We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More » This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Pensions, annuities & retirement planning

Archives for September 2008

Can you withdraw funds from company pension?
I know you can transfer to a different one but my hubby has a small amount in an old company pension that is not performing at all and they have written to us telling of a shortfall. Can we just withdraw the whole amount? I thought I read somewhere about a change in pension laws that said you could... Hubby is 55
Pension Lifetime Allowance (LTA) - What does it mean?
I have a deferred company pension (Defined Benefits), I receive an annual benefits statement giving various pieces of information. One section of this information details ‘Lifetime Allowance (LTA)’, giving my benefits from the scheme (for LTA purposes) as valued at approximately £150k. What is the meaning of this figure?…
early retirement in this climate?
Hi, I am 56 & have a deferred 22/60th worth of final salary pension that I could collect now most of it without penalty. The deferred pension is index linked (up to about 4% approx). I'm torn two ways. Should I retire & collect this pension now (taking the maximum cash & uplift options) in case it disappears or would…
Pension contributions calculation
So - I've been paying into a group personal pension with my company for many years and have always been able to work out how much I was going to pay in reasonably easily with the formula: This amount would then be topped up by the pension company for the tax rebate due to bring it to the £70. My wife recently started work…
Frozen pension
what can i do with a frozen personal pension,i'm 44years old and have a few k in it :confused:
AVC's
I belong to a non contributary company, money purchase, pension scheme. The company provide 10% of my salary of which I have no control, but I do contribute approx 3.3% in AVC's. In this current financial situation should I stop the AVC's and invest in say an ISA or similar.
Pension Performance Query
Hi All, NOrmally a lurker so sorry if I get this all wrong... I decided that I would like to switch my pension funds so called my provider (HBOS) to get the symbols for the funds I was interested in. All I was primarily interested in was doing a bit of independant research before I switched. I have now been told by 2…
Pension fund falling daily
I have a private pension the fund of which has lost some 22% in the last few days due to the present situation and is continuing to fall daily. I am due to take this pension next year. Would it be better to take it now and not rsik any further losses or defer it until the financial market improves hopefully in 2 or 3 years…
Pension Sharing Order
This is far from my comfort zone, but I have a client who has been granted a Pension Sharing Order on divorce. The Company who have the pension funds have provided paperwork for her new pension company to sign to say they will accept the funds, but she has not been able to establish a new scheme yet. She has spoken with…
Pension in these dark times!
Quick question! Am I right in thinking that if you have a pension then with the recent falls it's a good time to increase your contribution to take advantage of this?
Standard Life Cash SIPP
I have £135K in a cash savings account within a Standard Life SIPP (held by Standard Life Bank plc), I converted to cash from equities last November. My IFA is away and I have 3 questions: How much if any of this is protected? Can I move sums of £35,000 to other banks? How safe is Standard Life? Thanks for any info.
Personal Pension Plan & Current Credit Crunch
Hi Am looking for some general thoughts / advice re personal pension plans that are linked to stocks and shares and the current credit crunch / world economy probs. My husband in 62 and unemployed through ill health / disability {formally self employed} and has two personal pension plans !!130k & 40k}. I work part time,…
confused with tax
I had been paying £50 net a month in to a free standing AVC until the end of last tax year then stopped. I did not tell the tax man for a couple of months and he has finally caught up with me. In September he put a M1 code on me and sure enough my pay dropped and I thought that was it. Then this month he has caught up for…
Fidelity chart tool
Hi I wonder if anyone especially and IFA on the board can advise. Lately I have been monitoring my pensions funds prices regularly using the chart tool to draw up a graph based on the daily option. Now that option has seems to have disappeared. The smallest time frame option is now yearly! Is this the same for you, if so…
Annual Statement For Skandia - Reduced
Have a company pension with Skandia that I contribute to and so does my employer. Basically just recd statement which shows that contributions into it were nearly £8000, where as it only increased about £600, in the year My split is SK Invesco Perp UK Growth 24% SK Axa Framlington Equity Inc 24% SK Rathbone income 24% SK…
Change my Company Pension ?
Hello there I have a Company Pension that I took out 2 years ago. When I took it out, I ticked High Risk. I am 21. With the way things are going should I change it to Medium Risk ? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Join company pension?
Hi, I am hoping someone can give me their opinion please. I have a new job and I will probably stay for some time as they support my studies in return for signing special contract that I will stay at least 12 months after gaining my full qualification (which I have 2 more year to go). The company operates personal pension…
Decision need on Company Pension
I have been a member of my company pension for about 18 months. Given the current financial situation, I am concerned that a pension is not a safe place to have my money. I understand that if I had savings with a bank the government would protect up to £35,000 of my money. Does anyone know if this is the same with the…
Sipp Cash Funds / Warning
How Can The Regulator Allow Sipp Fund Managers To Charge You Twice For The Same Service, Eg If You Have A Cash Fund In A Nominated Sipp, They Charge You A Management Fee, Im Ok With That. They Then Place Your Cash In A Bank Account Of Their Choosing And You Are Charged A Proportion Of The Bank Base Rate, Eg Bbr Is 4% And…
Good time to set up new pension?
Hello just wondered if anyone thought it a good idea to set up a private pension now. I am thinking of cautious funds. Or would i be better to stash my cash in a fixed bond or something for couple of years until all this financial turmoil has passed (hopefully). Then set up private pension. what are advantages of starting…

★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

View All

Pensions, annuities & retirement planning

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free

Pensions, annuities & retirement planning

Discussion List

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free