Retirement planning

“As in all successful ventures, the foundation of a good retirement is planning” – Earl Nightingale

For many, planning for retirement has meant working towards a point in time when you switch from employment to one of permanent unemployment, free of all the stresses, restrictions and routines of working life. A time when you plan to pursue new interests, travel or spend more time with family and friends. A time of financial independence.

PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT

Typically, we plan for retirement by saving in a pension, whether this is individually or through a workplace pension sponsored by your employer. However, we no longer have ‘jobs for life’ and can often accumulate several pension plans over our working lives.

With the demographics of the UK changing as life expectancy increases and the number of babies born remains constant, it will become extremely difficult to rely solely upon the Government’s State Old Age Pension. Developing an appropriate strategy is therefore vital to accrue sufficient funds for retirement from which income can be derived.

Wessex Investment Management work with you to consider all the options based on your needs and risk appetite. As part of the financial planning process, it is our job to blend the savings vehicles that will yield the most efficient income in retirement.

APPROACHING OR AT RETIREMENT

Achieving Financial Independence

Recent changes to legislation have meant that ‘pensions freedom’ is a phrase commonly used, but what does it mean? What ‘freedom’ is actually available? What do you need to do to maximise your financial independence?

Entering retirement will be one of the most important times in your life. It should also be one of the most enjoyable, not just because it means an end to all the stresses, restrictions and routines of working life, but because it should provide the freedom to pursue new interests, travel and/or the ability to spend more time with family and friends.

However, with life expectancy increasing year on year, you now have the potential to spend almost as many years enjoying retirement as preparing for it; you’ll need to ensure you make the right investment choices at this critical time as the decisions one can make at retirement are probably some of the most important that can ever be made.

Here at Wessex Investment Management we have the knowledge and experience to help you make the right choices.

IN RETIREMENT

When in retirement it is important to continue to monitor and review the options selected and investments made when you first retired. Inflation is an important factor as it will reduce the buying power of your money and if you are no longer able to replenish the funds spent, you need to be in control of your investments and pension fund to ensure they continue to satisfy your needs.

The strategies employed for the management and preservation of the wealth that has been accumulated become more important as time goes by. The balance between providing income and capital growth will change especially if long term care is required. This is where Wessex Investment Management can help, by providing expert, tailored advice so that you do not need to worry about providing income throughout retirement and can get on with enjoying life in retirement and not retirement from life.

A pension is a long-term investment. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which could have an impact on the level of benefits available.

Your retirement income could be affected by interest rates at the time you take your benefits. The tax implications of income withdrawals will be based on your individual circumstances, tax legislation and regulation, which are subject to change in the future.