Personal Pensions

Personal Pensions represent a popular and attractive way of saving for your retirement.

All monies invested into your fund grow free of capital gains tax, and the contributions you make are enhanced by income tax relief at source. For example if you invest £80, the government adds on tax relief (currently 20%) to enhance your contribution to £100! If you are a higher rate taxpayer you can claim additional relief through your PAYE coding. An annual allowance is available as well as the possibility of utilising potential carry forward of unused reliefs.

A personal pension is an arrangement made in your name over which you have personal control. You can alter your contributions, suspend them, or stop them completely.

You will be eligible to take 25% of your accumulated fund tax-free when you retire. There are a range of options when you decide to take benefits such as purchasing annuity or electing capped or flexible drawdown.

Personal Pensions usually offer a range of investment mediums to suit your attitude to investment risk, and you can change your investment at any time.

Stakeholder pensions are similar to personal pensions but have their charges capped at 1.5% for the first 10 years reducing to 1% thereafter. Whilst Stakeholders are generally considered a little cheaper than Personal Pensions, investment choices may be restricted.

In recent years the pensions industry has become more advanced in terms of the flexibility of investments available and the structure of the actual pension arrangements.

It is an area of constant change and you should consult us/me regularly to make preparations for a secure and enjoyable retirement.

Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs)

A Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) is a tax-efficient wrapper within which a wide range of investments can be held. A new SIPP must appoint a scheme administrator, usually the recognised product provider. SIPPs have the same tax benefits and regulations as conventional personal pension plans but you and / or your advisers have control over the investment choice - each SIPP is unique to the individual. Otherwise, it operates in the same way as a conventional personal pension in respect of contributions and eligibility, for Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) purposes.

The complex nature of a SIPP means that it is not suitable for all investors. Often, the benefits of 'self investment' are only advantageous to people with very large funds and / or investors with some level of sophistication when it comes to investment decisions. Often, there are additional charges for arranging and dealing within a SIPP and these charges would erode smaller funds quickly.

The benefits of using a SIPP include being able to invest in:
Stocks and shares listed or dealt on an Inland Revenue recognised stock exchange, including AIM
Stock exchanges that are not recognised by HMRC, e.g. OFEX.
Unit trusts, open ended investment companies (OEICs)
Warrants, covered warrants
Government stock and fixed interest stock
Unquoted shares
Commercial property
Property funds

We will be able to provide more details and make a recommendation based on your own circumstances.