We are
We specialise in building plans to help our clients have their best possible retirement.
We understand that pensions are complex and that people are confused about the valuable benefits they offer. We also understand that pensions don’t have the greatest reputation.
We will help to demystify this complex area with old fashioned straight-talking plain language.
We’ll help you understand what you have, what you need, the options you can take advantage of, and the advantages and disadvantages of those options.
For most people, “retirement” is something you only do once, it’s one of life’s biggest decisions, so we understand you need to get it right.
Building your pension:
There is no time like the present!
But with so many options where do you start?
As our employment situation changes, so do our pension options. Every job seems to bring a new pension.
We help you work out how much you’ll need in retirement, which pensions you need today, what you should be doing with those pensions and any additional requirement to achieve the life you want
Adapting:
Few nowadays seem to enjoy a career for life.
Life is now about adapting to change. Sometimes good change, sometimes less so.
We’ll help you adapt your plans for retirement and your wider lifetime financial plan as your life circumstances change.
We’re by your side for the whole life journey.
If on that journey you find you’ve got a number of pension pots and some random investments, we can advise you about the advantages and disadvantages of bringing them together.
Retiring:
Hopefully, we’ve already been working with you and planning, but, even if not, it’s never too late to start.
We’ll work with you to calculate how much income you really need each month, both now and later in retirement.
We’ll allow for your state pension options and decipher the options from those other pensions & investments you’ve accumulated over the years.
We know the secret here is balancing need and greed. It’s important you understand the benefits of a secure lifetime retirement income, and if you choose an alternative strategy, you need to understand longer-term threats.
Our focus is always on achieving and maintaining the retirement lifestyle you’ve always wanted.
Peace of mind:
Increasingly we’re as concerned about the impact our retirement plans have on our loved ones, as we are about the security of our retirement income.
We’ll work with you to understand the tax & estate planning implications, along with the projected and stress-tested impact on your overall wealth of our recommendations and the choices you’re going to, or have already made.
We’ll consider the ‘whole picture’, including savings, property and any wider investments. All of these are key to your personal financial plan. We don’t want you to go without, but we also understand your desire to ensure that loved ones benefit when you’re not here.
For how long?:
One of the key retirement income questions is “for how long?”, for how long do you need your annually increasing income?
We are grateful to the Office for National Statistics who have made this interactive calculator available so you can see your gender and age specific average life expectancy and also the statistical chances (or risk depending on your perspective) of living to 100 years old.
Enter your age, select your birth gender and press the calculate button. Use the scroll function to see your full results!
State Pension: When?
We often find that clients are unsure what their (current) State Pension Age is.
We’ve deliberately used the word ‘current’ as a lot of the uncertainty is due to moving goalposts.
The phased transition to remove the gender differentiation in State Pension ages ended on 6th November 2018, since then there has been no difference in State Pension entitlement age based on gender, but entitlements still vary based on age.
The Government have published a tabular summary showing the different State Pension age entitlements for dates of birth ranges through to individuals born on or after 6 April 1978 from which date the universal State Pension age entitlement is the individual’s 68th birthday.
We prefer to use the Government’s online State Pension Age check service, you can access by clicking HERE
State Pension: How much?
The State Pension is a regular income payment from the government when you reach State Retirement age.
The State Pension is currently subject to a ‘triple lock’. This is a policy commitment to increase the state pension by the highest of:
Your entitlement to a State Pension is based on the government record of your National Insurance contribution record. For example, a full 35-year history of paying full, contracted-in, National Insurance contributions currently provides an entitlement at State Pension age to a full, flat-rate, triple-locked, State Pension.
We recommend all pre-retirement clients regularly obtain a State Pension forecast from the government and pay attention to their National Insurance contribution & credits record. You can apply for a State Pension forecast by clicking HERE
Your first “real” job is as exciting as it is daunting and your first salary payment is the very first step towards the prospect of achieving all of your life goals, even if at this stage some of your goals still lack definition.
There are some “facts” which need to be confronted:
1) “Pensions are for old people”
2) “My retirement is hundreds of years away”
3) “Pensions are boring and probably dodgy”
Of course, as every “old” person will tell you, these “facts” don’t quite hold up!
Your first exposure to pensions is probably a workplace pension scheme, when even though retirement might seem far in the distance, you’ll need to confront questions like “should I opt-out?”, “should I start a private pension?”, “how much should I contribute?” and “which fund should I invest in?” There will be things you want to do; maybe repay university debt, get on the property ladder, and why shouldn’t you have some nice things and exiting experiences with the money your earning?
“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world” – Albert Einstein
Starting to plan now will give you some focus and get you thinking about what you want to achieve, the earlier you start to plan, the better off you’ll be in the future
“It wasn’t raining when Noah started to build the Ark”
You’ve probably moved on from your first job by now, had a promotion, you might be considering something totally different, maybe even wanting to get your own business going?
There may have been a relationship or two, but maybe you’re now thinking about settling down, starting a family?
Thankfully, you still look and feel young, but you have the advantage of ‘grown-up money’, weekends and holidays have never been so much fun.
