Scottish Widows has recruited Maria Nazarova-Doyle from Mercer to be its new head of pension investment propositions.

You can now get unlimited access to Financial Planning Today website and its sister digital magazine for less than £50 for 12 months - under £1 a week. 

About 460,000 people asked HMRC for a refund on overpaid income tax in the year 2018/19, according to a Freedom of Information request by Royal London.

An accountant who is accused of failing to auto-enrol staff into a pension is facing prosecution by the The Pensions Regulator.

The FCA has issued a warning about a suspected scam investment bond firm claiming to offer FSCS and FCA protection.

The Office for National Statistics says that the pace of improvement in life expectancy has slowed considerably in the last few years.

Richard Rowney, chief executive of mutual provider LV=, is to step down as chief executive and a member of the board at the end of the year.

Wealth manager St James’s Place has acquired the Scottish financial adviser firm Policy Services Ltd, a long-standing admin supplier to the company, for an undisclosed sum.

The Personal Finance Society’s e-mentoring initiative called ‘Connect’ has recruited more than 1,000 mentors and mentees since its launch in the summer.

The scheme enables members to form ‘mentorship connections’ with other professionals at any point of their career anywhere across the globe.

The professional body, which has 40,000 members, says that the scheme creates “the potential for a truly international united Financial Planning profession.”

Connect mentor and mentee Alasdair Walker, a Chartered Financial Planner at Hunter Aitkenhead and Walker, said: “It is really hard to overstate how important I think mentoring is. I advise any personal finance professional to do it.

“It can be difficult for people to find mentors outside of their organisation but Connect is full of professionals that not only have the experience you could need but have also put up a signal saying: ‘I am willing to help you.’

Adam Owen, president of the PFS, has signed up to Connect as a mentor and mentee.

He said: “The great thing about the adviser community is that people are very keen to share their experience. Connect gives people the opportunity to do that in an environment that is moderated and offers a platform for people to find the right person at the right time for their professional needs.

“The platform offers a gentle introduction, the opportunity for both parties to make a decision as to whether they are right for each other, and then a process that takes you through step by step to the point at which you can reach a conclusion. People can commit for a period of time that is right for them.”

Keith Richards, chief executive of the Personal Finance Society, said: “Soft skills development is a key area of focus to support the professional development of both new and experiences members to enhance the delivery of their technical knowledge. There can be little substitute for experience and often both the provider and receiver of mentoring gain as much from the experience which is evident in the feedback already being received.”

“The benefit of using a digital platform means that relationships are not restricted to the UK alone and our affiliation with the European Financial Planning Association will allow professional advisers to remain united, irrespective of the ultimate outcome of Brexit.”

Personal Finance Society members can register to be a mentor or mentee with Connect at https://www.thepfs.org/membership/benefits/connect/

Defined Benefit pension schemes have seen major improvement in their deficits with 46% now in surplus - partly helped by a fall in life expectancy reducing liabilities.