At Christmas time it is natural to reflect on the year just gone and to look forward to the New Year. 2019 has been a very busy year for BlueSKY and there have been several highlights including achieving NMA Top 100 status. Here’s our pick of 2019.

BlueSKY named as one of the UK’s Top 100

2019 has seen us once again receive accolades from the industry’s top publication. This October we were named by New Model Adviser as one of the Top 100 financial planning firms in the UK.

NMA said: “The business has turned its client journey on its head and rebuilt its processes to give support and insight to clients much more consistently…A Facebook campaign to promote the benefits of financial planning tops off a year full of change for the firm.”

Clarity on pension sharing very welcome

The much-awaited Pensions Advisory Group (PAG) report was published earlier this year and we believe it is a fantastic document in terms of providing clarity on how pension assets are to be considered on divorce.

Just a few weeks ago we shared the key messages of the PAG report in two well-received seminars.

• “Very helpful seminar – particularly with reference to PAG and lifetime allowance”
• “Really useful to know about help on cash flow – will definitely make recommendations for this”
• “All of it [was useful], but in particular the update from the PAG report and the cash flow modelling with real-life examples”

You can also watch our webinar outlining the main points of the report here.

We’re intending to offer more seminars in 2020, and so keep an eye out for your invitation to our professional development sessions next year.

Speaking of pensions…

Pension Transfer Gold Standard

The Pension Transfer Gold Standard is a voluntary code of good practice for safeguarded and defined benefit pension transfer advice, based around a set of principles. It aims to help consumers better understand what good advice looks like and where they can find it.

Earlier this year we were thrilled to have achieved this Standard. The accreditation affirms our competence in a highly complex area of the work that we do and demonstrates that we are a trusted firm when it comes to pension advice.

Working closely with professionals

Whilst these awards and designations are testament to the professionalism that we at BlueSKY hold dear, we never forget what a privilege it is to look after your clients and their finances.

We derive an enormous sense of pride from working with all clients and helping them to interpret an often-complex world.

By making sense of the impact that tax, legislation and investment performance could have on clients’ broader lifestyles, we very much see our role as ‘enablers’. We’re here to assist clients to achieve their hopes and dreams by taking away much of the anxiety that financial matters can create, as well as demonstrating the art of the possible.

Working closely with BlueSKY can add additional value to your clients. In 2019, due to our expertise in this area, we have seen a significant upturn in requests for Pension Sharing Reports.

The same can also be said about the amount of ‘shadow expert’ work that we have been asked to assist with.

We’re always keen to support your clients when the need arises. Of course, we very much welcome any ideas or suggestions that you might have to make things even better. Please get in touch if you have any feedback! Email info@blueskyifas.co.uk or call us on 0118 987 6655.

Saying goodbye and looking forward to 2020

2019 has been a year of change and, while we have waved goodbye to a couple of faces, we have also welcomed two new members to the BlueSKY team.

Whilst it is always sad to say goodbye to valued members of the team, we wish them well and we are very confident that the new additions to the BlueSKY team will help make our service even better.

So, with 2019 drawing to a close, all that remains for us to do is wish you a very Happy Christmas and we look forward to working with you in 2020.