Demand for the better use of property wealth to fund retirement is set to boom in the next 24 months, specialist advisers believe.
Research for Key Partnerships has found that 65% of advisers anticipate an increase in client enquiries relating to equity release to fund at least part of their retirement over the next two years.
A further 44% agree that pension freedoms will provide considerable opportunities for clients looking to access equity in their home as part of their retirement planning.
One major growth area will be the tax advantages from using property wealth ahead of pension savings – more than half of advisers (56%) point to the considerable tax advantages of using property wealth.
Key Partnerships believes all advisers should be discussing ways to release property wealth with clients as it plays an increasingly important role in long-term planning. However, it argues that advisers need specialist support in place to ensure they can maximise retirement outcomes for clients.
77% of advisers believe that the government should consult with the financial services industry in order to ensure that equity release can become more integral to long-term financial planning.
Will Hale, director at Key Partnership, said: “Equity release is seen as one of the major growth areas for advisers as pension freedoms lay the foundations for expansion with the tax advantages of using property wealth a major boost.
“However advisers need to plan ahead on how they expand into equity release and it is important that they seek specialist support. Not all advisers want to specialise in equity release but are aware that they should be offering access to advice for their clients.
“Advisers can refer their clients to us and ensure they will receive face-to-face advice from the UK’s leading equity release broker which takes all of the regulatory and compliance worries away, while helping maintain a valuable client relationship. Our whole-of-market expertise helps ensure optimal outcomes for customers, delivers attractive referral fees for advisers and provides protection from compliance and regulatory risk.”