Having the correct protection strategy in place will enable you to protect your family’s lifestyle if your income suddenly changes due to premature death or illness. But choosing the right options can be difficult without obtaining professional advice to ensure you protect your family from financial hardship.
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Wealth protection
Whatever happens in life, we can work with you to make sure that you and your family is provided for. Premature death, injury and serious illness can affect the most health conscious individuals, and even the most diligent workers can be made redundant.
Locating a lost pension
If you think you may have an old pension but are not sure of the details, the Pension Tracing Service may be able to help. They will try and match the information you give them to one of the schemes on their database and inform you of the results. If they have made a match they will provide you with the contact address of the scheme(s), and you can get in touch with them to see if you have any pension benefits.
Consolidating pensions
Most people, during their career, accumulate a number of different pension plans. Keeping your pension savings in a number of different plans may result in lost investment opportunities and unnecessary exposure to risk. However, not all consolidation of pensions will be in your best interests. You should always look carefully into the possible benefits and drawbacks and if unsure seek professional advice.
Self-Invested Personal Pensions
If you would like to have more control over your own pension fund and be able to make investment decisions yourself with the option of our professional help, a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) could be the retirement planning solution to discuss.
Annuities
You’ve spent years putting money aside into a pension scheme, but what actually happens once you retire? Sadly, it’s not as simple as just withdrawing the money. You must now convert your pension pot into an income that will last you for the rest of your life, which is typically done by buying an annuity.
Flexible Income Drawdown
In December 2010 the Government announced the introduction of a facility to allow unlimited pension income drawdown as long as members could satisfy a few requirements. This is referred to as ‘flexible income drawdown’ and has been available since 6 April 2011.
Pension schemes
Whether it’s a long way off or just around the corner, having a plan in place for your retirement can help you get the lifestyle that you want. The State pension alone won’t be enough to ensure a comfortable retirement so it’s important to review your options as soon as you can to make sure you can afford life’s little pleasures once you retire. When it comes to planning for retirement, time is your friend. The earlier you start, the longer your money has the potential to grow.
Financial independence
Retirement can mean different things for different people. Many of us hope to retire early. At the same time, we expect to live to a good age. The State simply cannot deliver the standard of living we require in retirement, which is why we all need to consider some degree of personal provision. The good news is there are now more options than ever before, from simple individual pensions to more complex schemes such as Flexible Income Drawdown and Self Invested Personal Pensions.
Offshore investments
For the appropriate investor looking to achieve capital security, growth or income, there are a number of advantages to investing offshore, particularly with regards to utilising the tax deferral benefits. You can defer paying tax for the lifetime of the investment, so your investment rolls up without tax being deducted, but you still have to pay tax at your highest rate when you cash the investment in. As a result, with careful planning, a variety of savers could put offshore investments to good use.