2023-12-19 09:27
Master Your Finances Ready for the New Year
As we approach the end of the year, let’s take a look at how we can prepare for financial success in 2024. In this blog, we’ll explor… Read More
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Pension specialists. Final salary pension transfer experts. Pension drawdown arrangements, frozen pension solutions
2023-11-24 18:10
Wishful Thinking or Reality? Comparing our Wish List to Chancellor Hunt’s Autumn Statement
As the autumn leaves descended, so did the much-anticipated Autumn Statement from Chancellor… Read More
2023-11-21 09:50
Fathom’s Autumn Statement wish list
Here we are on 21 November eagerly awaiting the Autumn statement on Wednesday. I’m sure on 22 November as Mr Hunt gets to his feet there will… Read More
2023-10-09 08:37
Let’s Talk About: Medium to Longer-Term Investing vs Deposit Based Savings
When it comes to making your money work for you, the choices are vast. The two prominent options are medium… Read More
2023-10-02 08:35
Let’s Talk About: How Minimum Wage Increases Impact Inflation
Inflation, the persistent rise in the cost of goods and services over time, is a concern that governments and economists w… Read More
2023-04-07 09:01
Know your future with cashflow modelling
Do I have enough money saved? When will I be able to retire? How long will my pension last? The majority of us have considered at least one of these… Read More
2023-04-03 08:18
Let’s talk about the budget: Two weeks on
So here we are two weeks on from the budget and it appears that the Chancellor has managed to steer a steady course (remember the fallout from… Read More
2023-02-28 17:01
Use it or lose it – How to use your allowances this tax year?
The tax year-end is just around the corner, and you may be thinking ‘what should I do before the 5th of April?&rsqu&hell…Read More
2023-01-31 09:22
Many moons ago when I was just a young (and wet behind the ears) financial adviser with Pearl Assurance the only option available to people with a perso… Read More
2023-01-10 10:34
Is the UK in recession? There seems to be a lot of conflicting data, but one thing seems certain (according to the Bank of England and Office for Budget… Read More
2022-10-18 08:19
I think it’s fair to say that our resilience and patience as investors is being severely tested.
During the last 5 years or so, we’ve suffered market uncertainty followi… Read More
2022-03-03 14:19
I hope this blog finds you safe and well and looking forward to the coming festivities?
You’ll remember last December that we had to cancel Christmas and on the 4th January the Prime… Read More
2021-10-29 18:03
On the 7th of September, Boris Johnson released the Government’s Social Care Reform Plan. The plan will use national insurance contributions to fu… Read More
2021-10-21 16:49
2021-10-21 16:48
2021-10-21 16:47
2021-10-21 16:47
2021-10-21 16:46
2021-08-24 01:19
Long gone are the days of a “job for life” when school leavers could expect to stay in their first job until retirement. According to AA… Read More
2021-07-19 03:57
Did anyone else feel that “Freedom Day” was just the same as any other recent “pandemic day”?I guess the Government is tryin… Read More
2021-06-19 03:55
“I don’t want to lose my money” is often one of the concerns that I hear when I talk to clients about investments. However w… Read More
2019-04-29 11:13
The original concept of the pensions dashboard was to deliver a simple online interface to allow a user to view all their pension information in one place. This, it was believed, would incre… Read More
2019-04-26 09:58
With thanks to David (DAN) Norman of TCF Investments, we would like to share his market overview covering the period January to March 2019.
Markets Outlook
You may recall our Q4 2018 article… Read More
2019-04-24 10:34
Flexi access Pension Drawdown is an increasingly popular option at retirement. In this post, we discuss the pension drawdown process. What is involved and what timescales you can expect?
It… Read More
2019-03-05 12:50
A pension fund is likely to be one of the largest and most complicated assets a couple will have to split in the event of a divorce. A Prudential report in 2015 showed that people approachin… Read More
2019-02-28 11:23
The Pension freedoms (April 2015) delivered potential benefits to those with Defined Contribution pensions. They did not, however, apply to Defined Benefit (final salary) pensions. This led… Read More
2019-02-27 12:13
Those who take the flexi-drawdown retirement option effectively become investors. They (or their advisers) are responsible for managing that investment over time.
