY SSAS?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[When you think about this, this difference between a SIPP and a SSAS is bigger than first appears. For a start, the SSAS operator need not be a trustee of the SSAS in the same way or even act in the capacity of Scheme administrator as it would be under a SIPP, removing the inconvenient matter of having to sign up to the investment as a trustee. The SSAS members can be the only trustees and hence invest the money where they want.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-diy-ssas.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-diy-ssas.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>2012 Budget – The KISS Principle</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Keep It Simple Stupid. Due to my various limitations words often directed towards yours truly. Well as we hold our breath for next week's budget we sincerely hope that the “Coalition Quad” stick to the KISS principle. Further tinkering with pensions legislation runs the risk of seriously damaging the credibility of the pensions industry and more importantly consumer trust in pensions saving.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/id-2012-budget-the-kiss-principle.html</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:07:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/id-2012-budget-the-kiss-principle.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Success For Curtis Banks Business Plan - Update</title>
      <description><![CDATA[For regular followers you will know that we like to keep you abreast of our progress as a provider and it’s that time of year again. As you may know we started trading in July 2009 and thankfully our business plan has remained on course as Scheme numbers have grown to in excess of 4000 in two and a half years, with terms of business now in place with over 400 introducers.  ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/success-for-curtis-banks-business-plan---update.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:19:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/success-for-curtis-banks-business-plan---update.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Intellectual Property – not that clever?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[...Now if you are a global business your brand might be worth lots of money, but if you are a small local tradesman your intellectual property possibly isn’t worth much, and not the amount it has been transferred to the SSAS for. A cynic (who me?) might say this is a convenient way of getting round the loanback rules....]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/intellectual-property-not-that-clever.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/intellectual-property-not-that-clever.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The End of the Family SIPP?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Family SIPPs, and the Scheme Pensions they aim to provide, have become an endangered species recently, and recent reports indicate they might even be close to extinction. The key component of these products was the Scheme Pension, a fixed rate of pension which a SIPP or SSAS could provide through income drawdown, individually calculated for the client rather than using a standard GAD table. The income could be a lot higher than under normal drawdown, particularly after age 75 under the old ASP restrictions or if the client had a reduced life expectancy. ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-end-of-the-family-sipp.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:47:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-end-of-the-family-sipp.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>6 weeks or 13 weeks?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Why is this important? Well, all regulated firms have minimum capital adequacy requirements and the FSA have been looking closely at SIPP operators recently. Their concern is that the more complex nature of SIPPs, and the unusual investments in many SIPP books, could mean that SIPP operators will need more capital, should they ever need to run down their operations in an orderly way.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/id-6-weeks-or-13-weeks.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:35:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/id-6-weeks-or-13-weeks.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investment Due Diligence</title>
      <description><![CDATA[An important subject this one, with increased regulatory interest in the more unusual investments held by SIPPs, the advisers who promote them and the SIPP companies which allow them.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/investment-due-diligence.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/investment-due-diligence.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Green is good?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[“Eco-investments” have seen a big increase in popularity recently, partly driven by frustration at low returns on traditional investments and partly by the wish to do something good for the planet and earn money at the same time. Whether its forestry, farmland, bio fuels, carbon credits, wind turbines or solar panels, there’s a big choice out there and many SIPPs have bought into the idea.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/green-is-good.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:38:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/green-is-good.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Tough times for Pension Drawdown</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Anyone who has been drawing the maximum GAD could be seeing a big reduction when the pension next gets reviewed. Estimates vary, but reports that maximum pensions could halve in some cases could turn out to be true. Our experience is that those in income drawdown generally know it’s coming, but it could be worse than they expect.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/tough-times-for-pension-drawdown.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:24:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/tough-times-for-pension-drawdown.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Success For Curtis Banks Business Plan</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Since we started trading in July 2009, our business plan has remained well on course and has been strengthened by the acquisition of the Montpelier SIPP and SSAS book in May this year. We are halfway through our current trading year and now is a good time to report on our current position. Our business plan has been to develop relationships with quality financial advisers for the introduction of SIPP and SSAS clients, and to explore potential acquisitions, in order to build up a significant book of clients to deliver sustained long term profitability. We have been highly successful in achieving this. ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/success-for-curtis-banks-business-plan.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:07:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/success-for-curtis-banks-business-plan.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Flexible Drawdown</title>
      <description><![CDATA[There seems to be mixed understanding on Flexible drawdown at the moment given that a number of SIPP providers are reluctant to offer this until later in 2011. An example is the question that I am asked on a regular basis: “when are you launching your Flexible Drawdown SIPP?” There is a slight “Emperor’s New Clothes” feel about simply rebranding and presenting a Flexible Drawdown product so that is not the direction we are going in.  The reality is that Flexible Drawdown is an option currently available under the Curtis Banks SIPP, Group SIPP and SSAS.  ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/flexible-drawdown.html</link>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:53:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/flexible-drawdown.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Business As Usual</title>
      <description><![CDATA[On the news front you may have noticed in the financial press that we recently acquired the assets of Montpelier Pension Administration Services Ltd (MPAS). This is good news for us – it bolsters our SIPP and SSAS numbers to approximately 3000 and moves us up into the top 10 full SIPP providers – but more importantly, it strengthens our position to cope with the increasing regulatory responsibilities which SIPP providers now face.  ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/business-as-usual.html</link>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:13:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/business-as-usual.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cheltenham</title>
