The three full-day events are designed to ensure that advisers are ready and prepared for the changes and are able to communicate effectively with prospective clients looking for advice and recommendations in an increasingly complex marketplace.
Event attendees will be treated to two platform presentations focused on the retirement market in 2015 from the Equity Release Club, and a focus on ‘new thinking’ marketing from Aviva which will spell out the challenges ahead for advisers and how they can make the most of the opportunities the changes will provide.
Advisers will also be able to improve their product and criteria knowledge as representatives from an array of equity release providers – Aviva, Bridgewater, Hodge, LV=, New Life, More2Life, Pure Retirement and Stonehaven - will be conducting regular twenty-minute round table presentations with all attendees.
Chris Prior of Bridgewater Equity Release will be attending all three road shows and will be speaking to adviser attendees throughout the day in a series of small round table discussions.
Chris will be educating advisers on the home reversion option available for equity release clients, in particular the Bridgewater product range, its criteria and the range of options available within it, specifically the portability of the products.
The events will take place in three locations across the country during January and February this year, starting at 9am and finishing at 3pm. The event venues are:
- Manchester - Monday 19th January: the Best Western – Cresta Court Hotel, Church Street, Manchester, WA14 4DP.
- Swindon – Thursday 29th January: the Best Western – Blunsdon House Hotel, Blunsdon, Swindon, SN26 7AS.
- London – Thursday 5th February: the Best Western – Palm Hotel, 64-76 Hendon Way, London NW2 2NL.
Structured CPD certificates will be issued by the Equity Release Club after the events to all delegates.
Stuart Wilson, Managing Partner of the Equity Release Club, commented:
“To say that 2015 will be an incredible year of change for the retirement income market is a huge understatement. The pension freedoms that will be initiated in April present all later life advisers with a new set of challenges to overcome and will fundamentally change the way they operate in the retirement market. Advisers will not be able to sit on their hands, instead they have to recognise the changing environment, the developing wants and needs of those moving into retirement, and adapt their own propositions accordingly in order to meet the new demand.
“This requires plenty of thought and planning which is why we have developed these three road show events, taking place this month and next. At all three days we will explaining the changes and the impacts advisers’ face, whilst offering plenty of practical help and support to ensure their business is in the best possible shape to deal with these changing times. We also want to ensure all delegates come away with a firm product and criteria grounding which is why we have eight providers active on the day offering detailed information on their ranges. Coupled to this we will be launching a number of new incentives for those active in the equity release and later life market.
“We are only a few short months away from some seismic developments and it is therefore imperative that all advisers working in this sector understand what is to happen, how this will change customer thinking, and how best they can position their services in front of a new breed of client. Taking the time now to understand what is likely to happen and what the Equity Release Club is able to offer our members will certainly be time well spent and should enable advisory firms to hit the ground running when the changes are implemented later in the year.”
Chris Prior, Manager, Sales and Distribution at Bridgewater Equity Release, commented:
“Given the changes that will be made to the pensions sector in April this year, and the new freedoms introduced, 2015 is a vitally important year for advisers active in the retirement and later life marketplace. The type of flexibility the newly-retired, and potentially those already in retirement, will have fundamentally changes the way individuals can access their pension income and fund their retirement. Also with the introduction of the Guidance Guarantee, advisers certainly need to have a strong proposition in place to ensure they secure access to clients who are likely to have many questions after they have been through their guidance meetings.
“This is why Bridgewater is very keen to support advisers as we move towards April and beyond, in particular highlighting at events such as those being held by the Equity Release Club the equity release product options that are available in the home reversion sector. We have already seen an increasing need and demand for equity release products in 2014 and we fully expect this to continue; advisers therefore need to be clear and up-to-date about the options available and the customer circumstances in which equity release does and doesn’t make sense. These events will certainly provide advisers with a strong grounding in what is required of them and we look forward to seeing the community come together in Manchester, Swindon and London over the next few weeks.”