The amount of income that m… Read More
2019-02-27 10:03
The UK Gov.uk website states ‘To get the full basic State Pension you need a total of 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits. This means you were either wor… Read More
2019-02-14 14:33
Should I move a frozen pension to a different pension fund or leave it where it is? Is a question we are often asked. The answer depends on many issues including personal circumstances and a… Read More
2019-01-24 13:43
Flexi-Pension Drawdown has become an increasingly popular alternative to an annuity. But for those who wish to consider drawdown as an option, the pension drawdown rules and regulations can… Read More
2019-01-16 16:21
With thanks to David (DAN) Norman of TCF Investments, we would like to share his market overview covering the period October to December 2018.
Markets Outlook
Q4 was a very negative quarter… Read More
2019-01-11 10:09
Defining exactly how long a pension transfer takes can be an impossible task. There are unavoidable chunks of dead time in the process that are difficult to quantify. What we can do is defin… Read More
2018-12-20 16:17
In our previous post on risks to consider during a retirement planning exercise we briefly covered longevity risk. In this post we discuss potential ways to manage longevity risk. We only co… Read More
2018-12-20 11:50
It is an unfortunate fact that there are people who will try to relieve you of your life savings. We have discussed pension SCAMS elsewhere on this Blog but, in our opinion, the problem appe… Read More
2018-12-20 11:08
It is important to review pension fund performance on a regular basis to decide if any action is required. You may rely on your financial advisers to take on this task (if you have one) or y… Read More
2018-12-13 16:25
What is pension drawdown?
Can I enter drawdown before I am 55?
What is best? Pension drawdown or Annuity?
Can you have more than one drawdown pension?
Can I alter the level and frequency of… Read More
2018-10-31 14:08
In a previous post, we discussed how the value of a pension fund could be affected by three main factors. In this post we discuss the first of those factors – the impact of inflation o… Read More
2018-10-26 15:45
With thanks to David (DAN) Norman of TCF Investments, we would like to share his market overview covering the period July to September 2018.
Markets Outlook
A number of factors are impacting… Read More
2018-10-23 12:52
Let’s assume an individual is struggling with a major financial decision. It may be related to retirement, or a property, or a variety of other issues.
Their first step should be to de… Read More
2018-09-21 09:07
Where pensions are concerned ignorance is not bliss. Over a working lifetime, several frozen (paid up) pensions may be accumulated. Failure to check those pensions regularly and take any app… Read More
2018-08-31 14:31
When taking pension funds into a drawdown arrangement the responsibility for managing that investment rests with you. You will need various tools and partners to help you manage your investm… Read More
2018-08-31 13:52
Pension drawdown (or Flexi-access pension drawdown to give its full title) was introduced as part of the pension freedoms (April 2015). The freedoms delivered greater flexibility for those a… Read More
2018-08-24 14:30
With thanks to David (DAN) Norman of TCF Investments we would like to share his market overview covering the period April to June 2018.
Markets Outlook
After concerns in Q1 about the likelih… Read More
2018-07-31 15:32
In a previous post, we discussed the three key elements that make up the total pension fund management fee. In this post, we discuss investment management fees, why these are paid and to who… Read More
2018-06-28 11:08
Some of the Baby Boomer generation are in the happy position of considering how they may pass on their remaining wealth to the next generation on their death.
Baby Boomers (generally defined… Read More
2018-06-15 11:53
When deciding if it is best to invest in shares or bonds the only reliable information available is historical. The long established warning that past performance is not a guide to future re… Read More
2018-05-25 13:45
Over the past eighteen months there has been a dramatic increase in those considering a final salary pension transfer to gain access to the potential benefits of the pension freedoms (2015)… Read More
2018-05-16 13:54
One of the questions we hear time and again is will I run out of money in retirement? Unfortunately, nobody can predict the future so there is no definitive answer. Everyone’s personal… Read More
2018-04-30 09:49
History shows markets and hence the value of investments rise and fall over time. Fluctuations in the value of investments over a few weeks should not be a concern. It is the long term trend… Read More
2018-04-23 11:55
There are those that argue Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pensions address many of the issues (for the employer) with Defined Benefit pensions and (for the individual) with Defined Co… Read More
2018-03-28 12:37
When taking one (or more) pension funds into a drawdown arrangement the responsibility for managing that investment rests with you (or your adviser). You will need various tools and partners… Read More
2018-03-27 09:30
When auto-enrolment was introduced increases in contributions were planned over time. In this post, we discuss the next scheduled increase due in April 2018. We also discuss a potential loop… Read More
2018-02-28 11:15
With thanks to David (DAN) Norman of TCF Investments we would like to share his market overview covering the period October to December 2017.
