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Always remember that investments can go down as well as up in value, so you could get back less than you put in. How you are taxed will depend on your circumstances, and pension and tax rules can change.
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We’ve compiled a list of the best pension providers in the UK. These are our top thirteen private pension providers for buying, selling and holding stocks and shares, bonds, index funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), ready-made investments and other investment products.
Please remember that when you invest, your capital is at risk. You usually can’t access the money in your pension pot until you are at least 55 years old (increases to 57 in 2028), when you can take 25% as a tax-free lump sum. Other pension and tax rules apply.
The pension providers listed below are authorised and regulated by the UK’s financial watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or The Pensions Regulator (TPR).
Here are the best pension providers in the UK:
AJ Bell is one of the UK’s largest online investment platforms, and its mission is to make investing as easy as possible for you. With AJ Bell, you can choose from thousands of investments, including UK and overseas shares, funds, bonds, ETFs, investment trusts, and ready-made investments. AJ Bell was the first investment company in the UK to offer an online Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP).
The AJ Bell SIPP allows you to build your pension portfolio in one of two ways depending on your investing savviness and attitude to risk: beginner investors or those who prefer a ready-made investment portfolio can get a little, or a lot, of help from AJ Bell’s specialists by choosing from the eight investment ideas on offer. Investment ideas are diversified ready-made baskets of investments that you can select based on your personal preferences, investment goals and risk tolerance. Advanced or more confident investors can choose from the thousands of instruments available and build their pension portfolios themselves. The AJ Bell SIPP is suitable for both the self-employed and those looking to open a personal pension to complement their workplace pension. AJ Bell also lets you combine your existing pensions into a SIPP so that you can see and control everything in one place. This helps you understand how your pension is performing and exactly what you are paying in charges. AJ Bell will pay up to £500 towards your exit fees when you transfer your pensions to them (terms apply).
It is free to open a SIPP with AJ Bell. The minimum initial deposit is £1,000 (lump sum) or £25 per month (if you choose the regular investing service). The regular investing service allows you to automatically invest the same amount of money every month at a reduced dealing fee. AJ Bell charges an annual platform fee ranging from 0.25% to 0% depending on the size of your portfolio. Dealing fees for buying and selling investments online are £1.50 per deal for funds and £9.95 per deal for shares (reducing to £4.95 per deal if there were 10 or more online share deals in the previous month). Visit AJ Bell to learn more. AJ Bell’s suite of products includes a Share Dealing Account, Stocks and Shares ISA, Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, SIPP and Junior SIPP.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk. Pension rules apply.
Bestinvest is a UK low-cost investment platform that allows you to trade or invest in over 3,000 instruments, including shares, funds, ETFs, and investment trusts. With Bestinvest, you can build your pension pot in one of two ways depending on your personal preferences, goals and attitude to risk.
Beginners or those who prefer a ready-made investment portfolio can build their pension pot by selecting one of Bestinvest’s ready-made investments. These off-the-shelf style portfolios are created and managed by the team at Bestinvest and come with a carefully selected and diversified collection of investments. Once you have picked one, you do not need to do anything else. There are three ranges to choose from: Expert, Smart and Direct, depending on whether you want to maximise the returns for the risk you take, focus on cost-efficiency or focus on individual investments. The team at Bestinvest will walk you through the process of selecting a ready-made portfolio. Advanced or more confident investors can choose from a wide range of funds, shares, ETFs and ITs and build their pension portfolios themselves. If you have multiple pensions, Bestinvest can help you consolidate them into one to make them easier to manage and review. With fewer pension providers, you could save money in fees and might have less paperwork to deal with. Bestinvest will pay up to £500 towards your exit fees when you transfer your pensions to them (terms apply).
To start building your pension pot with Bestinvest, you can deposit a lump sum or set up a monthly savings plan which allows you to automatically save or invest a set amount into your SIPP every month. There are no set-up fees or fund dealing charges with the Bestinvest SIPP. Bestinvest charges an annual platform fee ranging from 0.40% to 0% for DIY investing and 0.20% to 0% for ready-made investing. The dealing fee for buying and selling shares online is £4.95 per deal. Visit Bestinvest to learn more. Bestinvest’s suite of products includes a Stocks and Shares ISA, Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, General Investment Account, SIPP and Junior SIPP.
