Advice provided by the multi-award winning Aisa Group.
QROPS in France | Expat Pension Advice
Are you a resident in France? Do you have a QROPS, or are you considering a QROPS? Our award-winning advisers tell the story of a QROPS loser in France, and explain why a QROPS is not always the answer…
5 key questions you need to ask yourself:
Did you receive free advice to transfer? (The Provider paid your fee)
Is your QROPS in Guernsey, Malta or Gibraltar? (No QROPS recognised in France)
Was your original adviser not the same person who authorised and signed off the pension transfer?
Are your pension assets held within companies such as RL360, OMI, Friends Provident International, Zurich, SEB, Generali, Hansard, Investors Trust?
Are some or all of your investments in non-regulated funds, or locked away for a minimum time period?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to at least 3 of these, you should take action, or you will lose out in your future retirement.
If you answered ‘Yes’ to all 5 then the chances are you have already lost part of your retirement fund, and compromised your future retirement plans. You need take action immediately.
If you do not understand the significance of these questions you need advice now! We offer a QROPS review for French expatriates.
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You have likely been told that it was beneficial for you to transfer to a QROPS.
Are you one of the 73% who have been lied to, and are about to lose pension funds needed in your retirement?
Our case studybelow shows what can happen!
What you are not told is that a lot of the benefits that are promised with a QROPS can be found with a SIPP or International SIPP!
CASE STUDY
Nigel (not his real name) was sold a QROPS on the basis that it would:
– be better for tax
– have better flexibility of access
– be highly protected
– remove it “from the clutches of the Treasury” in the UK.
What was Nigel told?
He was told it had a 1% annual charge plus trustee fees of €500 per annum. He was promised double digit returns if he locked part of his money up for 6 years.
What happened next?
Nigel lost his pension and his retirement was destroyed. If Nigel’s story is your story, then this could be your outcome.
What should you check now to avoid this?
Nigel did not know what an insurance bond wrapper was. Why would he and why would you? However, it is critical.
You may have been told an insurance bond wrapper is:
– an investment bond
– a fund platform
– an investment manager
– a tax-efficient vehicle
There are many ways to describe it; it can be a force for good or one of the most damaging products you can own. It’s also completely unnecessary in a QROPS or a SIPP!
How bad is your problem?
If an insurance bond is unnecessary, why would it be sold to you inside a QROPS or SIPP? Remember Question 1 above – “Did you receive free advice to transfer?” Whilst it may appear as though you did not have to pay for advice, the insurance bond wrapper can pay a large commission to unscrupulous salespeople. Along with other commission products, it can equal up to 13% of your fund!
Nigel had no reason to think that he had any problems until the salesperson disappeared. He had been lied to by his adviser and he lost most of the money in his QROPS. If Nigel’s story sounds familiar, and your salesperson is telling you that the charges are only 1% per annum, then the chances are that you are being lied to as well.
Commission means 4 things:
You pay much higher charges for years linked to the commission.
You have an access surrender charge on your fund(s) of up to 10%.
You pay additional higher charges linked to funds. Often double.
You may have been placed in higher risk investments to compensate for charges.
In addition to all these higher charges, we find that in many cases, you will have been also put in other commission generating products.
There is a possible solution, but it cannot help everyone!
What is the solution?
If you are concerned about your QROPS and the person who sold it to you has disappeared, or you are only contacted to “switch” your investments around (generating more commission) then:
You should stop switching funds immediately.
Avoid locking your funds into further 5 or 6 year term investments.
You should contact your trustees to find out your insurance bond surrender penalty.
You should ask your trustees why they permitted your pension to be invested in an insurance bond, and also what due diligence they did on the adviser who gave the advice they followed.
Ask for a professional to assess your risk and target for retirement. It could be a good idea to pay for a report.
Ensure your professional is registered with the regulator in your country (ORIAS and AMF in France) AND openly declares third party connections in other regulated territories AND allows you to vet them.
Avoid further loss of your future retirement income by taking action now.
Not sure how to do part or all of the above? Want to avoid losing your retirement income? Our recommendation to you would be to contact a fee-based adviser who will help you get back on track with your pension.
Don’t be Nigel, and have to return to work when you thought you had retired. Take action now or take the consequences in your future retirement.
Watch our video to find out more. However, if you want our help, please understand we cannot help everybody and we will be upfront with you.
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Challenging the status quo.
Over the last 20 years we have wanted to change the status quo by focusing on making life better for consumers. Ferocious independence and due diligence, aligned with transparency on fees and charges, have helped establish us as the “go to” award-winning financial adviser.
Our research and persistence liaising with providers to deliver what is good for you, the consumer, means we can provide TailorMade intelligent solutions putting you first.
We provide a customer charter to our clients and offer the most competitive terms, bettering any legitimate deal that can be evidenced.
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We believe this to be in the best interests of both our clients and our own professional reputation. We offer the best award-winning UK IFA spectrum, combined with international experience and knowledge.
Our expert knowledge is provided by the “Aisa Group”. We have a UK company, regulated by the FCA, and a France company regulated by Orias and a member of ANACOFI.
Aisa Group have been acclaimed in the UK and internationally for pensions, investment and tax advice – multiple finalists and 20+ times award winners between 2009 and 2018 including UK Investment Excellence awards, UK Pension Awards won and tax planning awards from publications including FT.
Why should you put up with hidden commission and charges?
We have built a system that will provide you with a FREE risk assessment report, and a FREE summary outlining your own personalised financial health check. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The worst case scenario is that you discover a fantastic system that will allow you to update your information and complete reviews in the future*. Most people want to know if their pension and savings are in the best place already, whilst also making future plans.
If you have a minimum of £250,000 and are one of those people who want to know about the most advantageous charges and access (if you are reading this, then you probably are) then why waste more time?
Yes! I would like to download my
FREE Brochure
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* The first review is free. We reserve the right to charge fees in the future for the use of software and reports.
** We have received over 200 enquiries between January 2017 and December 2017 from people sold QROPS with 73% of them in distress, and who were not told the correct charges on their products. Many of them had hidden commissions and lock-in penalties, some up to 10 years.
Why should you put up with hidden commission and charges?
We have built a system that will provide you with a FREE risk assessment report, and a FREE summary outlining your own personalised financial health check. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The worst case scenario is that you discover a fantastic system that will allow you to update your information and complete reviews in the future*. Most people want to know if their pension and savings are in the best place already, whilst also making future plans.
If you have a minimum of £250,000 and are one of those people who want to know about the most advantageous charges and access (if you are reading this, then you probably are) then why waste more time?
Yes! I would like to receive my FREE Brochure providing KEY information
Assist me ›
* The first review is free. We reserve the right to charge fees in the future for the use of software and reports.
** We have received over 200 enquiries between January 2017 and December 2017 from people sold QROPS with 73% of them in distress, and who were not told the correct charges on their products. Many of them had hidden commissions and lock-in penalties, some up to 10 years.
Advice provided by the multi-award winning Aisa Group.