Equity (Shares)
Q4 was a strong quarter for both… Read More
2018-02-19 12:03
With the introduction of the pension freedoms, the key decision for many nearing retirement is between an annuity or pension drawdown.
There are three main types of annuity but all deliver a… Read More
2018-02-13 10:35
Investment funds are often categorised as active or passive (also known as index). An active fund manager makes decisions over holding one specific investment over another in an effort to be… Read More
2018-01-30 16:33
There has been much discussion in the media recently about pension transfer charges and advice fees driven largely by the British Steel pension situation. Should an individual wish to transf… Read More
2018-01-22 11:17
There has been extensive media coverage of the British Steel pension situation over recent months with Independent Financial Advisers portrayed as vultures, sharks (and worse) for offering t… Read More
2018-01-15 11:48
Since the pension freedoms of April 2015 there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals actively considering a DB pension transfer but what are the key drivers behind thi… Read More
2018-01-03 10:36
There are approximately 6,000 DB (defined benefit) pension schemes in the UK with around eleven million members. Evidence shows the number of DB to DC pension transfers is increasing but how… Read More
2017-12-21 16:03
This is a difficult time of year for thousands of British Steel workers.
As well as the usual seasonal pressures, through no fault of their own many of these workers have been placed in an… Read More
2017-12-12 11:39
When considering the various pension transfer advice fees offered by Financial Advisers remember it is
not only the price to transfer that matters but also the long term costs.
As a simple e… Read More
2017-12-08 13:21
Devil is in the details for thousands of workers now faced with life changing financial decisions.
But is some of the reporting of events verging on the hysterical
Some bad apples &ndas&helli…Read More
2017-12-01 16:45
December 1st and the countdown to Christmas has begun. There is another countdown currently underway also.
I predicted several months ago that members of the British Steel Pension Scheme wou… Read More
2017-12-01 10:31
Is the most significant pension event this year the separation of TATA Steel from the British Steel Pension Fund? It has without a doubt led to much confusion, frustration and speculat… Read More
2017-11-30 16:27
Investing (by definition) is an activity that should be undertaken over the long term. Although it is important to track the performance of investments worrying too much about short term los… Read More
2017-11-28 14:00
To deliver an improved (local) service to those looking for high quality pension and investment advice we have opened a new The Pension Review Service office in Scunthorpe. The office will b… Read More
2017-11-23 12:38
The limit over which DB pension transfer advice is required is a CETV of £30,000 (safeguarded benefit limit) however in practise I do not know of one single provider who will accept a… Read More
2017-11-23 12:16
Many workers are attracted to the 25% tax free cash sum available from their pension. Usually it is higher than the tax free cash available from the scheme, often considerably. That in itsel… Read More
2017-11-23 10:07
A Defined Benefit (final salary) pension transfer valuation can increase (or decrease) for two main reasons.
Decisions the Trustees make on the long term strategic direction of the pension
T… Read More
2017-10-31 14:33
We believe diversification is essential for any investment portfolio. Usually, with a diversified spread of investments, the impact of picking the wrong asset type, the wrong sector or the w… Read More
2017-10-19 15:50
For those with larger pension funds, the LTA (Lifetime Allowance) is a common concern. In this post, we consider the key issues surrounding pension drawdown fund testing against the LTA.
Wha… Read More
2017-10-10 14:44
Many commentators believe one short statement (“some withdrawal of monetary stimulus is likely to be appropriate over the coming months”) from the minutes of the latest Bank of E… Read More
2017-09-28 12:55
When investing a pension fund, perhaps from a pension transfer or drawdown arrangement pension platforms are often discussed as a potential option. In this post, we answer the question what… Read More
2017-09-25 14:33
With pension transfer values increasing it may be a good time to at least consider a transfer from a defined benefit pension as a potential option. However, before embarking on a review (and… Read More
2017-09-18 15:24
Tax rules can and do change with a varying impact depending on individual circumstances, which can also alter over time. In an April 2017 post, we discussed a number of pending tax cha… Read More
2017-08-29 14:45
In May 2017 the FT reported that ‘more than £42m has been lost to “pension liberation fraud” since April 2014’. It is probable this number is only a small propo… Read More
2017-08-24 13:38
What is the minimum pension pot I need for pension drawdown is a question we are often asked. Assuming a pension provider offers pension drawdown as an option then, in principle, there is no… Read More
2017-08-24 11:44
There is a growing interest in members of final salary pension schemes wanting to look at their options. If you do wish to action a transfer what pension transfer fees should you expect to p… Read More
2017-08-24 11:44
There is a growing interest in members of final salary pension schemes wanting to look at their options. Many suitably qualified financial advisers (including The Pension Review Service) do… Read More
2017-08-24 11:44
There is a growing interest in members of final salary pension schemes wanting to look at their options. If you do wish to action a transfer what should you expect to pay?
