Revealed: what UK paraplanners think about IHT, AI and the future of advice

Every year, Scottish Widows survey UK paraplanners to find out how they’re feeling about their work and the changes shaping the profession. And every year, Scottish Widows give the Paraplanners’ Assembly an advance look at what they’ve discovered, before the results are published.

Join us online on Thursday 22 October, at 1.00pm when host Richard Allum will be joined by Harry Keating-Coyne, Intermediary Distribution Manager at Scottish Widows, to discuss the emerging themes from this year’s survey.

It’s no surprise that the April 2027 changes bringing pensions into the IHT net are a big shift for advice firms and their clients. But the survey shows it might be a bigger shift that some first currently realise. The research looks closely at how prepared the profession is, including:

how ready paraplanners feel for the changes

what firms have already changed or are in the process of changing

how client conversations and planning strategies are changing

potential product implications and unintended consequences

whether they could spark broader intergenerational and whole family planning

Richard and Harry look at what paraplanners and advisers think about AI, Targeted Support and simplified advice. For AI, this covers how far firms are adopting it, how confident people feel, and whether it’s seen as an opportunity or a threat.

Richard and Harry talk about the future shape of advice businesses and the role of paraplanners within them. This includes the impact of regulation on workload (a returning theme from previous surveys), recruitment and changing client expectations.

This is a change from you to hear what peers are thinking before the full report lands. You’ll get a sense of how your own firm’s approach to IHT and AI compares with others.

The sessions lasts one hour and CPD is available.