Planning for retirement
When do you want to stop working? What income will you need to be comfortable when you do? How will you afford the treats as well as the essentials?
Retirement might seem a long way off now, but the sooner you start to prepare for it, the more time your funds will have to grow. And if you don’t want to rely solely on the state for your pension, some sensible retirement planning is vital.
I can sit down with you to look at ways in which you could build up funds to support yourself, and your dependants, in your later years. Currently the options are pensions, savings and investments; here’s a quick guide to all three:
Pensions
To encourage people to provide for their own retirement, the UK government has made personal pension plans both tax efficient and a very effective way of saving for the future. Pensions offer an unrivalled opportunity to save for your old age, as you may get tax relief in the process.
However, the tax rules can change from year to year, which means this can be a very complex area of financial planning. We will explain the options to you clearly and in plain English, so you can make an informed decision about your pension needs.
Savings and Investments
If you’re looking for another way to improve your future wealth, you can save – in other words, conserve your money and hold it safe for future use. Or you can invest; that is, buy a product with the aim that it will give you income in the future or will go up in value before it’s sold for more than you originally paid for it.
We can help you build on the arrangements you already have in place, in a tax-advantageous way where possible, so that your money is available when you want – or need – to spend it. We advise a wide range of investment services, from simple ISAs to more complex, tax-efficient trust schemes; with funds chosen based on your level of risk. However, you need to be aware that:
- The value of pensions and investments, and the income they produce, can go down as well as up. This means that you may get back less than you put in.
- The way you are taxed varies according to individual circumstances and is subject to change.
- The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax planning, estate planning, trusts and inheritance tax planning.
- For ISAs, Investors do not pay any personal tax on income or gains, but may pay unrecoverable tax on income from stocks and shares received by the ISA managers.