The technical development manager in the pensions division at Aegon said the provider’s online hub had evolved from offering general background on auto-enrolment to providing more specific guidance for small- and medium-sized businesses about to enter the fray this year.
The portal will be offering a short film on SmartEnrol, the provider’s auto-enrolment solution, and three short films answering common questions about the changes and guidance on what to expect pre-staging and beyond.
The enhancements come as the Pensions Playpen, a new venture from the First Actuarial consultancy, revealed a positive take-up among medium-sized businesses for its scheme-picking service.
More than 170 employers have used the Choose a Pension tool (CAP) since its launch in November.
The site’s co-founder, Pete Shellswell, argued that advisers could afford to research workplace pensions “without inadequate compensation”, adding that he did not blame advisers for walking away from the market.
However, he added: “The fact is that advisers are the people many employers rely on for pension advice, and we need to give them a way to help their clients without wrecking their business model.”
Johnson Fleming, the workplace pensions consultancy, has also stepped into the market for auto-enrolment help, launching a specialist service for SMEs this month.
Matt Bell, director at West Midlands-based Prosperity Wealth, said JF’s service had helped the firm to detach itself from traditional pension providers that “cherry-pick” the best schemes.
He said: “We had found that most product providers were cherry-picking the best schemes and we found it difficult to offer our clients the best independent service.
“We spent time reviewing Johnson Flemings’ back-office systems, and believe using them means we can offer true, independent advice.”
