Speaking ahead of the association’s investment conference in Edinburgh, Joanne Segars said many advisers are already being called on to help firms with 50-249 employees, whose staging dates are set for April.
She said AE had resulted in a “phenomenal” turnaround in the number of people saving for retirement, with two million more saving through a pension plan since October 2012 and another two million expected to start between now and July.
Ms Segars said that by starting with large firms and achieving a far lower level of opt-outs Ω 10 per cent – than the 30 per cent originally predicted, the tone of the debate had been set.
The NAPF has also welcomed the delay in plans to impose a 0.75 per cent cap on pension fund annual charges. Ms Segars said it was neither sensible nor credible to introduce the cap, especially when employers are in the middle of auto-enrolment.
Adviser view
Speaking as the auto-enrolment deadlines for smaller employers draws near, Petra Griffiths, IFA for East Sussex-based PSG Financial Solutions, said: “Improving employers’ understanding of the consequences of their decisions is imperative, otherwise the long-term benefits of auto-enrolment could be undermined.”