Retirement Planning

Retirement planning is about more than just pensions—it’s about ensuring you can maintain your lifestyle, cover expenses, and achieve your goals when you stop working. We help clients create personalised retirement strategies that consider income, investments, tax, and risk.

Why Retirement Planning Matters

Without careful planning, you may risk outliving your savings or missing out on tax-efficient
opportunities. A well-structured plan helps you:

Maintain your desired standard of living
Maximise retirement income and investment growth
Manage risks such as inflation and market fluctuations
Ensure tax efficiency and protect assets

Our Retirement Planning Services:

Pension Planning:

We advise on all types of pensions, including:

Workplace pensions:
- A workplace pension is a pension scheme set up by your employer to help you save for retirement. Contributions are usually made by both you and your employer, and your savings benefit from tax relief from the government.
- Key features:
  - Automatic enrolment: Most employees are automatically enrolled if eligible, but you can choose to increase contributions.
  - Employer contributions: Your employer adds to your pension pot, boosting your retirement savings.
  - Tax relief: Contributions are typically eligible for tax relief, helping your savings grow faster.
  - Investment growth: Funds are invested on your behalf, allowing your pension pot to grow over time..
- Workplace pensions are an essential part of retirement planning and can be combined with personal pensions, ISAs, and other savings to help secure your financial future.
Stakeholder pensions:
- A Stakeholder Pension is a flexible, low-cost personal pension designed to help individuals save for retirement. It is open to anyone under age 75 and provides a simple way to build a retirement fund, particularly for those who may not have access to a workplace pension.
- Key features:
  - Low charges: capped annual management fees make it cost-effective over the long term.
  - Flexible contributions: you can start, stop, or adjust contributions to suit your
  - circumstances.
  - Tax relief : contributions receive government tax relief to help your savings grow faster.
  - Portability: the pension stays with you even if you change jobs.
  - Government incentives: if eligible, you may also benefit from additional bonuses, depending on the provider.
- Stakeholder pensions are a suitable option for individuals seeking a simple, low-cost retirement savings plan with flexibility and tax-efficient growth..
Personal pensions:
- A Personal Pension is a retirement savings plan that you set up yourself, separate from any workplace scheme. It allows you to save regularly or in lump sums, invest your contributions, and benefit from tax relief, helping your retirement savings grow over time.
- Key features:
  - Flexible contributions – you can pay in regularly or as lump sums to suit your circumstances.
  - Tax-efficient growth – contributions receive tax relief, and investments can grow free from UK income and capital gains tax.
  - Investment choice – you can usually choose how your pension contributions are invested, from cautious to higher-risk options.
  - Portability – the pension is yours, even if you change jobs or retire abroad.
  - Retirement options – at retirement, you can take income through drawdown, buy an annuity, or take a tax-free lump sum, depending on your circumstances.
- Personal pensions are ideal for individuals who want control over their retirement savings, flexibility in contributions, and a range of investment options tailored to their risk profile.
Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs):
- A SIPP is a flexible, tax-efficient personal pension that gives you greater control over how your retirement savings are invested. Unlike standard personal pensions, SIPPs allow you to choose from a wide range of investments, making them suitable for individuals with specific investment goals or more complex retirement planning needs.
- Key features:
  - Wide investment choice – including shares, funds, bonds, ETFs, and commercial property (subject to provider rules).
  - Tax relief – contributions receive government tax relief, helping your pension grow faster.
  - Flexibility – control how your money is invested and change your strategy as needed.
  - Portability – SIPPs are independent of your employer, so they move with you.
  - Retirement options – access your pension through drawdown, annuity, or a tax-free lump sum when you reach retirement age.
- SIPPs are particularly suitable for experienced investors, high-net-worth individuals, or those who want more control over their retirement investments while remaining within a tax-efficient wrapper.

We help you choose the right contributions, investment strategy, and income drawdown options to suit your retirement goals.

State Pension Guidance

Understanding your State Pension entitlement is crucial. We provide guidance on:

Eligibility and amounts
How to claim and optimise benefits
Integrating state benefits with your personal plans

Investment Planning for Retirement

We help you select investment strategies that balance growth and security, ensuring your funds are positioned to last throughout retirement.

Tax-Efficient Planning

Effective retirement planning considers tax implications, including:

Pension tax relief
Lifetime Allowance limits
ISA and other tax-efficient investment wrappers

Income & Drawdown Strategies

We help design strategies for accessing your retirement savings, ensuring:

Reliable income throughout retirement
Flexibility to adjust withdrawals
Protection against running out of money too early

Our Retirement Planning Process

Assess your current situation – pensions, savings, and investments
Define your retirement goals – lifestyle expectations, timing, and priorities
Identify gaps and opportunities – income, tax, and investment analysis
Develop a tailored plan – personalised strategy and recommendations
Ongoing monitoring & review – ensure the plan remains aligned with your circumstances

Why Choose Us

Independent, whole-of-market retirement advice
Tailored strategies based on your goals
Expertise in pensions, investments, and tax planning
Regular reviews to keep your retirement plan on track

Get Started

Planning for retirement today can make a big difference to your future. Contact us to discuss your retirement goals and create a personalised plan.