Chartered Financial Planning firm Attivo has appointed Jo French as its chief executive, as the company said it looks to continue its growth trajectory.

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) has appointed Certified Financial Planner Carly Dunningham as chair of the CISI Financial Planning forum committee.

Concerns over pensions adequacy remain a priority for some people, according to a survey from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA).  

International Financial Planning firm Hoxton Wealth has added experienced Financial Planner Dewi Evans to its Dubai-based team.

Two-thirds (64%) of individuals aged 50-59 would be interested in receiving targeted support suggestions from regulated firms, new research suggests.

Rumours of a tax rise in the Budget have encouraged 16% of people to consider raiding their pension pots for tax-free cash, according to new research.

Financial Planning firm Ascot Lloyd has acquired Scottish adviser Create and Prosper Financial Services for an undisclosed amount.

Northern Ireland pension savers are the least confident in the UK that they will enjoy financial freedom in retirement, according to a new study.

Savers from Scotland and the East of England were also concerned about later life finances, with many of those surveyed saying they were not confident that they would be able to have financial freedom in retirement (see table below).

The most confident savers were those from London (47%) and the Midlands (44%).

Only 42% of Northern Ireland pension savers say they felt confident they would retire in 'financial freedom' - meaning few worries about funding their lifestyle.

Despite confidence being relatively low, over half (52%) of those surveyed in Northern Ireland had sought advice from someone about their retirement, with 15% having sought the services of a financial adviser.

Over half (52%) of Londoners had reached out to someone for advice on their retirement finances, with 9% having used a financial adviser. Half of those in the East of England had turned to someone for advice, with 13% having used a financial adviser.

Northern Ireland savers were also the most likely to be concerned about the costs of healthcare in retirement. Some 21% said healthcare costs were a worry, according to a survey of over 2,000 retirement savers by national financial adviser Continuum. This is more than twice the number of Londoners who shared this concern.

Ben Alcock, Chartered Financial Planner in Continuum, said that the research highlighted how Northern Irish savers were seriously worried about healthcare costs in retirement and about retirement finances generally.

He said: “Despite 81% of Britons telling us that maintaining their current lifestyle in retirement was important to them only 8% of Northern Irish savers said that this was one of their main concerns when it comes to their later life finances. Other worries, such as being able to pay for healthcare, seem far more pressing.” 

How confident are you that you will be able to have financial freedom in retirement?

Source: Survey of 2067 adults by YouGov on behalf of Continuum.

• YouGov surveyed 2067 adults on behalf of Continuum between 28 and 30 June. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28 - 30th June.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Scottish Financial Planning partnership Advice & Wealth Management Solutions LLP has been declared in default by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

Jupiter Fund Management saw £1.6bn in net outflows for the quarter ended 30 September, taking total net outflows for the year to date past the £5bn mark.