March 2011

The majority of financial advisers are lukewarm on the prospects for the UK economy according to Skandia’s new Adviser Confidence Barometer. 1,700 financial advisers took part in the study and 67% rated their confidence in the UK economy at between four and six on a scale of one to ten, with ten being most confident. The average confidence score was 5.3 out of ten, with only 5% of advisers being very confident about the UK economy with a score of eight or above out of ten.

The planned merger of income tax and national insurance could lead to higher rate tax relief on pension contributions being scrapped, warns Skandia, part of the wealth management business of Old Mutual.

Royal Skandia extends its association with Concept Group’s QROPS

Skandia UK, part of the wealth management business of Old Mutual, today launches its Trailblazer 2011 event online in a bid to make it more easily accessible to advisers. Financial advisers can now watch industry experts tackle a wide range of topical issues simply by visiting Skandia’s adviser website.

Skandia UK, part of the wealth management business of Old Mutual, today announces IFRS adjusted operating profit (pre-tax) of £140 million for the year ended 31 December 2010, an increase of 56% over 2009 (£90 million).  The profit growth was driven by increased funds under management and tight control on costs.

Skandia has today announced the launch of a new online video for financial advisers. The video is designed to give financial advisers a brief but informative insight into how a flexible investment process can be tailored to suit the needs of customers.

Analysis undertaken by Skandia reveals that over 85,000 of its Skandia Investment Solutions (SIS) customers could benefit from a free ISA wrapper via the platform this tax year.  Skandia has launched a tax year end tool to help advisers identify these customers as well as existing Skandia ISA customers with unused ISA allowances for this tax year.