Retirement

Everyone aspires to a comfortable retirement, with the ideal being the ability to maintain the same standard of living in retirement as during their working life. However, many people neglect retirement planning while they build their businesses or raise a family, often thinking that all they have to do is to set up a pension and worry about the finer details when close to retirement age. Given that you could potentially spend a third of your life in retirement, it will pay dividends to start planning much earlier.

We can help with a range of retirement planning services, and would be pleased to discuss your personal situation in a number of areas:

Exiting a business

If you are running a business, have you considered your exit strategy?

Perhaps you plan to withdraw from the business after handing it over to the next generation. This will require a well-planned succession to ensure the business you have built continues to thrive.

Or do you hope to sell it? In this case, how will you value the business, or find a suitable buyer. Are you aware of all the tax implications of the timing of disposals?

Will you choose to sell shares in your business instead of selling it outright? In that case, there are capital gains tax and other financial issues to be taken into account.

Our corporate finance expertise can help you decide on the most appropriate exit strategy for you and your family.

Pension provision

Unfortunately, the contribution made by successive governments to senior citizens is decreasing at a time when we are living longer. At the same time, private sector employers have closed final salary pension schemes in favour of defined contribution schemes, and the age at which we are entitled to receive a state pension is increasing. These trends all mean that to ensure we have a comfortable retirement we should be increasing contributions to our pensions.

The reality is that pensions are immensely complex, the choices confusing, and it is all too easy to make expensive mistakes.

If you do not already have a pension, do you know which type is the best one for you given the wide range of options available - from Stakeholder Pensions, Personal Pensions and Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPS)?

If you already have a pension, will it be adequate to fund a comfortable retirement? Is it even the right type for you? How can you turn your pension fund into a pension income? What provision do you need to make for your spouse, other dependents or descendents?

If you own a business, or are a company director, there are different pension options available to you. Plus, you may not be making full use of all your allowances.

While we are not registered as Independent Financial Advisers we can provide advice to help you make the most of the options and allowances and assist you in finding an IFA who we consider would be best qualified to advise you. 

Savings and investments

Savings and investments can play a major part in retirement planning as they will help to build your personal and family wealth prior to retirement. There are numerous options available, including Unit Trusts, Individual Savings

Accounts, and Buy-to-let property.

Through our financial services business partners, we can help to determine whether you have the right balance between savings and investments, and whether your portfolio is split adequately between exposures.

Life assurance and long-term care

Few of us like to think about death, but it pays to be practical and forward-thinking and consider how best to protect our dependents from financial hardship when we are no longer around. There is a bewildering choice of products, both protection and investment policies, and choosing one means very careful consideration of your personal circumstances.  Similarly, should you require long-term care or develop a critical illness you will need to ensure you have adequate cover to protect yourself and your family.

In conclusion, we can assist in all these areas. Following a confidential assessment of your goals, your family circumstances, finances and personal tax position, we can help to ensure that your retirement is free of financial worry.