Posted by The Team at Brand Financial Training on June 14, 2022 in Newsletter
14 June 2022
A reminder to those of you with CII exam enrolments, you only have until the end of August to sit your exam before the syllabus changes. Bookings are always limited throughout July and August, so make your booking early to avoid disappointment – especially if you prefer to visit your local test centre. We are already working behind the scenes getting ready for the syllabus updates. For those who wish to, it isn’t too late to set yourself the goal of sitting your next exam during the summer; set a date and create a revision plan!
This month in our next ‘Brand Bitesize’, we will be talking about the tapering of the pensions annual allowance, this is a key aspect of tax planning you must be aware of, particularly if you are working towards your R03 exam.
Finally, don’t forget to tell us how you get on with your exams, we love to hear your feedback and celebrate your successes with you!
Best Wishes,
The Team at Brand Financial Training
Featured Article
What is a deed of variation?
Recently we have had a couple of queries on how a deed of variation works. These can be tested within the CII written papers, J02, R06, AF1 and AF5 but may also appear in some of the multiple-choice exams such as CF8.
What is a deed of variation?
A deed of variation is simply a document which allows the beneficiaries of someone’s estate to change the deceased’s will up to 2 years after they’ve died – as long as they are over 18 and of sound mind of course! Also, it’s not just a will that can be re-written; the laws of intestacy, where someone has died without a will, can also be changed.
They’ve been a long and well-used method for many years now; for IHT reasons, to set up trusts and to allow families to skip a generation.
Are you a visual learner who is studying toward the CII’s AF1, AF5, AF7, J05, R04 or R06 exams? This month our ‘bitesize’ video is all about the tapering of the annual allowance for high earners. This is great for quick revision!
The annual allowance is tapered for high earners to control the cost of tax relief on pension contributions, but it only applies to individuals with threshold and adjusted incomes above specified limits. For income above the limits, there is a £1 reduction in the allowance per £2 of income over the threshold, reducing the annual allowance up to as much as £36,000 per year. These income limits were changed in 2020.
If this topic is new to you, you’ll need to understand what is meant by adjusted and threshold income before you watch this video.
..."Your MP3 audio masterclasses were of great quality. I felt they reminded me of some things I had not thought about for some time and prompted some wider study. The content was accurate, relevant and up to date for the exam and the length of each class was very good. The approach was not patronising like so many learning MP3s. I would definitely recommend..."
Richard Baxter, Senior Financial Adviser, Gower Financial Services, Guernsey
Available for AF1, AF4, J02, R01, R02, R03, R04 and R05
Every individual has his/her own learning style. Learning by listening provides an alternative to reading and re-reading the study text, and can help with absorbing and understanding materials. Our MP3 audio masterclasses come in digestible chunks allowing you to listen at home, in the car, at the gym or wherever else you may be.
For a list of each masterclass in your chosen exam, go to:
We will shortly be launching new ‘Video Tutorials’, designed to provide in-depth revision support for some of the more difficult subject areas across the R0 exams. Our new video tutorials focus on those subjects that we know candidates struggle with the most. We’ve broken the study text down into digestible chunks using visually engaging video tutorials, with plenty of examples and ‘Test Your Learning’ questions to keep you focused. Keep an eye out for more information on the launch of this exciting new resource. R01 and R02 video tutorials coming very soon, with R03-5 coming later in the year.
E-Mocks
We will also be providing brand new E-Mocks with much bigger question banks to help those studying towards the R0 exams. These are mock exams which can be taken on our online learning platform, designed to test your knowledge as you prepare for your CII exam. This is a new resource we are delighted to launch in response to feedback, and those who have enjoyed early access to this resource have provided 100% positive feedback! R01 and R02 E-Mocks will be available very soon, with R03-5 coming later in the year.
Updates to CII Study Texts
Here’s a reminder that the CII update their study texts throughout the examinable year to either incorporate new legislations, correct errors or clarify information. Many candidates aren’t aware of this, which can result in candidates studying out-of-date information.
To find out if you have the most up-to-date information, visit the CII website, navigate to your chosen exam and click on ‘learning solutions update’ in the ‘Unit updates’ section in the sidebar.
Note that we keep our resources up-to-date with any updates from the CII.
Did You Miss These Posts on Our Blog?
Articles and Help for All Your Exams
You’ll find that there’s something for everyone when you check out our blog:
specific topics and how-to articles;
reviews of recent CII exam papers;
our Friday Five – a weekly quiz to give you a fun break from reading the study text;
study techniques that help you to retain your revision and keep your brain working for you, when you need it
Here are the blog posts you might have missed since our last newsletter:
There’s such a variety of information on offer to help you as you tackle your CII exams, that you won’t want to miss a single post. We’ve made it easy for you; just click the button below and enter your email details. Be ‘in the know’ with CII-exam-related tips and info – straight to your inbox!
Quote of the Month
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Friday 5 Focus on...
"5 Questions in 5 Minutes Every Friday"
Each week, we ask questions relating to one of these topics: Investments, Taxation, Pensions, Protection, or Regulation. The challenge is for you to answer them in 5 minutes.
Where do I find the Friday Five?
We post each week’s Friday Five to our blog first thing every Friday. You can either visit our blog every Friday at https://brandft.co.uk/blog/ or you can simply go there now, and click on the subscribe button in the top right-hand corner of the blog and sign up to receive notifications of our Friday Five posts.
Note that we don’t email the Friday Five out to everybody every Friday, so we recommend you sign up to our blog at https://brandft.co.uk/blog/ so that you receive an email notification when it is posted. It will only take you a minute to sign up.
A bit of Friday Fun, but with the added benefit of testing your exam knowledge!
