Partially Crystallised SIPP Growth Monitoring

Chickereeeee

Does anybody know how a partially crystallised SIPP is monitored/managed by the various platforms?
E.g. (my position) I had a SIPP, which I 50% crystallised (taking tfls), with iWeb. There is no differentiation between crystallised and uncrystallised holdings when I view the account online., and I can sell or buy them as I wish. So, how do I, or indeed the platform, work out what the values are for when I want to crystallise the rest? I would like to crystallise the remainder near LTA.

It is not just iWeb: AJ Bell are the same.

ErinGoBrath

Chickereeeee said:

Does anybody know how a partially crystallised SIPP is monitored/managed by the various platforms?
E.g. (my position) I had a SIPP, which I 50% crystallised (taking tfls), with iWeb. There is no differentiation between crystallised and uncrystallised holdings when I view the account online., and I can sell or buy them as I wish. So, how do I, or indeed the platform, work out what the values are for when I want to crystallise the rest? I would like to crystallise the remainder near LTA.

It is not just iWeb: AJ Bell are the same.

When you crystallise part of the SIPP they will store the crystallised percentage, eg 46.78% behind the scenes.

This percentage will only change if you pay more contributions into your SIPP or withdraw from the crystallised portion (crystallised percentage goes down) or you crystallise some more or partially transfer from the uncrystallised pot (crystallised percentage goes up).

I much prefer Hargreaves Lansdown's method of two completely separate pots which makes having different investments easier but obviously can cost more.

Albermarle

It is not just iWeb: AJ Bell are the same.

It has been mentioned before that II do the same, but somewhere on the website  you can find a figure of what % of the pot is crystallized.

I think HL & Fidelity have two clear separate pots that you can even invest differently if you want to  .

dunstonh

Does anybody know how a partially crystallised SIPP is monitored/managed by the various platforms?

It varies.  Some operate sub funds.  i.e. a crystallised fund and an uncrystallised fund and a capped drawdown fund.   Others operate it under a single account but segregate it internally.

Some platform front ends are very limited in what they display.  Others are very detailed.   

Chickereeeee

Thanks all. 
If I understand correctly, in my case, they (e.g. iWeb and AJ Bell) just say (after 1/8 taken out as TFLS) 3/7 of anything in the account - equities, bonds, etc - is the crystallised part, and 4/7 is the uncrystallised part?
So, in theory I just need to keep an eye on 4/7 of the total value wrt LTA.

What about income? 4/7 of income would be counted as from the uncrystallised part, which should not be accessible? 

Albermarle

Income would only be taken from the crystallised part .

Chickereeeee

Albermarle said:

Income would only be taken from the crystallised part .

I don't see how I/they can track that. There is just one portfolio of funds, and just one cash holding amount, as far as I can see. There doesn't seem to be any restriction on how much of the cash holding I can withdraw, even if, notionally, 4/7 of it is coming from the uncrystallised pot.

dunstonh

Chickereeeee said:

Albermarle said:

Income would only be taken from the crystallised part .

I don't see how I/they can track that. There is just one portfolio of funds, and just one cash holding amount, as far as I can see. There doesn't seem to be any restriction on how much of the cash holding I can withdraw, even if, notionally, 4/7 of it is coming from the uncrystallised pot.

Some platforms are weak on the amount of info they show you.  It doesn't mean they don't have the info behind the scenes.

balbs

This is an interesting thread and shows why its so difficult to compare providers - one may look cheaper but then you have to look at what is being provided for the fees.  I was thinking of leaving HL until I dug into some comparisons of how fees were being applied and the service being offered (the part crystallisation issue was one). Its a typical scenario Im afraid of where the 'sophistication' (or is it mystification?) of the pension providers seems to be a smokescreen for what is really going on. 

Thrugelmir

balbs said:

 Its a typical scenario Im afraid of where the 'sophistication' (or is it mystification?) of the pension providers seems to be a smokescreen for what is really going on. 

No smokescreen. Don't pay minimal fees, create complex scenarios for oneself then expect a bells and whistles service. Be prepared to do leg work for oneself. Spreadsheets are easy to maintain. 

Chickereeeee

dunstonh said:

Chickereeeee said:

Albermarle said:

Income would only be taken from the crystallised part .

I don't see how I/they can track that. There is just one portfolio of funds, and just one cash holding amount, as far as I can see. There doesn't seem to be any restriction on how much of the cash holding I can withdraw, even if, notionally, 4/7 of it is coming from the uncrystallised pot.

Some platforms are weak on the amount of info they show you.  It doesn't mean they don't have the info behind the scenes.

I am sure you are correct. However, I have a SIPP, with another provider, with a mixture of crystallised and uncrystallised holdings of the same fund, paying dividends, and I have never been told that I cannot withdraw some of the cash as it was from the uncrystallised holding...