The foundation of most people’s retirement plans Data for people qualifying for the full new State Pension following its introduction in April 2016 reveals that almost two in five pensioners (365,290 people, or 38% of claimants) receive less than £150 a week, while a further 314,290 people (33% of claimants) receive more than £150 a … Continue reading “State Pension”

Government’s bid to ensure ‘pension age equalisation’ On 3 October, campaigners lost a significant legal battle against the Government’s handling of the rise in women’s State Pension age. Up until 2010, women received their State Pensions at the age of 60, but that has been increasing since then.

Building up a pot of money to provide an income in retirement With a defined contribution pension, you build up a pot of money that you can then use to provide an income in retirement. Unlike defined benefit schemes, which promise a specific income, the income you might get from a defined contribution scheme depends … Continue reading “Defined contribution pension schemes”

Paying out a secure income for life which increases each year A defined benefit pension scheme is one where the amount paid to you is set using a formula based on how many years you’ve worked for your employer and the salary you’ve earned, rather than the value of your investments. If you work or … Continue reading “Defined benefit pension schemes”

Saving tax-efficiently for retirement A personal pension is a type of defined contribution pension. You choose the provider and make arrangements for your contributions to be paid. If you haven’t got a workplace pension, getting a personal pension could be a good way of saving for retirement.

Providing greater flexibility with the investments you can choose A self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is a pension ‘wrapper’ that holds investments until you retire and start to draw a retirement income. It is a type of personal pension and works in a similar way to a standard personal pension. The main difference is that with … Continue reading “Self-invested personal pensions”

One of the most important decisions you will make for your future Under the pension freedoms rules introduced in April 2015, once you reach the age of 55, you can now take your entire pension pot as cash in one go if you wish. However, if you do this, you could end up with a … Continue reading “Freedoms to turn pensions into money you can use”

Restrictions or charges for changing your retirement date You might be able to delay taking your pension until a later date if your scheme or provider permits this. If you want your pension pot to remain invested after the age of 75, you’ll need to check with your pension scheme or provider that they will … Continue reading “Delaying taking your pension”

Choosing a taxable income for the rest of your life You can normally withdraw up to a quarter (25%) of your pot as a one-off tax-free lump sum, then convert the rest into a taxable income for life called an ‘annuity’. There are different lifetime annuity options and features to choose from that affect how … Continue reading “Purchase an annuity”

Re-investing funds designed to provide you with a regular taxable income With this flexible retirement income option known as ‘flexi-access drawdown’, you can normally take up to 25% (a quarter) of your pension pot or of the amount you allocate for drawdown as a tax-free lump sum, then re-invest the rest into funds designed to … Continue reading “Flexible retirement income”