The ER Network

28/10/2026

𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

The Budget has brought fresh developments for first-time buyers and wealth planning, but advisers should not lose sight of one of the most significant changes already announced: the inclusion of most unused pension funds and pension death benefits within Inheritance Tax (IHT) calculations from April 2027.

Here are three areas to keep on the radar:

𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐒𝐀

Plans for a new First-Time Buyer ISA could change how people save towards their first home. Advisers should watch for further details on eligibility, contributions and the government bonus, and consider how the new account will fit into clients' wider financial plans.

𝐈𝐒𝐀 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

The decision to retain the £20,000 annual ISA allowance reverses the planned reduction to £12,000 for under-65s from April 2027. This preserves greater flexibility for clients to hold tax-efficient cash savings, making it important for wealth advisers to review how clients use their ISA allowances and balance cash savings with longer-term investments.

𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐱: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits are due to be brought within the scope of IHT. For some families, this could materially change the role pensions play in estate planning and wealth transfer.

This is not something to leave until 2027. Clients may need time to review their pension arrangements, beneficiary nominations, wills and wider estate plans with appropriately qualified advisers.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬?

Budget headlines matter, but longer-term tax changes can have an even greater impact on clients' financial futures.

Now is the time to start those conversations, review existing plans and ensure clients understand the implications for their individual circumstances.

If you're a mortgage adviser, ensure your clients have access to appropriate advice from a qualified financial planner.

Homes in council tax bands A-D in England will receive the money this winter, Healey says, with funding allocated to devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to do the same.

19/10/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟔% – 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬?

With average fixed mortgage rates approaching 6% and the Autumn Budget on the horizon, your clients may be looking for clarity on what happens next and how it could affect their finances.

Research from Santander reveals that 93% of homeowners believe mortgage brokers have an important role in helping them understand how economic changes and government policies could affect their financial decisions.

For advisers, this is an opportunity to engage with clients early, particularly those approaching the end of a fixed-rate deal, considering a remortgage or reviewing their household budgets.

Proactive conversations can help clients understand their options, plan ahead and make informed decisions based on their individual circumstances.

Are you checking in with clients who may be affected by changing mortgage rates? A timely conversation could make all the difference.

Sources:

https://www.mpamag.com/uk/news/general/homeowners-turn-to-brokers-for-budget-clarity-as-mortgage-rates-near-6/594026

https://www.santanderforintermediaries.co.uk/products/mortgage-news/2026-10-15-in-the-age-of-uncertainty-93-of-homeowners-agree-that-you-hold-the-key-to-them-understanding-policy-and-economic-change

Survey: Email summaries narrowly defeat one-to-one calls as the preferred channel

15/10/2026

More than half (51%) of two- and three-bed houses for sale in Britain are listed at a price a household on an average income can afford, an increase of 6% from last year when the figure was 45%, Zoopla reveals.

The latest data shows a household on an average combined income of £53,500 can now afford a home listed at up to £301,000.

More than half (51%) of two- and three-bed houses for sale in Britain are listed at a price a household on an average income can afford, an increase of 6%

06/10/2026

Are your clients missing opportunities to maximise their pension?

𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓.
𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

It’s surprisingly easy to leave a pension behind when you change jobs — and simply assume it will look after itself.

But an old pension could have:

- Charges that are higher than necessary

- Investments that no longer reflect your attitude to risk

- Funds that haven't been reviewed for years

- Poor value compared with newer alternatives

- Features or restrictions you may not even realise you're paying for

And the numbers can be significant.

There are an estimated 𝟑.𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐊, 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 £𝟑𝟏.𝟏 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) also reported in 2026 that some legacy pension products may provide poorer value because of older product design and complex charging structures.

And in an FCA/DWP/TPR illustration, a £10,000 pension growing in a poor-performing scheme could reach around £10,400 over five years, compared with £15,100 in a high-performing one. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝟒𝟔% 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

That doesn't mean every old pension is bad — far from it. But it does mean your pensions are worth reviewing. Because the pension you forgot about today could be funding your lifestyle tomorrow.

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭.

Get in touch to have a chat about your old pensions.

