Society of Later Life Advisers

It’s always such a pleasure to celebrate the achievements of our SOLLA members. So, a huge congratulations to everyone who’s recently passed the SOLLA Later Life Adviser re-accreditation. Donna Buffham, Martyn Cole and Danielle Watts-Jones who’ve passed their five-year re-accreditation. And James Rudd who’s passed his ten-year re-accreditation. Incredible achievements by all – well done! And a huge welcome also to our new Affiliate members: Spencer Taylor from Spring Care PAs and Tim Carey from Bluebird Care. Affiliate Members are individuals or organisations who act as ambassadors for SOLLA, supporting our aims to connect people and their families with trusted accredited financial advisers. There are so many benefits to becoming a SOLLA member, and you can find out more details about our Later Life Adviser Accreditation and Affiliate Membership in the membership area of our website: https://lnkd.in/ePZyhw2c #SOLLAMembers #SOLLABenefits #LaterLifeAdviserAccreditation #SOLLAAccreditation #SOLLAAffiliates #Congratulations #Welcome #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

One in three people over 80 and one in fourteen over 65 are affected by dementia. It’s World Alzheimer's Month this September, helping to raise awareness. Removing the stigma and educating people about the nature of the condition. Dementia Friends and Alzheimer's Society are leading the conversation by showing the scale of the problem, and the ways that they can help. They’re the charity who understand all parts of dementia and there are so many ways you can get involved to make sure that no one faces dementia alone. A dementia diagnosis can leave people feeling scared and anxious, but their Dementia Advisers are there to support, every step of the way. You can find out more here about the support available and the ways you can get involved to help make a difference: https://lnkd.in/e22gf5F It's important as a later life adviser to be aware that those with dementia will need a different approach. Increasing your understanding about dementia can help you to better communicate and support your clients, and our upcoming SOLLA webinars will help you to understand more about the challenges of living with dementia. At the end of the session you'll also get the opportunity to decide if you'd like to become a Dementia Friend. You can find out more and book your place here: Dementia Friends Scotland: https://lnkd.in/eyu_CztE Dementia Friends England: https://lnkd.in/e9ZD96Eu #WorldAlzheimersMonth #Dementia #UnderstandingDementia #DementiaSupport #AlzheimersSociety #DementiaFriends #LaterLifeSupport #BetterConversations #SOLLAWebinars #theSOLLAdifference

Tomorrow, Tish Hanifan will be speaking at 'Octopus Live in the Capital' from Octopus Investments. A hugely popular event where financial advisers and the estate planning community will come together to discuss the future of estate planning. https://lnkd.in/eQjiYn_X Tish will be speaking at two sessions across the day. A fireside chat with Chris Carr from Octopus Legacy , discussing the future of later life and death planning. And a workshop on Mastering Power of Attorney guidance: Examining what Powers of Attorney can and can’t do. Understanding POA’s in the context of Consumer Duty and client vulnerability. And discussing what constitutes best practice in how to work with client family members. It’s set to be a day of great learnings with a wide range of high profile industry experts. And we’re delighted to be taking part with Tish, promoting better conversations when it comes to later life advice. You can find out more here about SOLLA and everything we do to champion a gold standard of advice. https://lnkd.in/eWSMaxmN #OctopusLiveInTheCapital #FinancialAdviserEvents #EstatePlanning #PowerOfAttorney #LaterLifePlanning #LaterLifeAdvice #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

At SOLLA we're committed to supporting better conversations when planning for later life. And it's great to see the #PensionAttention campaign launching this week, urging people in Britain to pay their pension more attention. https://lnkd.in/eHgdXvn9 It’s a campaign which aims to go beyond just awareness, prompting action and inspiring behaviour change amongst hard-to-reach consumers aged 35 to 55. An industry-led campaign co-ordinated by the Association of British Insurers and the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, it’s funded by twelve pensions industry sponsors: Aviva, NatWest Cushon, Fidelity International, Legal & General, M&G plc, Nest pensions, NOW: Pensions, The Peoples Pension, Phoenix Group, Royal London, Scottish Widows and Smart Pension. You too can get involved by promoting awareness and being a part of the change, encouraging people to #FaceForward and focus on effective planning for retirement across the nation. There's a wealth of resources for you to use to help support the campaign: https://lnkd.in/ewD8eBFa It's an important message to spread, and these are the key dates for your diary: This week, 9th – 15th September - Pension Awareness Week 28th October - Pension Attention celebrates Pension Tracing Day 4th-8th November - Talk Money Week Speaking to a qualified later life adviser can make all the difference when it comes to creating a secure financial future, and at SOLLA we're here to help people find the gold standard of advice they're looking for. https://lnkd.in/eWSMaxmN #PensionAttention #FaceForward #Pensions #RetirementPlanning #LaterLifePlanning #LaterLifeAdvice #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

Next week is UK Savings Week, raising awareness about the benefits of saving and helping everyone to start saving if they can. Savings create a sense of financial security, but how good are we as a nation at putting money aside each week, each month, each year? It can be difficult, especially at the moment with rises in the cost of living. But saving is an important part of planning ahead, and next week highlights the need to really think about it, and to start planning for the future. https://lnkd.in/e8ZSUyCi Planning ahead is so important for a secure financial future, and our qualified later life advisers are here to help clients with a gold standard of advice that meets their individual needs. You can find out more here about becoming a trusted SOLLA adviser. https://lnkd.in/ePZyhw2c #UKSavingsWeek #PlanningAhead #FinancialPlanning #LaterLifePlanning #LaterLifeAdvice #SOLLAAdvisers #SOLLAMembership #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

