Pensions, annuities & retirement planning

The Pensions Policy Institute have released their latest guide to the UK Pension System. It is up to date to 1st June 2026. https://www.pensionspolicyinstitute.org.uk/research-library/pensions-primer/ It is aimed they say at anyone wanting to better understand the UK pensions system, including policymakers and Government…

I am 56 hoping to retire at 60, very big chance of redundancy then if not year earlier. This would be 95k payout and my plan would be to take the 30k tax free and put balance into pension. I know not a guarantee but if it happens this is plan. I have one final salary which offers 11500 per year with tax free £75k which is…

Hello all I have just been auto enroled onto my works pension with "Nest" There sight says they invest in businesses which obviously means when I get to retire I may have lost money (I know it can go up or down BUT!) I don't know what to do as nobody in work seems to be able to tell me any detail atall. I am currently 63…

G’day folks, Is this the only way? I need 4k net a month. My boss has asked me to go part time reducing my pay to 40k a year. This is based on 18.75 hours a week. I have just turned 55 and find the thought quite appealing. He needs a headcount reduction and is asking all the old timers if they can go part time to prevent…

not there yet, few years off. But wondering about practicalities. How did you get yourself sorted so hopefully day one of retirement was pretty smooth? eg pension applications/payouts may take some time, so how early do you start getting that lined up? did you try and get different income sources timed to arrive fairly…

I have received an email from the lppa (as they call themselves), but am unsure whether they are an independent organisation regarding my previous local government contracts, or a private company looking to invest such in their interest (I have had brown envelopes with "official" letters about my pension previously from a…

How many lost money resulting from a LifeStyling (reinvestment strategy) with Clerical Medical? This is where the company moved investments from stocks and shares to "safer" bonds and gilts. But the strategy backfired - triggering significant losses.

I’ve just had an email from (Removed by Forum Team), Head of Data Breach at Barings Law advising that he is moving to Abbleys Solicitors and taking the Capital Data Breach case with him. Has anyone else received this? Wondering what the implications of this are? Thanks

I'm nearly 54 so looking at pension options etc for when I turn 55. I have an old pension mentioned above. My understanding is that this has a protected cash fund and that I may be able to take out more than 25% tax free and wondered if this is correct? There's also mention of GMP - which is think is something to do with…

I’m normally careful about putting my details online but I don’t think that I have any choice if I’m going to get useful answers. I’m 57 and have £535k in my DC pension. My mortgage is fixed until next June and will be in the region of £50k at that point. I plan to repay it then. I have around £38k cash, some of which is…

Hello, I am retiring in March 2027 at age 58. Whilst there is no mention of any redundancies at the moment I was wondering what the process was for applying as there's no harm in asking? My team have undergone a recent recruitment exercise which means IMO the team is now completely overstaffed and my work can definitely be…

Hi everyone, I've been happily purchasing Added Years on my CS Classic scheme pretty much since I joined in 1998 (Added Years arrangement was put in place in 2000). Given my age at the time, I was able to purchase the maximum available to me: 7 years. I've kept all the confirmation documentation (hard copy letters in those…

I was employed by the civil service for 5 years, raised through different ranks and left at a SEO grade. From day 1 I opted into the Alpha pension this was from January 2017 to January 2022. I left in February 2022. I'm 33. As i left the civil service, and logged into my civil service pensions account online, I can see my…

There's a report in Computer Weekly on internal staff comments about management platitudes - not good news but reflects internal tensions:- https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366648014/Capita-CEO-receives-scathing-rebuttal-from-employee-over-botched-contract

Hi, I have a modest DB pension form a previous employer. It is linked to the final salary I was on when I left that company. I can go ask for a quote on their portal and input a date I would like to start drawing it as long as it is over 55. I have just got a quote to draw at 55 (a few months after 55th birthday) and it is…

Should I still recieve an annual statement that shows the CPI annual increase to my pension and the latest survivor pension amount? I asked my LGPS scheme today and they said they do not provide that information each year.

This discussion was created from comments split from: Aviva pension policy disappeared from MyAviva.

Having seen some excellent un-biased advice on financial matters on this forum, I wonder if any of the experts could offer some suggestions. A close friend approaching age 60 (Miss X) is going to inherit a SIPP in excess of £250k from her younger sister who recently died. So the pension will retain its Tax free status. I…

My OH has a life assurance policy taken out 30+ years ago. The intention at the time was to provide cash if the worst should happen to pay the mortgage/ support me while the kids were growing up etc. Now the mortgage is cleared and the kids are self sufficient. So its original purpose is no longer. However, it is in place…

I have been getting a little bit confused about tax and I wonder if someone would be kind enough to help me calculate an UFPLS withdrawal I intend to make? I am trying to avoid paying higher rate tax and wish to use up my basic rate tax allowance with UFPLS withdrawals. I am expecting to receive £26,361 gross in DB…