Do sixth-formers look really young? Maybe you’re not quite as young as you used to be? Are you one the many people who aspire to retire, or at least have the option to work less from their mid-fifties? The clock is ticking: You’re probably about 1/3 into your “working life”, that could mean you’ve only got another 20 years or so to make sure you’ve got enough invested to support you for 50 years of retirement, 50 years of eating out, 50 years of holidays and 50 years of fun.
“If you don’t put it away, you can’t take it out later”
Now IS the time to start thinking about making sure your future is safe and secure, prioritise what’s important to you in life and create your lifetime financial plan to put YOU in control.
Life may have already thrown you some unexpected curve balls, so you’ll appreciate and want control, stability and assurance.
The kids are getting older, but now you find yourself worrying about parents. Did you go through a divorce? If not, well done. If yes, join the club. It can take many years to recover emotionally and financially.
Hopefully you’ve dodged the misfortune of redundancy? More and more we’re seeing redundancy creep up on clients at the point we all thought they’d built the security and professional standing to protect them.
Perhaps you’ve saved a nest egg and have collected some pensions through your career, enjoying the feeling of financial comfort until faced with paying for their university, wedding or that all important boost onto the housing ladder (how else will they leave the nest?).
Luckily, a lifetime financial plan can help protect you and your loved ones, both now and in the future.
“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” – Benjamin Franklin
NOW IS THE TIME to focus on ensuring that your efforts today give you independence tomorrow, to seize the life where you can reap the benefits of your hard work, whilst protecting yourself and your family for the future.
Well done, your part of a generation which is more active, healthier and living longer than ever before. Your retirement planning is more important than ever, but for your generation, it’s just as much about lifestyle planning.
The reality of not getting younger has already hit home, but your retirement shouldn’t be spent worrying about the cost of food and heating, nor should is it likely to be about a pipe and slippers.
Getting closer to retirement helps to focus the mind. We ask clients what they would like their retirement to look like. Most can provide a high-level narrative, but struggle with specifics. If we turn the question around and ask “what don’t you want your retirement to look like?” we find we get the basis for a proper life plan with detailed milestones and objectives.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” – Benjamin Franklin
Yes, you may have investments and pensions in all sorts of places, doing all sorts of things, but there is still plenty to plan for. It’s time to wake-up and smell the coffee, remember planning is something to do before the event. Now is the time to stress-test your retirement cashflow forecasts for the rest of your life, review those investments and pensions to make sure they’re working as efficiently as possible for you.
This stage of the life journey is all about giving you confidence for the rest of your life’s journey, securing your retirement income and thinking ahead.
As we approach retirement, worries about achieving the standard of living and the lifestyle we want will inevitably be source of concern, but remember, no one can sack you or make you redundant now! Retirement is for life…….
We help you answer questions such as “should I keep working for as long as I can?”, or, “can I afford to retire a little earlier?”
Securing your income in retirement is key as your regular ‘work’ income stops.
In anticipation, it’s a great time to pause, reflect and make sure you’re on track to achieve your “wants”. Plotting where you are against a lifetime financial plan provides confidence for the decisions we need to make, as we all know that retirement brings life changing opportunities or life changing threats. So, it’s vital to ensure your pensions can sustainably provide what you need.
Not sure what you need in retirement? You’re not alone. Don’t worry, thinking how to define objectives can give you a headache, but we know how to help you, starting by turning the question over, and thinking about what you don’t want your retirement to look like. By the time we reach this stage of our life journey, our children are usually adults (although that doesn’t mean total emotional or financial independence!). Very often our clients want to help their children and grandchildren, and that means protecting lifetime assets, but at the sametime, enjoying all the possibilities that retirement offers; the ‘great adventure’ and financial freedom.
Lucky you! We’re really quite jealous!
This is stage is our last opportunity to “live our life”, to do the things we want to do and visit those places.
Whatever life has in store for us, we often also want to help our family as much as possible (even when your family want you to enjoy our wealth).
Community Care Charges and Inheritance Tax may torment your thoughts as the tax burden can be very high and you’ve already paid tax at least once (if not more) on your accumulated wealth. Typically, you want to safeguard as much as possible for your loved ones, whilst still being able afford and enjoy life.
The financial complexities of later life can be daunting: is your will structured correctly?, have you chosen the right attorneys?. should you downsize?, should you explore equity release? and how are you expected to fund the care you would want if the need arises?
We want to ensure YOU have the financial security to make the choices you want to for you and your loved ones.
Quality, experienced independent financial advice at this stage can be such a relief to help you make informed decisions. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.
You need to know where you’re going otherwise you won’t ever know when you’ve arrived
The value of investments and income from them can fluctuate (this may partially be the result of exchange rate fluctuations) and investors may get back less than the amount invested. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. Levels, bases of and reliefs from taxation may be subject to change and their value depends on the individual circumstances of the investor. Unless specifically stated otherwise, this page does not allow for the additional taxation powers which may be levied by the devolved governments. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate taxation and trust advice. All information is offered in good faith and is believed to be correct at the time of publication however it may be superseded following publication. E. & O. E.
Investment & Retirement Solutions Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Registered in England & Wales (6884783) at Ransom Hall, Ransom Wood, Nottinghamshire, NG21 0HJ