      <description><![CDATA[I’ll get the serious message bit out of the way first in case you do a Ken Clarke and fall asleep by the end of this blog.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/cheltenham.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/cheltenham.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The new GAD Limits Part 3</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Part 3 comes hot on the heels of Part 2, with clarification now received from HMRC which means that (in a darkened room with a wet towel wrapped round my head) I can now understand how these new GAD rates will operate.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-new-gad-limits-part-3.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:36:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-new-gad-limits-part-3.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The new GAD Limits Part 2</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Regular viewers will remember Part 1 where I speculated about the possibility of a new GAD table coming out as part of all these new changes and, lo and behold, it appeared yesterday.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-new-gad-limits-part-2.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-new-gad-limits-part-2.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The new GAD Limits Part 1</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Calling this Part 1 may well prove dangerous given that there are still a few grey areas in the new drawdown rules (which we’re working hard to get to the bottom of) and   a sequel or two may well be necessary on this subject. An interesting rumour which is doing the rounds is whether we are going to get an entirely new GAD table as part of all these changes rather than just a new set for those over the age of 75 as we say goodbye to ASP. ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-new-gad-limits-part-1.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/the-new-gad-limits-part-1.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>New Drawdown Rules – Great news for planners!</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Wow! First the new contribution rules, now the new income drawdown rules have been published – Christmas has come early!  Financial planners are going to be busy over the next couple of years and it’s a great opportunity to help clients get best value from the new rules. The headline rules follow the proposals from a few months ago, normal drawdown and the option of tax free cash beyond age 75, 55% tax on lump sums on vested funds on death and the new option of flexible drawdown subject to maintaining a secure income of £20,000 p.a.  ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/new-drawdown-rules-great-news-for-planners.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/new-drawdown-rules-great-news-for-planners.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Building a 21st Century SSAS</title>
      <description><![CDATA[A long held view of mine is that SSAS clients deserve to be treated in a similar vein to SIPP clients – the products are virtually identical except for the huge amount of PR and product development bestowed on SIPPS over the past 10 years.  As part of our commitment to give SSASs the same high standards of treatment as our SIPP clients, we have just launched our online SSAS service.  You and your SSAS clients will be able to log onto our website and view data such as the SSAS asset values, bank account transactions and fund splits, in the same way as you currently can for SIPPs.  ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/building-a-21st-century-ssas.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/building-a-21st-century-ssas.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RIP Annuities?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Whilst whiling away the hours waiting for the new income drawdown rules (expected at the end of Autumn for those of you as interested as me in these things) I came across an article suggesting “another nail in the coffin for annuities?” Delving deeper, I found reference to an EU court ruling on equality which, amongst other things, potentially applies to annuity rates.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/rip-annuities.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/rip-annuities.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Good Cause - Bad Look</title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are few things in life that transcend both a man's vanity and his willingness to do things at which he has limited or no ability. Well I have found one and as it is at my expense I thought you may like to hear about it...]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/good-cause-bad-look.html</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:35:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/good-cause-bad-look.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Good news for pension tax relief</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Well, you all know the news by now, the new Annual Allowance for tax relief on pension contributions will be £50,000. Good news or bad news? Well, I think it’s very good news for 4 big reasons..]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/Good-news-for-pension-tax-relief.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/Good-news-for-pension-tax-relief.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>All Rosy In The Garden?</title>
      <description><![CDATA[We hear a lot in the press on the growth of the SIPP market. Double digit growth year on year and I recently read a statistic that over 70% of new individual pension business is SIPPS. Wow – pretty impressive right?  In fact for as long as I can remember SIPPS have been regarded as the success story in pensions following a myriad of own goals from different areas of financial services. All rosy in the garden and a super-smashing-lovely place to be? Well yes SIPPs are a huge success but a closer look at the market and its participants throws up some challenging issues... ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/all-rosy-in-the-garden.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:07:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/all-rosy-in-the-garden.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>“Your call is important to us”</title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of these days someone will produce a statistic on how much of our lives we spend being on hold in a telephone queue, a bit like those ones telling us how much of our lives we spend brushing our teeth or reading the paper. Judging by my own experiences this week, it’s probably several years.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/your-call-is-important-to-us.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:26:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/your-call-is-important-to-us.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Computer says No</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Increasingly I ‘m being told that the computer often says no at other pension providers, but one area where this is looking like a big problem is the proposed changes to benefits resulting from the government’s plans on the abolition of the age 75 rules.]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/computer-says-no.html</link>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/computer-says-no.html</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Not just ticking the boxes</title>
      <description><![CDATA[Defaqto have just published their 2010 guide to SIPPs and it’s well worth a read, with or without the sun lounger and pina colada, over the Bank Holiday weekend. Defaqto are independent and knowledgeable and their analysis of the market is widely used.  Every man (or woman) and his dog will tell you that their SIPP has super service which is why we place a great deal of value on independent verification such as that carried out by Defaqto. Thankfully we tick the right boxes on product features, which is why the nice Defaqto people give us 5 stars and rate us highly, which then helps advisers in being able to recommend us.  ]]></description>
      <link>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/not-just-ticking-the-boxes.html</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:38:00 +0000</pubDate>
      <guid>http://curtisbanks.co.uk/blog-article/items/not-just-ticking-the-boxes.html</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>
