The governments Pension Tracing Service can help you track down any old workplace schemes from previous employments.

This is a great place to start taking control of your retirement savings.

All you need is the name of your old company and to follow this link:

https://www.gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details

You can also contact us and we will help you trace and organise your current pensions.

*** PENSION TRACING SERVICES ARE NOT REGUALTED***

As you start planning for retirement it is important to take your State Pension into account. This will be a regular income that you receive from the government that supports you when your reach State Retirement age.

The amount you receive is based on your National Insurance record

You can check when you will receive your state pension by visiting the government website:

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Running your own business means freedom and independance,  in terms of saving for your future there are additional things for you to think about.

Whether you are a sole trader, or a limited company owner saving for retirement is your responsibility. The are various ways in which you can set money aside for your retirement, whilst still focussing on growing your business.

Setting up a pension is one way to save for retirement.

If you don't have current pensions the first step is to set up a new plan- we can help with this if you'd like.

UK residents under 75 can usually pay in as much as they earn and get tax relief from the government.

The amount you can pay into a pension and achieve tax relief is limited by the annual allowance which for most people is £40,000. Although this may be lower for higher earners or those who have accessed their pension. You might be able to pay in more if you've got unused allowances from previous years.

If you'd like to discuss setting up a pension/ saving for your retirement we will happily have a chat with you. All initial consultations are free of charges, so you can ask as many questions as you'd like without worrying about running up a bill.

As many people go through life they change jobs several times, sometimes meaning they have a pension pot from each of their previous employers.

Consolidating old pensions could give you a new lease of life- it could make it easier to manage your investments and keep track of performance, and the potential income you would have available both on the run up to, and in retirement.

We have helped lots of our clients amalgamate several pensions into one pot, for ease of management.

We will happily review your exisiting pensions to see if they are suitable to be merged together.

Some traditional pension can restrict you to a handful of investment options which can limit the potential for better returns.

Reviewing your pensions with us is straightforward, and all initial consultations and research are free of charge, so you don't need to worry that exploring your pension options is going to be expensive!

Pension scams are on the increase in the UK. Everyday fraudsters are using sophisticated ways to part savers from their money. Check the facts before you make an irreversable decision.

In particular be aware of people contacting you out of the blue bout your pensions, or running advertisements claiming to offer unrealistic investment returns or tax loopholes.

Also beware of proises to access your pension pot below the age of 55. Only in very rare cases is this possible, so don't beleive them. The aimm of these unscrupulous firms or individuals is to persuade you to cash in your pension pot and hand money to them to invest.

Once you have transferred your pension or handed over your lump sum it may be too late. Many victims have lost their entire  pension savings to scams. Even if you don't lose your money, you could facea large tax bill from HM Revenue and Customs.

None of the government backed services will ever contact you out of the blue. Put the phone down if you receive an unexpected call.

You can contact us, if you'd like to check a call/ approach you have had. 

The first thing to consider is how much you think you will need each year in retirement.

Many people forget that you are likely to have fewer outgoings such as mortgages, childcare costs etc. in retirement so the amount you need may be less than you think.

The second thing to consider is what your state pension will be when you get to state retirement age.

The amount you need in personal pensions will be the difference between how much you think you'll need, and the state pension you will be awarded.

If you're unsure as to whether what you have will cover you throughout retirement, we will happily have a look at what you have in place, and calculate any shortfall. All initial consultations are free of charge, so you can find out if you have sufficient funds without it costing you anything.

If there is a shortfall we can advice what that amount is, and discuss how you can make that up, again on a free consultation basis.

We work on a free initial consultation basis.

This doesn't mean you get half an hour free, then we start charging you.

This means you can speak to us as many times as you like, and until you decide to go ahead with a recommendation we have made, you pay us nothing.

We believe this approach is the best way to build trust with our clients.

An example of how this works is as follows:

Mr. Smith contacts us to discuss the six pensions he has. We book him in for an appointment to discuss. During the appointment we discuss Mr. Smiths financial position and goals for the future (preferably with a nice cup of tea), what provision he has in place and what he may need in retirement. We take details of the pensions that Mr. Smith holds.

Once back at the office we send letters to all of Mr. Smiths pension providers  and gather a whole host of information on each plan. We consider that information and see if it matches with Mr. Smiths goals and plans for the future, as well as his attitude towards the risk of investments.

Based on our discussions and research we present Mr. Smith with a recommendation, this may be to keep the plans as they are, or to change some of them. Each client will need a completely bespoke recommendation, this will include the benefits of what we suggest, the charges involved in doing the work etc.

 If Mr. Smith decides not to take up our recommendation, all of the above process will have cost him nothing.

If he does want to go ahead with our recommendation depending on what the recommendation is, that is when charging will come into play.

As a rule of thumb, switching pensions costs no more than 4% of the value of the pension, and this decreases on a tiered basis, dependant on how much your investments are worth. The fees don't have to be invoiced and can be taken from the pension itself.

We are completely transparent with our costing and will never ask you to go ahead with anything unless you fully understand what you are paying.

As mentioned above, we undertake a lot of preparation work at no cost, so that you get the answers you need and want, without worrying about cost.