Rowanmoor's Mark Lisle... and the pursuit of happiness

For some unknown reason I have developed an insatiable appetite for autobiographies in middle age.

I have learned a lot of trivia from this genre; not only detail of the lifestyles of the rich and the famous (Richard Branson's early forays into the world of competitive hot air ballooning from Mike Oldfield, Keith Allen's views on Harry Enfield's parenting) but more interesting titbits, such as the origin of the phrase "once bitten, twice shy" from Tom Baker, or Chris Waddle's greater desire to be a musician than a footballer from Chris Donald.

One trend that is identifiable in the lives of band members is that the dynamic is more Orwell than Jefferson. Even though in a lot of exposés there appears to be little or no appetite for naming and shaming on the road to excess (mind there may be the hand of the lawyers at work here) it is evident that an Alpha Male exists.

Whether it be Slash on Axl Rose, Ronnie Wood's experience with the Stones, Alex James in his hugely entertaining tome "a Bit of a Blur", or Andy Summers recounting his time with The Police, the story is usually the same; that standard phrase "musical differences" is used to paper over the fact that there is a seat of power in any group dynamic; whether or not you believe real men don't eat quiche, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. The members are not equal.

What is also evident is the fact that to satisfy their own needs, clients are often kept in the dark. For this look no further than Don Arden, or his daughter Sharon Osbourne, talking about his unique approach to management, and the management of information. Valuable facts and insights, that could influence group decision making, are often not shared equally among the membership, in order to preserve the interests of the promoters.

Now the Finance Act 2004 introduced the concept of scheme pensions as a way of paying benefits directly from a pension scheme. As this useful development did not serve the interests of many providers, this innovation was not universally welcomed. The industry had tried to tell us that SSAS was dead and that SIPP was king, but a scheme pension cannot be offered inside a SIPP with a master trust because you cannot treat all scheme pensioners equally. Many in the industry tried, and indeed still lead us to believe that scheme pension was an accident and not designed for small schemes. However, with the Government, HMRC and the Treasury reviewing the rules, and further legislation on scheme pensions being enacted, the inference is that they are here to stay, and are certainly worth considering for the right client.

A lot of bands have had a recent renaissance after taking ownership, and a more mature approach to managing their own destiny; thinking particularly of the aforementioned Blur, and, dare I say, Take That. Having been malignantly influenced from the outside, they have parked their egos, and been men enough to recognise the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Where the opportunity presents itself in the right circumstances, consider scheme pension. Whether using a SSAS or a SIPP with an individual trust, you'll be right; and understood.

Mark Lisle, if Compliance Manager at Rowanmoor Pensions