Retirement Planning

 

Planning For Tomorrow, Today

The big question is, how much do you need to live a comfortable retirement? As experienced Retirement Planning Advisers, our guidance is designed to find your right way forward.

 

 

Approaching Retirement

Suddenly, the retirement years are around the corner and soon you will be living off your pension, but what exactly does this mean? Choosing what to do with your pension fund requires careful thought however, for many the decision is easy - replace your employment income with your pension income.  Whether you have got £45,000 or £1,500,000 in your pension fund, this is likely to be the biggest cash lump sum you have seen. Life expectancy is on the increase so you may require your pension fund to support you through 30+ years.

 

 

Think Before Saving

Mounting pressure on people to build a nest egg for retirement can sometimes force people down the wrong path. It is important you develop a Total Savings Strategy that will reduce the risk of losing money you have set aside but equally will maximise growth.

Pensions work like an investment wrapper, so are similar to an ISA. The difference is in the limits and benefits. Like any investment, you will choose which funds to invest your pension pot in. Higher returns and high risks are likely to go hand in hand, however these are long-term plans, so your pension performance should smooth out fluctuations in investments. 

The downside to investing purely through a pension fund is, it can restrict how and when you can access your money.

 

 

Deposit Based Investment

Unlike a Building Society or Bank account your capital is not guaranteed.

The tax treatment is dependent on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in future.

There are various deposit-based investment vehicles available in the marketplace. Many customers will have money on deposit either with a bank or building society.

Every basic rate taxpayer in the UK now has a Personal Savings Allowance of £1,000. This means that the first £1,000 of savings interest earned in a year is tax-free. If you are a higher rate taxpayer (40%), then your allowance is £500, and 45% taxpayers have no savings allowance at all.

Commercial Banks & Building Societies

Commercial Banks and Building Societies offer a variety of savings accounts. Interest often varies in line with the general level of interest rates, though accounts which pay fixed interest over a specified period may also be available. Accounts with fixed interest may restrict access to the money on deposit, typically requiring notice before withdrawal, and charging penalties for early withdrawals.

With the introduction of the Personal Savings Allowance in April 2016, interest is now paid gross (before deductions for tax).

Cash ISA

You can only make contributions to one cash ISA up to the limit of £20,000 each tax year (if you wished to change provider part way through the tax year you would have to transfer all the contributions made in that tax year to the new ISA in order to make contributions to the new ISA in that tax year).

Any individual with an ISA that has adopted the Flexible ISA rules introduced in 2015 can withdraw money from their flexible ISA and replace it in the same tax year without it using up any more of their annual ISA subscription limit for that year. Please check with your provider.

The cash ISA can consist of money on deposit enjoying a tax-free environment. The minimum age to own a cash only ISA is 16.

Cash Junior ISAs are now also available. Your child can have a Junior ISA if they:

  • are under 18
  • live in the UK
  • don’t already own a Child Trust Fund (CTF)*

*From 6 April 2015 it became possible for parents to transfer their children's Child Trust Fund (CTF) account into a Junior ISA (JISA). This has to done before a child with a CTF can hold a Junior ISA instead.

At age 18 a JISA will automatically turn into an adult ISA.

National Savings & Investments

National Savings & Investments are Government backed. You can visit the NS&I website here http://www.nsandi.com/

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate advice on deposits or national savings & investments products.

Deposit Based Investment

Unlike a Building Society or Bank account your capital is not guaranteed.

The tax treatment is dependent on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in future.

There are various deposit-based investment vehicles available in the marketplace. Many customers will have money on deposit either with a bank or building society.

Every basic rate taxpayer in the UK now has a Personal Savings Allowance of £1,000. This means that the first £1,000 of savings interest earned in a year is tax-free. If you are a higher rate taxpayer (40%), then your allowance is £500, and 45% taxpayers have no savings allowance at all.

Commercial Banks & Building Societies

Commercial Banks and Building Societies offer a variety of savings accounts. Interest often varies in line with the general level of interest rates, though accounts which pay fixed interest over a specified period may also be available. Accounts with fixed interest may restrict access to the money on deposit, typically requiring notice before withdrawal, and charging penalties for early withdrawals.

With the introduction of the Personal Savings Allowance in April 2016, interest is now paid gross (before deductions for tax).

Cash ISA

You can only make contributions to one cash ISA up to the limit of £20,000 each tax year (if you wished to change provider part way through the tax year you would have to transfer all the contributions made in that tax year to the new ISA in order to make contributions to the new ISA in that tax year).

Any individual with an ISA that has adopted the Flexible ISA rules introduced in 2015 can withdraw money from their flexible ISA and replace it in the same tax year without it using up any more of their annual ISA subscription limit for that year. Please check with your provider.

The cash ISA can consist of money on deposit enjoying a tax-free environment. The minimum age to own a cash only ISA is 16.

Cash Junior ISAs are now also available. Your child can have a Junior ISA if they:

  • are under 18
  • live in the UK
  • don’t already own a Child Trust Fund (CTF)*

*From 6 April 2015 it became possible for parents to transfer their children's Child Trust Fund (CTF) account into a Junior ISA (JISA). This has to done before a child with a CTF can hold a Junior ISA instead.

At age 18 a JISA will automatically turn into an adult ISA.

National Savings & Investments

National Savings & Investments are Government backed. You can visit the NS&I website here http://www.nsandi.com/

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate advice on deposits or national savings & investments products.

Deposit Based Investment

Unlike a Building Society or Bank account your capital is not guaranteed.

The tax treatment is dependent on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in future.

There are various deposit-based investment vehicles available in the marketplace. Many customers will have money on deposit either with a bank or building society.

Every basic rate taxpayer in the UK now has a Personal Savings Allowance of £1,000. This means that the first £1,000 of savings interest earned in a year is tax-free. If you are a higher rate taxpayer (40%), then your allowance is £500, and 45% taxpayers have no savings allowance at all.

Commercial Banks & Building Societies

Commercial Banks and Building Societies offer a variety of savings accounts. Interest often varies in line with the general level of interest rates, though accounts which pay fixed interest over a specified period may also be available. Accounts with fixed interest may restrict access to the money on deposit, typically requiring notice before withdrawal, and charging penalties for early withdrawals.

With the introduction of the Personal Savings Allowance in April 2016, interest is now paid gross (before deductions for tax).

Cash ISA

You can only make contributions to one cash ISA up to the limit of £20,000 each tax year (if you wished to change provider part way through the tax year you would have to transfer all the contributions made in that tax year to the new ISA in order to make contributions to the new ISA in that tax year).

Any individual with an ISA that has adopted the Flexible ISA rules introduced in 2015 can withdraw money from their flexible ISA and replace it in the same tax year without it using up any more of their annual ISA subscription limit for that year. Please check with your provider.

The cash ISA can consist of money on deposit enjoying a tax-free environment. The minimum age to own a cash only ISA is 16.

Cash Junior ISAs are now also available. Your child can have a Junior ISA if they:

  • are under 18
  • live in the UK
  • don’t already own a Child Trust Fund (CTF)*

*From 6 April 2015 it became possible for parents to transfer their children's Child Trust Fund (CTF) account into a Junior ISA (JISA). This has to done before a child with a CTF can hold a Junior ISA instead.

At age 18 a JISA will automatically turn into an adult ISA.

National Savings & Investments

National Savings & Investments are Government backed. You can visit the NS&I website here http://www.nsandi.com/

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) does not regulate advice on deposits or national savings & investments products.

 

 

Know Your Retirement Options

As Retirement Planning Specialists, we can help you assess whether your pension contributions or funds will be affected by these limits and advise you on the pension options available to you.

Contact Us