Retirement Planner Awards 2018 | Incisive Media | 6 April 2018 | The Waldorf Hilton Hotel London, Aldwych, London WC2B 4DD, UK

As a tax-efficient way to save for retirement, pensions offer a route to long term financial security. To highlight the importance of retirement planning in the UK, this year's Retirement Planner Awards will celebrate how providers and intermediaries are rising to the challenge of pension provision, particularly in the light of recent pension freedoms.

Those providers and intermediaries who are at the forefront of dynamic and fresh ways to offer retirement planning and pensions advice services should now consider entering this year's awards as a way to highlight work undertaken.

Focal points of this year's awards include Best Young Retirement Planner of the Year in recognition of initiatives by advisory firms to encourage younger advisers to focus on retirement advice, as well as Best Pensions Freedom Service.

We have also expanded out adviser-focused awards this year to include examples of best practice in estate planning and the growing equity release market.
A full list of awards are below. Please see criteria for full entry requirements.

Best Individual Pensions Advice Firm of the Year
• Open to financial advice firms and wealth managers that offer advice on pensions and retirement options to individuals. Firms can be independent or restricted.

Young Retirement Planner of the Year
• Open to retirement planners aged 30 or under. Planners have to work for a regulated advisory firm and be nominated by a registered individual.

Best Equity Release Adviser of the Year
• Open to financial advice firms and wealth managers that offer advice on equity release options to individuals.

Best Estate Planning Adviser of the Year
• Open to financial advice firms and wealth managers that offer advice on estate planning options to individuals.

Best Corporate Pensions Advice Firm of the
• Open to financial firms and wealth managers that offer advice on pensions and retirement options to corporates. Firms can be independent or restricted.

Best Income Drawdown
• Open to pension providers that offer income drawdown services to either individuals or clients of advisory firms and wealth managers.

Best Pensions Freedom Service
• Open to companies providing retirement solutions and offering pensions freedom services to individuals.

Best Sipp Service
• Open to pension providers that offer Sipp services to clients of advisory firms and wealth managers.

Outstanding Customer Care Award
• Open to pension providers that offer pension/retirement services to individuals.

2017 Winners:

BEST INDIVIDUAL PENSION FIRM - SOUTH EAST AND ANGLIA:
•Winner: Mazars
• Highly commended: Finura Partners
Shortlist:
• Almary Green
• Cervello Financial Planning
• Fish Financial

BEST INDIVIDUAL PENSION FIRM - MIDLANDS:
• Winner: Rowley Turton
• Highly commended: Origen Financial Services
Shortlist:
• Mattioli Woods
• McCarthy Taylor
• Northfield Wealth Management
• Prosperity Wealth

BEST INDIVIDUAL PENSION FIRM - SOUTH WEST AND WALES:
• Winner: Aisa Professional
• Highly commended: Niche Chartered Financial Planners
Shortlist:
• Chase de Vere
• Jones Hill
• Magenta Financial Planning
• Moorland Mayfair Wealth Management

BEST INDIVIDUAL PENSION FIRM - NORTH AND SCOTLAND REGION:
• Winner: Central Wealth Planning Ltd
• Highly commended: VWM Wealth
Shortlist:
• Fairstone
• Intelligent Pensions
• Kellands (Hale) Ltd
• Wellington Wealth

YOUNG RETIREMENT PLANNER OF THE YEAR - SOUTH WEST AND WALES:
• Winner: Simon Walshe, Chase de Vere
• Highly commended: Gwilym Lloyd Jones, Sanlam Wealth Planning
Shortlist:
• Edward Boswell, Hargreaves Lansdown
• Thomas Cowell, Hargreaves Lansdown
• Adam Deacon, Hodge Bakshi Financial Services
• Jamie Hughes, Old Mutual Wealth Private Clients

YOUNG RETIREMENT PLANNER OF THE YEAR - SOUTH EAST AND MIDLANDS:
• Winner: Sebastian Hurst, Plutus Wealth Management
• Highly commended: Vito Faircloth, formerly of Investment Quorum
Shortlist:
• Chris Ball, Boolers
• Edward Gascoigne, Financial Lifestyle Management
• Anthony West, Matthew Douglas Ltd

BEST CORPORATE PENSIONS ADVICE FIRM:
• Winner: Mattioli Woods plc
• Highly commended: McCarthy Taylor Ltd
Shortlist:
• Cervello Financial Planning
• Finura Partners

BEST INCOME DRAWDOWN SERVICE AWARD:
• Winner: Intelligent Pensions
• Highly commended: Zurich
Shortlist:
• Copia Capital Management

BEST PENSIONS FREEDOM SERVICE:
• Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown
• Highly commended: Prosperity Wealth Ltd
Shortlist:
• Moorland Mayfair Wealth Management
• NBS Financial Planning Ltd
• Origen Financial Services

BEST SIPP SERVICE AWARD:
• Winner: Zurich
• Highly commended: Xafinity
Shortlist:
• InvestAcc Pension Administration Ltd
• Suffolk Life

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER CARE AWARD:
• Winner: Lonsdale Services
• Highly commended: Prosperity Wealth Ltd
Shortlist:
• Cervello Financial Planning
• Magenta Financial Planning