Pension review

Old pensions, checked properly.

Most directors have pensions scattered across old employers or personal plans, with charges, performance and any special benefits nobody's looked at in years. We find them, review them properly, and set out in writing exactly what we'd recommend and why.

How we can help

Where couples usually need support.

Finding old pensions

Tracing employer and personal pensions from previous jobs, even where you've lost track of the provider or the paperwork.

Reviewing what you've got

Comparing charging structure, performance, and any special benefits your existing pension has, such as enhanced tax-free cash or guaranteed annuity rates.

Comparing modern platforms

Weighing that against modern pensions with clear, low charges, far wider fund choice, and flexible ways of taking an income such as flexible drawdown.

A full written report

Setting out exactly why moving your pension would, or wouldn't, be the right thing to do, in plain English rather than jargon.

Head office double-check

Every recommendation is independently checked by our head office before it reaches you, because once certain pensions are moved, they can't be moved back.

Illustrative example

What this can look like in practice.

The example below is illustrative only, not a real client case, showing how a review like this can play out.

Case one: Finding lost pensions

Tracing pensions from two previous employers

A client knew they'd paid into workplace pensions at two previous jobs but had lost the paperwork and couldn't remember either provider. We traced both plans, obtained up-to-date valuations, and confirmed exactly what each one was invested in and what it was costing.

2Old pensions traced
No paperworkProvider details unknown at the start
Full valuationObtained for both plans

Illustrative example only, based on a typical scenario. Figures are not a quote and individual circumstances vary.

Case two: Consolidating for lower charges

Three old workplace pensions brought into one

A co-director had three pensions from previous employers, each with different charges and none holding any special benefits worth keeping. Reviewing and consolidating them onto a modern platform brought the annual charge down significantly and widened the fund choice considerably.

3Pensions reviewed
1.8% → 0.6%Annual charge reduction
1Combined plan

Illustrative example only, based on a typical scenario. Figures are not a quote and individual circumstances vary.

Case three: When we recommend staying put

A guaranteed annuity rate worth more than any platform

Not every old pension should be moved. On review, one client's older plan included a guaranteed annuity rate considerably better than anything available on the open market today. Despite higher charges, the guarantee itself was worth more than the saving a transfer would have offered, so we recommended leaving it exactly where it was.

Guaranteed rateBetter than current market rates
Higher chargesOutweighed by the value of the guarantee
Recommendation: stayNo transfer made

Illustrative example only, based on a typical scenario. Figures are not a quote and individual circumstances vary.

Case four: The report and the double-check

Every recommendation checked before it reaches you

Once a review is complete, you receive a full written report comparing your existing pensions against the alternative, setting out exactly why a move is, or isn't, being recommended. Before it goes to you, every recommendation is independently checked by our head office, because a transfer out of certain pensions can't be undone once it's done.

Written reportComparing old vs. new in plain English
Independently checkedReviewed by head office before you see it
IrreversibleOnce moved, some pensions can't be moved back

Illustrative example only, based on a typical scenario. Figures are not a quote and individual circumstances vary.

The value of pensions and investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invested. A pension is a long-term commitment and cannot normally be accessed before age 55 (57 from 2028). Transferring a pension, particularly one with safeguarded benefits such as a guaranteed annuity rate, a defined benefit scheme, or other guarantees, may not be in your best interest, and some transfers cannot be reversed once completed. We will only ever recommend a transfer where we're satisfied it's in your best interest, and additional advice may be required for certain types of transfer. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future.

Want to know what this could mean for you?

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