Category: Blog

I am delighted to announce that yesterday (April 1st 2019), Mathieson Consulting Ltd became part of the Brewin Dolphin group of companies.

From your perspective this will mean initially, very little difference:

• Mathieson Consulting Ltd will continue to receive your instructions and issue the Expert Witness reports.
• The highly experienced team of Pension Expert Witnesses, Catherine Anderson (Actuary), Jonathan Galbraith (Actuary), Chris Goodwin (Actuary) Kate Routledge (Actuary) and myself will continue to write the reports,

The latest figures from HMRC reveal that the tax collected from the LTA (Lifetime Allowance) have almost trebled within two years—from £40m in 2014-15 to £110m in 2016-17. Due to a combination of (i) increase in volumes of instructions (ii) increasing pension pots and (iii) previous reductions in the LTA limits, LTA tax is featuring more regularly in the work we do.

I would also argue that it is a highly insidious tax, which does nothing to heal the rift between defined benefit and defined salary schemes,

We need your help.

On 18th April 2018, the Pensions Advisory Group (PAG) and Nuffield Foundation published an interim report on the treatment of pensions in matrimonial proceedings. It has been an honour to serve on the Pension Advisory Group with so many other eminent experts and legal minds, and I’m proud to have reached this stage.

Here’s where you come in: We are now seeking feedback and comment on the work done thus far from all those (lawyers,

After the roaring success of our first ‘Why instruct a pensions expert’ video, I’m happy to present the next entry in the series! (I am doing better than Gandhi – he only made one film, albeit a blockbuster – credit to Trigger from Only Fools and Horses for that one).

In the last video I established the problem with CEVs, and why they’re so misleading in determining the value of a pension—but it’s not all doom and gloom,

For those intent on keeping their ear to the ground, I thought I’d share some of what Mathieson Consulting have achieved this financial year. Gladly, there’s no shortage of good news!

To start, in 2017 / 2018, we have received over 650 new instructions in the field of Pensions and Divorce. While this is the core of our business, a lot more has gone on behind the scenes, including:

This year we have invested more heavily than ever in staff.

The first video in our ‘Why instruct a Pensions Expert’ series is now available to watch!

Just as the title suggests, the aim of this series is to answer the question of how exactly we can make a difference when it comes to the complexity of Pensions in Divorce proceedings.

In this first video, I talk about the unreliability of Cash Equivalent Values (CEVs) in determining what your pension will actually pay.

Over the weekend, Rhys Taylor (highly respected Family Barrister with incredible knowledge of pensions and divorce) opined on twitter (@RhysTaylor32), that “Am really hoping that Buehrlen v Buehrlen (employment consultant not necessary in financial remedy proceedings) will not be transposed as reason to not to allow Pension SJEs http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed188242”

So too am I, otherwise Mrs. Mathieson will have to forego her Christmas present this year! However, there is a very serious point here.

The multi-disciplinary Pensions Advisory Group (PAG) of which I am a member, under the joint Chairmanship of Mr Justice Francis and HH Edward Hess, is wrestling with Offsetting. The problem is this:

1. Vast majority of Financial Remedy Applications, where there is an imbalance in pensions, resolve the imbalance by Offsetting, often informally – (W keeps the house with the equity and H retains his pension – apologies for the stereotype), but sometimes more carefully crafted.

2018 will be the year when we confirm our position as the leading provider of Expert Witness Reports for pensions.

Not just in Divorce Proceedings, but as a serious player in the Pensions and Actuarial consultancy field. Myself and the team here at Mathieson Consulting Ltd look forward to working with you in 2018, and wish you all a very happy and prosperous year (never sure when protocol dictates if it is too late to say this!).