Special offer: Get up to £1,000 cashback when you transfer your pension to Bestinvest. Terms apply.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Interactive Investor, recently acquired by wealth management giant Abrdn, is the second-largest investment platform in the UK. Interactive Investor is well known for its fixed monthly subscription fees (as opposed to annual percentage-based fees like most other investment platforms). It has been providing investment services and financial information to UK customers since 1995. If you choose to invest with Interactive Investor, you will gain access to over 40,000 investment options, including UK and overseas shares, funds, investment trusts, and ETFs. This is the second-widest choice of UK and international investments offered by an investment platform in the UK.
The Interactive Investor SIPP allows you to build your pension portfolio in multiple ways depending on your retirement goals, attitude to risk and investment preferences. Beginner investors or those who prefer a ready-made investment portfolio can build their pension pot using Interactive Investor’s Quick-Start Funds, an easy way to start investing where you choose from six low-cost funds prepared by the team of experts at Interactive Investor. Advanced or more confident investors can choose from a wide range of funds and shares and build their pension portfolios themselves. Interactive Investor gives you access to 17 global stock exchanges, including exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
With Interactive Investor, You can combine your other pensions into one SIPP for simpler retirement planning. When you reach retirement age, Interactive Investor will provide a range of options for taking an income from your pension, and there is no extra charge for this. To open a SIPP with Interactive Investor, there is a subscription fee of £12.99 per month. You get a free trade every month, which you can use to buy or sell any investment. After that, trades usually cost £5.99. Interactive Investor also offers a free regular investing service that allows you to contribute as little as £25 a month to your pension pot without paying a trading fee each time. The platform also has a host of expert ideas, research and insights, which can be helpful when choosing investments. Visit Interactive Investor to learn more. Interactive Investor’s suite of products includes a Stocks and Shares ISA, Trading Account, Junior ISA and SIPP.
Special offer: Open a SIPP and pay no monthly fee for 6 months. Terms apply.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Hargreaves Lansdown is a FTSE 100 company and the largest investment platform in the UK. Its core mission is to build long-term client relationships by becoming a trusted partner and financial champion, ultimately helping you increase your financial security for the future. If you choose to invest with Hargreaves Lansdown, you will gain access to over 15,000 instruments, including over 2,500 funds, UK and overseas shares, bonds, ETFs, ETCs, investment trusts and more.
With Hargreaves Lansdown, you can build your pension portfolio in three ways. You can pick your own investments to match your values and goals, select ready-made portfolios, or pay a financial adviser to choose investments for you. The ready-made portfolios can be used as all-in-one investments. Pick one from the different risk levels, and you are good to go. You will still have to monitor your portfolio as with any other investment. If you pay for financial advice, the specialist investment adviser will recommend a suitable portfolio of investments for your goals and ensure that your portfolio is cost-effective, well-balanced, diversified, and ideal for your stage in life. Hargreaves Lansdown also allows you to combine all your existing pension pots from previous employers. This reduces your pension admin and costs and gives you a clear overview of your retirement funds so you know exactly where you are invested and how much retirement income you can take. When you retire, Hargreaves Lansdown will provide a host of options for withdrawing your money. The Hargreaves Lansdown SIPP is also suitable for self-employed people, and it is possible to transfer your old pensions from previous employers to the same pot as your self-employed pension.
It is free to open a Hargreaves Lansdown SIPP. The minimum initial deposit is £100 (one-off) or £25 per month (if you set up a direct debit). Hargreaves Lansdown charges an annual platform fee ranging from 0.45% to 0% depending on the size of your portfolio. Dealing shares online costs £11.95 per deal (reducing to £8.95 or £5.95 per deal if there were 10 to 19 trades or 20+ trades, respectively, in the previous month). Visit Hargreaves Lansdown to learn more. There is no dealing charge for buying or selling funds. Hargreaves Lansdown’s suite of products includes a Fund and Share Account, Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, and Junior SIPP.
Special offer: Transfer pensions to HL and get cashback between £100 and £1,500. Terms apply.
Please note: The Hargreaves Lansdown SIPP is intended for investors who are happy making their own investment decisions. When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk. The charges quoted here are not exhaustive–other charges apply.
Moneybox is a UK investment app that allows you to build a personal pension portfolio from a range of index tracker funds. You can also invest in line with your beliefs and values, as the range of funds includes an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) fund and an Islamic shares fund. With the Moneybox pension, you can track down your old workplace pensions and combine them into one. You can also set up weekly deposits, switch on a monthly payday boost or make one-off deposits whenever you like.
The Moneybox app will empower you to invest your spare change into your pension pot by rounding up your card transactions to the nearest pound and investing the difference on your behalf. For example, if you spend £2.30 on a snack, Moneybox will invest 70p for you.
You can start investing with Moneybox with as little as £1. For the first £100,000 deposited into your Moneybox account, the pension fee is 0.45% per year. On a balance over £100,000, this amount will be charged at 0.15% per year. A fund provider fee also applies to all funds. This will be between 0.12% to 0.61% per year, depending on the fund you choose. Visit Moneybox to learn more. Moneybox’s suite of products includes a Stocks and Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, Personal Pension, and General Investment Account.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Penfold is a modern pension provider offering customers a quick and easy way to build and contribute to their pension pots. The platform is digital-first and built for everyone, regardless of whether you are employed, self-employed or running your own business. With Penfold, you can open a private pension, a self-employed pension or be auto-enrolled via your workplace. Once you sign up, you can choose from four plans: Lifetime, Standard, Sustainable and Sharia, depending on your goals and values. Set up only takes 5 minutes, and you can adjust your contributions at any time.
Penfold can also track and transfer your old pensions - even if you do not know the details so that you can combine all your pensions from previous employment in one place. If you are ever confused about anything relating to your pension or retirement, they have a team of experts happy to provide jargon-free answers to your questions.
There is no minimum deposit when you set up your pension with Penfold, and you can pay nothing each month if you like. If you do make a contribution, the minimum amount Penfold can process is £10. Penfold charges an annual fee between 0.88% and 0.75%, depending on the plan you choose. If your pension pot size is larger than £100,000, the fee is reduced to either 0.4% or 0.53%, depending on the plan you choose, on the portion of your savings over this amount. Visit Penfold to learn more.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Moneyfarm is a UK robo advisor that provides you with a personalised investment plan based on your risk preferences. Investors can choose from seven globally diversified risk-rated portfolios, including ethical investments. The team at Moneyfarm actively manages your investments, but each investment portfolio is made up of passive exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other passive trackers. Customers also benefit from free and personalised digital financial advice from Moneyfarm’s investment consultants, and you can chat, phone, email, or meet your consultant in person.
If you tell Moneyfarm when you aim to retire, the team will manage your portfolio around your target retirement date - reducing your risk as the date approaches. It is easy to transfer your existing pensions to Moneyfarm. Just fill in your details in-app or online. Moneyfarm will then talk to your existing provider and move your pensions over to your Moneyfarm account. The process typically takes about 3 - 4 weeks and is as paperless as possible, depending on your provider. When you reach the retirement age of 55 (57 from 2028), Moneyfarm will provide a range of flexible options for taking an income from your pension. This is called a pension drawdown, and there is no extra charge for it.
Moneyfarm charges a yearly account management fee starting at 0.75% and reducing to 0.35% as the size of your portfolio increases. The annual average investment fund fee is 0.20%, and the annual effect of market spread comes to about 0.09%. Visit Moneyfarm to learn more. Moneyfarm’s suite of products includes a Stocks and Shares ISA, General Investment Account and SIPP.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Wealthify is a UK robo advisor that allows you to choose from five investment plans based on your attitude to risk. These investment plans are named Cautious, Tentative, Confident, Ambitious and Adventurous and allow you to choose a risk level that best suits your needs. If you are conscious about the environment or would simply like to invest in line with your values, Wealthify’s five portfolios are also available as ethical investment plans, so you can stay true to your values while potentially growing your money.
Wealthify charges an annual platform fee of 0.60%, and fund management fees range from 0.16% to 0.70% per year, depending on your chosen investment theme. Once you complete the signup process, you can start investing with a lump sum of £50 which you can top up as frequently as you want. Visit Wealthify to learn more.
Wealthify’s suite of products includes a General Investment Account, Stocks and Shares ISA, Junior ISA and SIPP in both Original and Ethical themes.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Saxo Markets is the UK division of Saxo Bank, a large European bank and investment platform that allows you to invest in 60,000+ financial products from stock markets around the world, including London, New York, Hong Kong, and 50+ global markets.
With Saxo Markets, you can build your pension portfolio with more than 11,000 global stocks, ETFs and bonds. Beginner investors or those who prefer a ready-made investment portfolio can select from one of the managed portfolios on offer, where Saxo experts navigate the markets and manage your investments on your behalf. The average cost of a managed portfolio is 0.95% per year (including fund costs). Advanced or more confident investors can choose from the range of financial products on offer and build their portfolios themselves. It’s free to open a SIPP with Saxo Markets, and all registered users have access to a personal account manager.
Saxo Markets has different transaction fees grouped into trading tiers. If you plan to trade high volumes, you can upgrade your tier to get lower transaction fees. The Classic tier, which attracts the highest trading fees, costs 0.10% (min. £8) per deal for UK stocks and US$0.02 (min. US$10) per deal for US stocks. Other fees apply. Additionally, other exchanges, such as those in Europe or Asia, have different trading fees, which you can find on Saxo Markets’ website. Saxo Markets’ suite of products includes a Trading Account, Stocks and Shares ISA and SIPP.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Netwealth is a wealth management platform designed for high-net-worth individuals. If you have a relatively large amount of money to invest and are looking for an intimate private wealth manager, Netwealth might be a good option for you. Netwealth’s overarching goal is to help you manage your money cost-effectively while generating a secure income over the medium to long term that may help with important financial events, such as school fees, retirement or elderly care.
When you join Netweath, you get a free initial consultation with a qualified wealth adviser to help you define your objectives and maximise your investment potential. This process informs what combination of risk levels and account types are best suited for you. The adviser will also help you put a financial plan in place and check back in with you regularly. With Netwealth, you can choose from seven ready-made globally diversified portfolios, which aim to maximise the return for your chosen risk level. You also get access to free powerful financial planning tools to help you visualise your potential investment outcome.
The minimum investment amount to become a client of Netwealth is £50,000. This, however, can be made up of different account types and include cash deposits and transfers from other providers. For example, the minimum portfolio size for an ISA is £5,000 and £1,000 for a JISA. There is no dealing fee, but the average annual investment cost comes to about 0.30%. Other charges apply. Visit Netwealth to learn more. The Netwealth Network lets you invite up to seven people, who each benefit from a lower minimum joining deposit of £5,000, lower fees and investment independence. Netwealth’s suite of products includes a Stocks and Shares ISA, Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, General Investment Account and SIPP.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
Vanguard is a popular low-cost investment platform with over 75 own-brand funds, including ETFs, active funds and index funds. Vanguard does not offer stocks and shares, but there are various ETFs on offer for those interested in exchange-traded securities.
The Vanguard SIPP allows you to build a pension in one of two ways depending on your investing savviness: beginner investors or those who prefer to choose a ready-made investment portfolio can build their pension pot by selecting one of the Target Retirement funds, which give you access to thousands of bonds and shares in a single investment. Advanced or more confident investors can choose from over 75 individual Vanguard funds and build their pension portfolios themselves. It is straightforward to transfer your existing pensions to Vanguard, and it is completely free to do so - although your existing provider might charge you a fee, so check with them first.
To open a Vanguard SIPP, you need at least £100 per month or a lump sum of £500. There is a yearly management fee of 0.15% (capped at £375) per year. Some of the funds on offer have separate charges, so please check these before investing. Visit Vanguard to learn more. Vanguard has other products, including a Stocks and Shares ISA, Junior ISA, General Account and Personal Financial Planning.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
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The Aviva Stakeholder Pension allows you to invest your money in a range of funds that give you access to various assets such as stocks, shares and property. You will also be able to choose from a range of high to low risk funds, depending on your attitude to risk.
With Aviva, you can start your stakeholder pension with as little as £20 a month and pay money into your pension plan either regularly, e.g. every month, or make one-off payments. You can also change that amount or stop and start payments when you need to. When you reach the retirement age of 55 (57 from 2028), you will have a number of options about how you can use your pension savings, including taking an income, lump sum or a combination of both. The Aviva Stakeholder Pension also lets you create a pension pot for your children or grandchildren. You can deposit up to £2,880 for each child per year.
With Aviva, you pay only an annual fund charge, which is capped at 1%. You will not have to pay any charges for setting up your investment or for switching money between funds. Aviva offers financial advice at a separate fee. Visit Aviva to learn more.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
The Standard Life Stakeholder Pension allows you to invest your money in 30+ funds and 2 Lifestyle Profiles. You can invest in up to 12 funds at any one time, but if you decide to pick a Lifestyle Profile, you can only combine this with a with-profits fund.
The Lifestyle Profiles are ready-made investment portfolios that invest your money in funds and move them as you get closer to retirement, to try and get you the best possible returns for your goals. If you do not want to choose a fund, Standard Life will automatically invest your money in a Lifestyle Profile depending on goals and risk preferences.
Standard Life charges an annual management charge of 1% of the value of the funds you are invested in each year. Visit Standard Life to learn more.
Please note: When you pay into a pension, your capital is at risk.
A private pension is a type of pension scheme that is not arranged by the government.
There are two types of private pensions:
Before we go into detail on the types of private pensions, let us first examine what a pension is, the types of pensions available, the key features of the State Pension, and when and how you can withdraw your pension.
A pension is a savings pot you contribute to throughout your working life and spend from when you retire.
We are all going to be old someday, and no one needs to tell us that when we are too old to work, we will need a steady income stream to keep us going. A pension is that income stream. You can think of it as a long-term savings account you must contribute to while you are young and can only withdraw from after you retire.
For most Koody readers, retirement might seem ridiculously far away. Still, it is important to remember that if you want to live comfortably and enjoy life when you are much older, it pays to start planning now.
The money you pay into a pension is usually invested in stocks, shares, funds and bonds by your pension provider. Some providers might also keep a small portion of your pension pot in cash.
When saving into a pension, please keep in mind that the money in your pension pot is untouchable until you reach the retirement age of 55 (increases to 57 in 2028).
There are two types of pensions - defined benefit and defined contribution pensions.
For our generation, the relevant pension type is the defined contribution pension. It is also sometimes referred to as a “personal pension” or “money purchase pension”.
With a defined contribution pension, the onus is on you to build your own pension pot, which will then serve as an income source in retirement. You can do this by joining your workplace pension scheme or signing up for and regularly contributing to a personal pension.
When you retire, the amount you will get from a defined contribution pension depends on how much you contribute throughout your lifetime, how your investments perform, and the lifestyle you choose at retirement.
In addition to the personal and workplace pensions, you are entitled to the State Pension. The State Pension is a free retirement income from the government, and the amount you get is based entirely on your National Insurance record.
The earliest you can get the State Pension is when you reach the State Pension age. If you are currently aged between 20 and 39, your State Pension age will likely be 68. You can double-check that number on GOV.UK.
When you reach the retirement age of 55 (increases to 57 in 2028), you can withdraw up to 25% of the money in your pension as a tax-free lump sum.
After that, you have six months to start taking the remaining 75%, which you will usually have to pay tax on.
Your pension provider will deduct any tax you owe before you get money from your pension pot, and you might have to pay a higher tax rate if you take large amounts from your pension pot.
The options you have for taking the remaining 75% of your pension pot include the following:
Not all pension providers offer all the options above, so be sure to check that the pension provider you choose offers your preferred withdrawal option before committing to them.
If you have already committed to a pension provider that does not offer your preferred withdrawal option, you can simply transfer your pension to another provider. Your existing provider may charge a fee for the transfer.
A personal pension is a type of private pension that you arrange yourself.
When you join a personal pension scheme, the pension manager will put your money into investments such as stocks and shares, bonds, index funds, active funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investment trusts (ITs) and ready-made investments.
These investments grow steadily over time, and after accounting for compound interest, if you have contributed to your pension most of your working life, you will have a sizeable retirement pot and source of income when you retire.
There are typically two ways to build a pension portfolio depending on your objectives, attitude to risk and investing expertise: you can either pick your own investments and build your portfolio yourself or choose a ready-made investment portfolio. The best pension providers in the UK will allow you to invest in one or both ways.
Personal pensions are tax-free up to certain limits, and like all pensions, you also get tax relief from the government. It only costs 80p of your own money to save £1. That is a 20% tax relief, and it is much higher if you are a higher earner (more on that below).
While pension contributions are tax-free, you may have to pay tax in certain circumstances. For example, you will pay tax on pension contributions when you:
You also pay tax on pension contributions if:
Visit GOV.UK for more information on the tax you pay on your private pension contributions.
Please note that you usually can’t access the money in your pension pot until you reach the retirement age of 55 (increases to 57 in 2028), when you can take 25% as a tax-free lump sum.
A personal pension could be a great way to save for retirement if you do not have a workplace pension. Even if you have a workplace pension, a personal pension in addition to your workplace pension could be a great way to grow your retirement savings faster.
Personal pensions are especially great for people who:
There are two types of personal pensions: Self-invested Personal Pension (SIPP) and Stakeholder Pension.
Due to their flexibility, stakeholder pensions can be of particular benefit if you are self-employed, on a low income, or not working.
Another way to save for retirement is with a Lifetime ISA. A Lifetime ISA is not a pension but a longer-term tax-free savings or investment account created to help those between the ages of 18 and 39 save for their first home or retirement. Each tax year, you can pay up to £4,000 into a Lifetime ISA. The government will add a 25% bonus to your Lifetime ISA every tax year up to a maximum of £1,000 per year, and you can continue saving or investing into a LISA until you are 50.
Pros of Investing in a SIPP
Cons of Investing in a SIPP
Pros of Investing in a Stakeholder Pension
Cons of Investing in a Stakeholder Pension
The government will add money to your pension contributions in the form of tax relief (free money).
For every £80 you pay into your pension, the government adds £20 - and you can claim an extra £20 if you are a higher earner.
You can think of tax relief as a refund of the tax you originally paid on your pension contribution at your usual rate of income tax - 20%, 40%, or 45%.
It is your pension provider that claims this tax relief at the basic rate and adds it to your pension. Tax relief for higher-rate taxpayers is slightly different. If you are a higher-rate taxpayer, you will need to claim the additional rebate through your tax return. Alternatively, if you are claiming a large sum, a phone call or letter to HMRC should do the trick.
When choosing a personal pension plan, you want to:
Yes, it is most certainly worth paying into a private pension in the UK. A private pension can be a great way to boost your savings and provide you with more income than the State Pension in your retirement years.
Tax benefits from a private pension mean that any money you pay towards your pension will be increased through tax relief, which puts more money in your pocket and less towards government taxes.
These benefits continue when you retire. Once you reach retirement age, you can take 25% of your pension fund as a tax-free lump sum. The remaining funds will then be paid to you as income and taxed at normal levels.
It is important to keep in mind that tax benefits from a private pension do not apply to everyone. The best way to determine whether or not a private pension is right for you is to speak to a regulated financial adviser.
You can pay 100% of your earnings into your pension every year up to a maximum of £40,000. Any contribution above this will be taxed by the government.
Private pension contributions are tax-free up to certain limits. You will usually pay tax if the savings in your pension pot exceed the following limits:
Pension schemes must be registered with HMRC to qualify for tax relief. You can check with your pension provider if you are unsure whether your scheme is registered or not.