Approver Quilter Financial Services Limited October 2026

Sources:

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/pension-firms-must-do-more-customers-older-pensions-fund-savings
https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/pension-value-be-put-under-spotlight
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1168816/analysing-the-impact-of-private-pension-measures-on-member-outcomes.pdf
https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/defined-contribution-workplace-pensions-audit-charges-and-benefits-legacy

05/10/2026

Royal London is introducing Magic Service through its existing partnership with medical evidence provider iGPR in a move designed to streamline the way GP reports are obtained and help reduce delays during the underwriting process.

Royal London is introducing Magic Service through its existing partnership with medical evidence provider iGPR in a move designed to streamline the way GP

01/10/2026

𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

When the Bank of England holds the Base Rate, clients will inevitably start asking questions:

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑒?
𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑥 𝑛𝑜𝑤?
𝐼𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒?
𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝐼 𝑏𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠?
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛?

The best advisers don’t wait for clients to ask.

They use moments like this to pick up the phone, send a message or arrange a review.

For mortgage advisers, that might mean checking when a client’s deal ends and whether they need to start planning now.

For financial advisers, it could mean revisiting cash holdings, savings, investment strategy, retirement plans or simply making sure the client understands what the changing rate environment means for them.

Because good advice isn't just about knowing what the market is doing.

It’s about knowing which clients need to hear from you — and contacting them before they need to contact you.

A market event gives you the reason.

The relationship gives you the opportunity.

www.ernetwork.co.uk

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28/09/2026

How much attention do you really pay to your pension?

Your pension could be one of the most important financial assets you have — but when was the last time you actually checked how it's doing?

Research from Standard Life suggests that as much as 65% of the final value of a pension could come from investment growth*.

That makes understanding where your pension is invested, what you're paying in charges and whether it still matches your retirement plans pretty important.
And there's another question worth asking:

What sort of retirement are you actually working towards?

We've put together six things worth checking — from investment risk and charges to your retirement age and how much you might actually need.

👉 Read the full article:
https://pivotalhome.co.uk/is-your-pension-still-right-for-you-6-things-to-check/

*Source: https://www.standardlife.co.uk/articles/article-page/pension-compound-growth

The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount originally invested. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may be subject to change.

Approver Quilter Financial Services Limited September 2026.

28/09/2026

New first-time buyer support announced – but England only

The Government has announced plans for a new scheme aimed at helping first-time buyers in England purchase new-build homes with deposits as low as 2.5%.

The proposed scheme would provide a government equity loan of up to 20% of the property value, initially interest-free, with eligibility based on factors including income and local property prices.

Important for advisers: this is an England-only initiative and does not currently apply to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Scottish advisers should therefore avoid presenting the announcement as a UK-wide first-time buyer scheme and continue to consider the Scottish-specific support available to clients.

Further details are expected as part of the October Budget.

Yesterday's announcement of a new first time buyer scheme, "Your First Home", by PM Andy Burnham, has given mortgage and property advisers - as well as house

21/09/2026

“𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞? 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐭?”

A common myth is that you only need a financial adviser if you have lots of money to invest. But financial advice isn’t just about managing wealth.

It’s about protecting what you have, planning for what’s ahead and making the most of the money you’ve worked hard for.

𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐟:

→ You have a family and want to make sure they’re financially protected if you can’t work, are made redundant or die.
→ You own your home or have other assets and want to make sure they go to the people you care about.
→ You have savings or investments and want to make sure they’re in the right place and working as hard as they could be.
→ You’re thinking about retirement and want to know whether you’re on track for the lifestyle you’d like.
→ You want to get your affairs in order with a Will, Power of Attorney or Trust, and make sure your estate is structured with tax in mind.
→ You simply want to make the most of what you’ve worked hard for.

And with changes to pensions coming into effect in April, are you fully aware of what they could mean for you, your retirement plans and the people you want to leave your money to?

It could be worth taking advice now, rather than finding out later.
Because financial advice isn’t just for people with millions.
It’s for people with plans, families, futures and things worth protecting.

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐍𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.


Approver Quilter Financial Services Limited September 2026.

21/09/2026

𝐁𝐮𝐲-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝟑𝟎!

On 24 September 1996, the UK's first dedicated buy-to-let mortgage was launched.

Three decades later, buy-to-let has become an established part of both the 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, with property forming an important part of many investors' portfolios.

But the landscape has changed considerably. Tax, regulation, property prices, mortgage rates and rental yields have all influenced how investors approach property today.

𝟑𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. 𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐲-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞.