Retirement Planning

One of the most important investments you can make is towards your retirement; to ensure you experience the quality of life you want in later years. We can help you to explore the ethical options available and make a decision that reflects your beliefs. Putting a plan in place and reviewing regularly, will help ensure your money is always achieving your retirement goals. Retirement planning is an ever-evolving subject. This is why we maintain close relationships with our clients and help them respond to changing circumstances.

Norwich Ethical Investment & Financial Advisers
Ashley, Glasgow

“Thank you so much for helping me put this pension in place. Your assistance has been crucial in terms of feeling confident to make this decision. I really appreciate it.”

Pre-Retirement Planning

In the UK, the main issues surrounding retirement are:

  • The low level of pension benefits provided by the state
  • The demise of employer sponsored ‘final salary’ pensions.

Retirement planning is a complex subject that has been the focus of much public and media debate. By exploring the options available, including Stakeholder Pensions, Personal Pensions, and Self Invested Personal Pensions, we are able to support you in tailoring a solution to your situation.

Pension Review

We offer a full review and advice service for pension provisions, taking into account employer, stakeholder, state and private individual schemes. The reason for the review is to establish if your existing provision is right for you, or whether together we can find a more suitable solution.

This may mean transferring to a portfolio that offers some of the following benefits:

  • Wide range of ethically screened funds
  • Lower charges
  • Better functionality
  • Ongoing review service
  • Allows you to consolidate your pension arrangements

You adviser will be with you throughout the process, from initial discussions leading to implementation and ongoing review. We are here to guide and support you.

Retirement Options & Post-Retirement Planning

Finding the best solution for income in retirement can often feel complex. At Investing Ethically, we can guide you through the advantages and disadvantages of the available options. These can include:

  • Conventional Annuities – Standard or Enhanced
  • Asset Backed Annuities – With Profits or Unit Linked
  • Fixed Term Annuities
  • Income Drawdown (Unsecured Pension)
  • Phased Income Drawdown
  • ‘Third Way’ Products
  • Using a Combination of Tax Free Cash, Income Drawdown & Fixed Term Annuities
  • Inheritance Tax Planning

Case Study – Making sense of pensions!

Margaret, a self-employed accountant, is 63 in two months’ time. She had always planned to reduce her work commitments and seek a better work-life balance whilst in good health. Like many people, Margaret had a number of pension arrangements from numerous periods of employment.

She contacted Investing Ethically and explained that her priority was to understand what exactly she had, before understanding whether she could afford to work less and retain her lifestyle.

We arranged an initial personal review, which allowed Margaret to share information about her personal and financial circumstances. Together, we reviewed the pension statements.

Our discussions revolved around income security, income flexibility, taxation, dependents and control. We discussed the options available, which included conventional annuities, fixed term annuities, investment backed annuities, hybrid products and flexi-access drawdown; summarising the benefits and risks of each.

We completed a risk profiling assessment and ethical questionnaire, and based on our discussions agreed that a combination of conventional annuity and flexi-access drawdown were the best solutions. We discussed our fee terms and once she was happy, gained a commitment from her.