It is often said that the financial services industry – and retirement issues in particular – are forever in a state of flux.

In just a little more than two years the landscape of financial planning will have changed significantly.

When implemented at the beginning of 2013, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) hopes that the retail distribution review (RDR) will have improved professionalism in the financial advice market and increased accessibility for consumers. But there is a growing concern that the introduction of adviser charging will instead encourage a large number of advisers to leave the profession and push financial advice out of the reach of the average person on the street.

October 13 marked 21 years since the Inland Revenue drew up Joint Office Memorandum 101 – and therefore the 21st birthday of self-invested personal pensions (Sipps).

The Sipp has been one of the rare success stories of the pensions industry over that period, and one of the few to continue to develop at a pace.

It isn’t too often that I get the opportunity ahead of our own John Moret to put pen to paper and write an article. Cynics might point to the fact that John’s normally impartial view might be getting a little biased as he’s takings a keener interest than normal in this particular subject these days!

But the real reason is, of course, altogether more topical – John has been working hard behind the scenes on the Treasury consultations, the outcomes of which could see the biggest shake-up in retirement planning since A-day, and some would say since self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) were first created back in 1989.

Cast your mind back to March this year, shortly before Easter. Mr Brown had yet to tell us of the election date, although everyone seemed to know it would be May 6.

After a slow start, the wrap market is beginning to establish firm foundations and is set to swell this year.

The emergency Budget on June 22 announced that the effective requirement to purchase an annuity by age 75 will be removed from April 2011. Transitional measures are in place in the meantime.