In this special Guest Column for Financial Planning Today, SSAS expert Martin Tilley looks at the need for SSAS regulation and asks whether we are moving closer to new rules. Martin writes regularly for Financial Planning Today's sister website SIPPs Professional which can be viewed here: https://www.sippsprofessional.co.uk/

Total advised customers for investment and SIPP platform AJ Bell rose 7% year-on-year to 177,000 in the first quarter.

Assets under management at wealth manager St James’s Place dipped by £2bn to £188.6bn in the first quarter of 2025, despite a 29% rise in gross inflows for the quarter.

The FCA has published plans to “streamline” rules on the types of funds investment firms must hold in a step it claims could cut red tape by up to 70%.

The Government is to create a small pensions pot consolidator as part of its Pension Schemes Bill.

Professional body the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has called on financial services firms to educate all employees on the potential opportunities - and risks - of artificial intelligence (AI).

The number of savers making contributions over the annual allowance of £60,000 surged 34% in the last tax year, according to new data.

Wealth manager and Financial Planner Quilter has reported record core net inflows of £2.28bn in the first quarter of 2025.

Inheritance tax receipts for the period April 2024 to March 2025 were £8.2bn, a rise of £0.8bn compared to the same period last year and a new record.

Financial Planning firm Shackleton, formerly the Skerritts Group, has launched a personal injury and Court of Protection division following its acquisition from the Irwin Mitchell Group of £1.4bn AUM IM Asset Management.