Should you wish to… Read More
2017-08-22 10:00
With a high proportion of final salary pension schemes currently in deficit and transfer values on the increase it is understandable pension scheme members may wish to consider their options… Read More
2017-08-15 15:13
There is a growing interest in members of final salary pension schemes wanting to look at their options. The final salary transfer process can be complex and there is little information avai… Read More
2017-08-15 08:55
In this article, we discuss the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) position on final salary pension transfers culminating in their consultation paper advising on pension transfers of 21st Jun… Read More
2017-07-31 10:56
The impact of pension fees and charges on a potential final pension fund value should not be underestimated. Over 30 years or more of saving into a pension scheme a high level of charges cou… Read More
2017-07-29 09:34
Pension provider Scottish Widows stated recently that in the second quarter of this year requests for its transfer value analysis report service increased 182 percent over the same period la… Read More
2017-07-17 10:17
To make an informed choice between personally researching and implementing a pension drawdown arrangement or taking pension drawdown advice (with an associated cost) there are some basic que… Read More
2017-06-29 10:42
When first meeting with you to discuss any potential long-term investment the first step any professional adviser will take is to gather details of your personal and financial circumstances… Read More
2017-06-23 11:03
The Pensions Act 2014 specified a review of State Pension age should be conducted at least once every 6 years. John Cridland CBE was appointed as the first independent reviewer of state pens… Read More
2017-06-09 14:22
Since the pension freedoms (2015) the choice for those nearing retirement is often between flexi pension drawdown and an annuity. In our experience many struggle with a comparison as they fi… Read More
2017-05-31 13:32
Royal London’s latest policy paper – ‘The curse of long term cash’ makes interesting reading. While it accepts the benefit of cash as a short-term buffer against unex… Read More
2017-05-30 09:33
Should I transfer my pension or stay with my existing scheme is a question we are increasingly asked. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer as so much depends on personal circumstances bu… Read More
2017-05-22 11:01
When considering a final salary pension transfer it is important to ensure the industry jargon is explained to you in full. What is critical yield is a question we are often asked.
The &ldqu&hell…Read More
2017-05-11 10:19
The latest Barclays Equity Study (March 2017) provides some powerful information on the importance of reinvestment of income from shares (equities) and Gilts to long-term investment returns… Read More
2017-05-05 11:49
The Pensions Regulator efforts to stop pension scams should be applauded but their most recent proposals could significantly impact on pension transfers to SSAS (Small Self Administered Pens… Read More
2017-04-26 09:45
How much can I take from my pension fund each year and be sure I do not run out of money in retirement is a common question we are asked. With the introduction of flexi-pension drawdown, &nb&hell…Read More
2017-04-21 12:47
According to Insurer Royal London Final Salary Pension transfer values on some schemes rose to an all-time high during 2016. Although a final salary pension transfer will not be the right wa… Read More
2017-04-07 14:44
A number of changes to UK Tax law are either underway or at advanced consultation stage that may affect business owners, the self employed, those in (or planning) flexi drawdown arrangements… Read More
2017-03-30 09:47
Flexi access drawdown is the preferred retirement option for many but how are pension funds being utilised? One potential route is to use the 25% tax-free pension lump sum to pay down debt… Read More
2017-03-24 09:49
We are often asked if there is a way to take a final salary pension early and / or secure a pension lump sum at 55 years old. In short the answer, in many cases, is yes it is possible. In fa… Read More
2017-01-31 14:51
In a previous post we discussed the relationship between risk and return. In this point we discuss some high risk investment options for those looking for higher returns. At The Pension Revi… Read More
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