If you have several pension pots dotted around from previous jobs, there are potential benefits from combining them into one. When you consolidate your pensions, it makes them easier to keep track of and manage, you have less admin to deal with, your pension charges could potentially reduce, you’d get a single pension statement, and you’ll know exactly how much you have saved up for retirement at any given time.
To combine your pensions, start by making a list of the pensions you’ve got. If you are unsure of who your pension providers are, ask your previous employers or use the government’s free pension tracing service for tracking lost pensions.
When transferring your pensions, please note that your pension provider may charge you a pension transfer fee. Be sure to look into that to ensure it makes financial sense to transfer your pensions to another provider. Pro Tip: Some pension providers, such as AJ Bell and Bestinvest, will cover your pension transfer costs up to £500 when transferring your old pensions to them.
Also, beware of scammers. If someone contacts you unexpectedly, offering to help you transfer your pension pot, it’s likely to be a scam. Always check that your pension provider is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or The Pensions Regulator (if it is a Stakeholder Pension).
On the one hand, if you’ve recently come into some cash and are looking to invest it in a pension scheme, the best places to invest a lump sum pension in the UK are Vanguard, AJ Bell and Interactive Investor.
All three platforms offer a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). They also offer a wide variety of investments and charge low to medium fees. All three platforms also allow you to consolidate your old pensions into one, so you can transfer all your old pensions to them and see everything in one place. Additionally, they all offer index funds, ETFs and ready-made portfolios suitable for retirement investing.
On the other hand, If you’ve recently retired, have just withdrawn your 25% pension lump sum and are looking to invest it, we would strongly recommend against doing that. The simple reason is that we believe investing should be for the long term, at least five years.
Even if you do not plan to use the funds in the next five years, as a retiree, you should deposit your pension lump sum where you can have easy access to it and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are not going to lose your money if the market takes a hit, such as in a savings account. Better yet, speak to your pension provider about the services they offer to let you withdraw from your pension regularly––this is called an annuity or a flexi-access drawdown.
Yes, you can have a private pension and a workplace pension. Getting a private pension in addition to your workplace pension could be a great way to grow your retirement savings faster.
No, your State Pension will not be reduced if you have a private pension. Your State Pension is based entirely on your National Insurance contribution history and is separate from your private pensions. In the same way, saving into a workplace pension does not affect your entitlement to the State Pension.
The earliest you can get the new State Pension is when you reach State Pension age, and you’ll usually need at least ten qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any State Pension. They do not have to be ten qualifying years in a row.
You usually can’t withdraw money from a private pension before the retirement age of 55 (increases to 57 in 2028). However, there are some rare cases where you can, e.g., if you are too ill to work or if you have a severe illness, which means you are expected to live for less than a year.
In the case of the State Pension, the earliest you can get that is when you reach your State Pension age. If you are currently aged between 20 and 39, your State Pension age will likely be 68. If you retire before this age, you will have to wait to claim your State Pension.
10 - 15% of your gross annual income is a good private pension contribution if you live in the UK, but the more you save into your pension, the better.
Most financial advisers recommend saving at least 10% of your income before tax towards your retirement. 10% might seem like a lot, but remember that it includes tax relief from the government and employer contributions if your employer contributes.
When deciding how much to contribute, remember to consider your current age, how old you will be when you retire, your preferred retirement lifestyle, and the average number of years people spend in retirement. Have a play with the MoneyHelper’s Pension Calculator to work out how changing your pension contributions at your age will affect your total retirement savings.
A good monthly pension amount in the UK is 10% - 15% of your gross monthly income, but the more you pay into a pension, the better. When you receive your monthly salary and some of it goes into your pension, check that the total contribution equals 10% - 15% of your pre-tax monthly income. If it does not, you can simply add the difference by joining the pension contribution matching scheme in your place of work if your employer offers one or opening a private pension, such as a SIPP or a Stakeholder Pension.
When thinking about your monthly pension contributions, you should consider your current age, the type of pension you have, and the amount of money you’re expecting to live on once you retire and when you plan to retire.
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