I have spent a large part of the last three days in a virtual court room listening to the Appeal Court hearing of the Adams v Options/Carey SIPP case.

Unlike the original judgment in the Adams v Carey/Options case we did not have to wait over two years for the Court of Appeal’s decision which came last week.

Much has been written about the advice gap for workers in their 50s who may be contemplating the next phase of their career, along with thoughts of retirement, writes Peter Selby of Punter Southall Aspire. 

I think we can all agree that any suggestion that in-specie pension contributions were a viable option for those who were asset rich but cash poor has now been revoked, even if the pensions tax manual (PTM) still implies that it could be possible.

I spent several hours this morning poring over my old G60 manual to help work out some ‘scheme specific protected tax-free cash’ calculations in respect of some pre-2006 occupational pension scheme benefits for an adviser.

As many of you will know, I am a big advocate for regulated financial advice. Not only is it essential throughout the accumulation stage, it is even more so in the decumulation stages of life.

When I was much younger, I remember writing on my CV that I had “excellent written and oral communication skills.” 

After countless times saying to my friend, “You should worry less about what happens if you get hit by a bus and die, and more if you get hit by a bus and live, do you have Powers of Attorney?” I decided that young people should probably be a bit more clued up about personal finances matters so it’s now become a bit of a personal mission to do something.

It was with a little fear, back in July, that I read the Public Accounts Committee’s proposal that HMRC should, within 12 months, evaluate the impact of pensions tax relief. 

In my last article for Financial Planning Today - My 50 year career in pensions - I reflected on my 50 years in the world of pensions and financial services and commented on what I saw as some of the dominant features.