Stakeholder pension

green+goldfish

I'm self employed and a couple of years ago set up a NEST pot, just so that I had an account building something. But I want to move into something better. Any thoughts on people's experience with Stakeholder pensions would be welcome - for performance (of course this is somewhat market dependent!), fees and customer service.
Thanks!

xylophone

The stakeholder pension is still available but not through many providers -
Standard Life and possibly Prudential.

https://www.standardlife.co.uk/pensions/personal-pension/stakeholder


Would the Vanguard personal pension suit?

https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/what-we-offer/personal-pension/personal-pension-account

You may choose your own Vanguard funds or a portfolio is offered.

https://monevator.com/vanguard-lifestrategy/

Or perhaps 

https://moneytothemasses.com/saving-for-your-future/pensions/the-best-cheapest-sipps-low-cost-diy-pensions

kuratowski

Are you under age 40?  If so, a Lifetime ISA is worth considering, it might be more beneficial than a SIPP, given you are self-employed.

Stakeholder pensions are a bit outdated now, you will have more options if you go for a SIPP.  As above, Vanguard has a reputation for low fees - but they only offer their own range of funds.

There's another price comparison table here

https://monevator.com/compare-uk-cheapest-online-brokers/

dunstonh

ny thoughts on people's experience with Stakeholder pensions would be welcome

Stakeholder pensions were introduced in 2001 but plans sold from about 1998 were stakeholder friendly.    Stakeholder pensions were instrumental in bringing down charges on pensions.  However, by 2005, stakeholder pensions were starting to be beaten on charges by personal pensions and more recently SIPPs.    So, they are effectively a niche option nowadays.   Typically for people with small amounts.

There are only a handful of stakeholder pension providers left nowadays.

Albermarle

Alternatively if you want something very simple , but not the very cheapest, you can look at Nutmeg or Wealthify or https://www.legalandgeneral.com/investments/self-invested-personal-pension-sipp/

green+goldfish

Interesting! Thanks for the replies. I'm surprised as recent research (I thought!) led me to Stakeholder as a good option. 
Lifetime ISA is not an option as 40+, and I want my money to "work harder" for me. SIPP is a little more hands on than I feel comfortable with.
So personal pension sounds the way to go. Although I guess the benefit of the likes of Nutmeg & Wealthify is that money is invested, but not locked up until pension age - unless they offer pension options that I wasn't aware of.

Any further thoughts for PP also welcome.

Thanks.

kuratowski

If you are looking for a simpler option (not the simplest, but not 1000s of choices either) maybe consider a Vanguard pension
https://www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk/what-we-offer/personal-pension/personal-pension-account
As you are starting out, one of the default options may suit you - you can choose your risk level or target retirement date, and take it from there.

Wealthify and Nutmeg do offer pensions, but they are a more expensive option.  I.e. Wealthify is 4x as expensive as Vanguard, Nutmeg 3x.

Albermarle

The Legal and General SIPP ( link above ) is simple and cheap .
Suggest you compare this with Vanguard, which is slightly cheaper but less simple .