The Centre for Ageing Better have recently released their report on the older demographic across the UK. There's a wealth of insights to better understand our clients as later life advisers. Data on the financials of later life that demonstrates the need for change when it comes to planning for retirement. Almost one in five pensioners in the UK lives in relative poverty. And the poverty rate of single pensioners is almost double that of couples. It's clear that people need support in planning for a secure financial future. Better conversations are needed to help them achieve a comfortable retirement. You can find out more here about SOLLA and the ways that we can help: https://lnkd.in/eWSMaxmN And thanks to Centre for Ageing Better for sharing their State of Ageing report. A really interesting read that helps to shine a light on the issues we need to be facing. https://lnkd.in/eMxWUuap #CentreForAgeingBetter #LaterLifeInsights #LaterLifeDemographic #LaterLifeUnderstanding #PensionerPoverty #RetirementPlanning #LaterLifeAdvice #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

We’re so pleased to be able to share the story of another face behind the business at SOLLA. Robert Annand has worked in financial services since 1988, and since 2017 has been part of Create and Prosper Financial Services Ltd, in the top 100 IFA firms in the UK. He first came into contact with SOLLA when considering his skills and qualifications. SOLLA was exactly what he was looking for, and he became accredited after studying during lockdown. Robert works with a lot of retired clients and vulnerability considerations are really important to him. He wanted to gain a real understanding of these clients and how he could help them, becoming the Vulnerability Champion in his office and managing a vulnerable client policy that’s renewed every year. He has been SOLLA's regional co-ordinator for East Scotland for almost 2 years, working very closely with Tracy Bissett who looks after the West, arranging a wide array of speakers from national savings to charities and solicitors. He says, “SOLLA is so important as it’s an official endorsement of our understanding of the care system and how we can support vulnerable clients. It’s the reason why clients have chosen us as their advisers, having done their research and seen the importance of SOLLA, mentioned in Which? and Moneywise. Clients have been specifically looking for independent, chartered SOLLA advisers and we're so happy to be able to support them.” In his own time, Robert is passionate about supporting charities, raising money for Macmillan with the Macmillan Mighty Hike in Northumberland last year and this year again. He supports local charities as well as running to keep fit, and always makes time for holidays. Thank you Robert for being such an important part of the team at SOLLA. Your support is always so much appreciated! https://lnkd.in/dZJ6YvF #theSOLLAstory #theSOLLAteam #MeetTheTeam #FacesBehindTheBusiness #LaterLifeAdvice #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

When it comes to the financials of later life, clients are looking for an adviser they can trust. And with a SOLLA adviser, they know they're in safe hands. Advisers with the Later Life Adviser Accreditation are listed on our website, helping clients to find the right advice. It's an endorsement of your skills and expertise that truly makes you stand out. Here's what one client had to say after using our SOLLA adviser directory: "I chose Brendan to advise on my elderly mother’s investments as he was listed as a well qualified adviser on The Society of Later Life Advisers list, and I am very glad that I did. In every aspect he has been thoroughly professional and very personable. Despite us having little financial knowledge he was always patient, helpful and explained anything we weren’t sure about, often more than once. He listened to my mother’s wants and needs and after his initial research he explained his findings and they all seem like sound decisions. Brendan will continue to manage the portfolio going forwards and we feel it is in safe hands. I would highly recommend." Client feedback for Brendan Sheehan, SOLLA Adviser You can find out more here about the SOLLA Later Life Adviser Accreditation and how to apply: https://lnkd.in/eQbXzMMq #SOLLABenefits #SOLLAAccreditation #LaterLifeAdviserAccreditation #FindingTheRightAdvice #LaterLifeAdvice #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

It's not long now until our SOLLA Later Life Conference. With expert guest speakers sharing their insights, supporting better conversations with your later life clients. The team at SOLLA will be joined by Nadra Ahmed CBE DL 💚 from the National Care Association, David Sinclair of the International Longevity Centre - UK, Financial Communications expert Melissa Kidd, and Sir Steve Webb, former Minister of State for Pensions. Come and join us for a day topical of discussion and best practice in later life advice. Tuesday 8th October, Central Hall Westminster, London. "Such an inspiring day, demonstrating what a responsible role we all have in being aware of the diverse range of needs of our clients."  Previous delegate, SOLLA Later Life Conference https://lnkd.in/eB2PnihA #SOLLAEvents #SOLLALaterLifeConference #LaterLifeAdvice #ExpertSpeakers #BetterConversations #theSOLLAdifference

Vulnerability is something that affects so many people in later life, and this week we'd like to celebrate some of the organisations working hard to make a difference. Just Group plc who offer a range of invaluable resources for advisers to support their vulnerable clients, working closely with us to provide our latest training on Consumer Vulnerability in Later Life. Hourglass, a charity we wholeheartedly support, who work tirelessly to campaign for safer ageing across the UK, raising awareness about financial abuse of those in later life. And The Association of Lifetime Lawyers, who work collaboratively alongside our advisers with a shared dedication and professional expertise. We can all make a difference when it comes to offering the extra support that's needed. And understanding vulnerability is the first step in trying to make a change. You can find out more here about our vulnerability training and the positive impact it could make for your clients, whatever their circumstance. https://lnkd.in/d63AJhN Better conversations for better advice, that's the SOLLA difference. #Vulnerability #LaterLifeVulnerability #LaterLifeAdvice #BetterConversations #MakingADifference #theSOLLAdifference