skip to main content

Retirement Planning and Pensions

It's never too early to start planning for retirement, and the sooner you start to pay into a plan the potential to save more for your retirement is greater.

What is a pension and how does it work?

What is a pension and how does it work?

It's a plan which is set up to help you to save money with the aim of providing you with an income in retirement. Contributions are often made directly by you or your employer and its possible to benefit from tax relief on the contributions which are made.

Types of pension we provide advice on

1

Personal Pensions

A flexible, tax-efficient way to save for retirement. You make regular or lump-sum contributions, which are invested to grow over time, with tax relief on payments.

2

Defined benefit/final salary

A workplace pension that provides a guaranteed income for life, based on salary and years of service.

3

Self-invested personal pensions (SIPP)

A pension with greater investment control. Choose from a wide range of assets to manage your retirement savings your way.

4

Small self-administered schemes (SSAS)

A pension scheme for business owners, allowing investment in commercial property, loans to the business, and greater tax efficiency.

When can I take my money out?

Since the budget in 2014, you are now able to access your pension funds from age 55 (only certain circumstances will allow access prior to this) however, some people decide to leave their funds invested until they finish working.

What to do when you are ready to take your pension?

What to do when you are ready to take your pension?

Once you are ready to start taking an income from your plan then you will need to decide whether to take a guaranteed income option (annuity) or flexible income option (Flexi-Access Drawdown). With either of these options you can usually choose to take up to 25% of the pension fund as Tax-Free cash.

Try our Pension Calculator

This calculator is for illustrative purposes and uses assumptions based on the user's inputs only. The output of this calculator should not be solely relied on to make important retirement planning decisions.

A pension is a long term investment and the capital invested can go down as well as up. You might not get back the initial capital invested. A pension should be seen as a long term investment.

Pension legislation can and does change and this may affect the benefits you are entitled to in the future. Current age Retirement age Current pension values Monthly contribution Return% (per annum) Calculate

This retirement illustration assumes the fund remains invested in retirement and drawdown is undertaken at 4% per year and ignores the option of taking a tax free lump sum for ease of comparison.

The calculation assumes a today's term ie. 5% adjusted for inflation at 2.5%, investment charges at 1.8%

Services image

Personal services and advice for you

Retirement Planning

Helping you plan for retirement.

Mortgages

Making mortgages straightforward.

Tax & Estate Planning

Specialist advice on planning for your family’s future.

Personal Protection

Protecting you and your family’s future.

Investments

Making your investments work for you.

Wills

Guiding you through creating and managing a Will.

Related news & insight

Britain’s economy is resilient

Market Commentary

Britain’s economy is resilient

The annual UK inflation rate reached 2.9% in July, up from a 15-month low of 2.6% in June. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the increase can be largely attributed to Ofgem’s raised price cap, which has driven up the average annual gas and electricity bill by £221. This marks the largest increase […]

The fastest growth in the G7 this year

Market Commentary

The fastest growth in the G7 this year

The UK economy grew by 0.4% between April and June, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This followed growth of 0.6% in the first three months of the year, providing some welcome signs of resilience in the economy. Responding to the figures, Chancellor John Healey said the UK had […]

I want every government department to be a growth department

Market Commentary

I want every government department to be a growth department

Businesses bidding for government contracts will face new requirements designed to ensure public spending supports British jobs, skills and local communities. The market is worth around £90bn a year and organisations will be assessed on their commitment to create high-quality jobs, tackle local skills shortages and support young people into apprenticeships and work placements. Under […]

Ready to arrange your free consultation?

Call Me Back