Platform and retirement provider Embark has launched The Paraplanner Room, a new hub for Paraplanners providing topical information and tools.

The company says the resource was built in response to Embark’s recent Paraplanner Survey which revealed that the majority of Paraplanners (85%) saw Paraplanning as a career in its own right.

The survey also found that three quarters of Paraplanners say that their firm sees them as essential support for advisers.

The Paraplanner Room - which is similar in design to Embark’s Adviser Gateway - has a range of resources to help Paraplanners.

The first insights cover how Paraplanners can help their firms deal with the demands of the new FCA Consumer Duty as well as covering the results of a survey into what Paraplanners think about their role. 

The Paraplanner Room also provides articles on topics such as the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

A feature of the hub is The Tool Box, providing Paraplanners with tools to assist in day-to-day tasks, such as the fees calculator that allows Paraplanners to easily break down the fees charged on both an initial and ongoing basis on the Option SIPP offered by Embark.

The Tool Box also provides a monthly digest of the latest economic and market news.

Ranila Ravi-Burslem, group intermediary distribution director at Embark, said: “We wanted Paraplanners to be able to have access to resources helpful to serving their business needs just as financial advisers do with Embark’s Adviser Gateway. We are excited to introduce this in the form of The Paraplanner Room, for a vital and often overlooked part of our industry.

“Our aim is that The Paraplanner Room will help to further support Paraplanners and address some of the concerns highlighted in our previous Paraplanner Survey.”

The firm’s Paraplanner Survey covered 332 Paraplanners surveyed across both adviser firms and discretionary firms as well as outsourced Paraplanners.