“This time, more than any other time, this time, We’re going to find a way…”

So sang ‘Ron’s 22’… the English national football squad on their way to a routinely unimpressive performance at the 1982 World Cup.

World Cups, like budgets, seem to come around with increasing regularity. And of course, every time, something earth-shattering is going to happen. This time things are really going to be different. We’ll really shake ‘em up.

But of course, this time – just like 1982 – wasn’t any different to the others for England. The budget, however, really did shake ‘em up. Although it wasn’t exactly a 1966 moment, you can probably remember just where you were when you heard (or read) the words: “Let me be clear. No one will have to buy an annuity.”

Most of us would agree that the budget changed a great deal in our industry, causing providers and advisers alike to question strategies and revise future planning. So what next?

Our goals and aspirations

In the post-budget world, the goalposts may have moved but many of the goals remain the same. Aviva still wants to support advisers as they help their clients to plan for the future. Here’s how we aim to play our part in making it easier for clients to achieve their aims…

1 Thorough preparation

Retirement is a game of three, er… thirds. There are now specific challenges for people who are planning for retirement, moving into retirement and also in later life. We recognise this and are further developing our proposition to meet each of these areas.

2 Staying on top of the game

The budget has created a new class of investor who is more accountable for saving for, and managing, their income in retirement. This has caused a real potential shift towards solutions based on asset management. We’re ready for this challenge and are bringing together our market-leading retirement experience with our rapidly growing platform, to deliver the right solutions.

3 Changing the formation

As the environment changes and individuals look for new ways to access financial products, our proposition must evolve. Whether this means making our fully advised proposition more efficient, or offering execution-only elements, we aim to make our products as accessible as possible.

4 Clinical finishing

Powerful investment capability is integral to supporting our strategy, with platforms providing the primary vehicle for consolidating assets and managing the transition stage. We’ll develop a range of investment solutions with this in mind, alongside working with experts in the industry, to offer choices to your clients.

It’s all about the support

In changing times, advisers need to know they can rely on consistent support. Recently we launched a paper to help firms on asset transition, bringing together expert advice and opinion from industry leaders. We’re committed to the advised market and have a range of support areas for firms. In addition to our F2F and telephone-based wealth development teams, we offer specialist support in platform engagement and development, protection and annuities.

In all of this, we’re careful to ensure that the support we provide will be tailored to individual businesses, so it can help to achieve real results.

This time…

So, back to this year’s other big event. We know it wasn’t any different for England (except possibly worse). So who’s going to win it? In truth, it’s hard to look beyond Brazil… Unsurpassed heritage, innovative tactics… and there’s something about their colours that appeals to us here at Aviva, too…

That World Cup song…

You know you want to hear it again!