General commentary on the UK retirement-income market, written plainly.
Each article is summarised here in about 60 words. To read the full article, email enquiries@seatoseaconsulting.co.uk and I will send it to you. I will use your email address only to reply and to send what you asked for. If you would like to hear about new articles, say so in your email. You can ask me to stop at any time.
In 2025/26, 1,047,008 pension plans were accessed for the first time. Only 30.8% were accessed with regulated advice, broadly unchanged on a year earlier (FCA, 24 September 2026). Technology alone will not close that gap. The sharper question is less whether advice exists and more whether people use any help at all.
Scottish Widows surveyed 1,001 UK investors with at least £100,000 to invest (March 2026). Some 23% had gone against their adviser’s recommendation, and 34% of those said they had withheld information the adviser needed. Medicine has studied what patients keep from their doctors for years. Financial advice can learn from it.
On 6 April 2026, Targeted Support became a regulated activity in the UK (FCA rules in COBS 9B). Authorised firms can now make suggestions to groups of consumers who share common needs, between generic guidance and full advice. The rules are live. The test is whether firms can turn them into journeys customers understand and act on.
Views are those of Sea to Sea Consulting Limited.