Our specialism
Retirement planning, step by step.
Most people arrive with the same question — can I afford to stop? We answer it in six clear stages, in plain English, starting with a free initial conversation.
Why we work this way
Retirement is not one decision. It is about forty.
When to stop. Which pension to touch first. Whether to take the tax-free cash. What to do with the old scheme from three jobs ago. Whether to buy an annuity or stay invested. What happens to your spouse. What the taxman takes.
Taken together it is overwhelming, which is why people put it off for years. Taken one at a time, in the right order, it is manageable — and that is the whole of our method. You will never be asked to decide something before you understand it.
The method
Six steps, in this order.
You can stop after any of them. Most people find the first three answer the question they came with.
Where you are
We gather every pension, savings pot, property and income source into one picture — including the old workplace schemes most people have lost track of. No decisions yet. Just an honest starting position.
What you want it to look like
The year you would like to stop, or reduce your hours. What you want to spend. What you want to leave. Most people have never put a number on it, and it is usually the most useful hour of the process.
Whether the numbers work
We build a cashflow model and test it — markets falling early, living into your nineties, care costs, one of you dying first. You see the range of outcomes, not a single optimistic figure.
Closing the gap
If there is a shortfall we show you the levers: contributions, retirement age, spending, risk, tax relief. If there is a surplus, we say so — sometimes the answer is that you could have stopped two years ago.
Drawing the money
Tax-free cash, drawdown, annuity, phasing, State Pension timing, and the order you take things in. This is where good planning saves the most tax and the most worry.
Keeping it on track
Life changes and markets move. We review with you at least once a year, and you can pick up the phone in between. Retirement planning does not stop on the day you retire.
What that covers
The detail behind each step.
Old workplace schemes, contracted-out benefits, preserved deferred pensions and the Pension Tracing Service.
Protected tax-free cash above 25%, guaranteed annuity rates, enhanced terms — checked before any transfer is considered.
Stress-tested against poor early returns, living to ninety-five, care costs and the first death of a couple.
Forecast checks, National Insurance gaps and whether topping up is worth it in your case.
Annual allowance, tapering for higher earners, and using unused allowance from the three previous tax years.
Which pot to draw first across pensions, ISAs and other savings — usually the single biggest tax saving available.
Whether to take it, when, and what taking it early costs you over a thirty-year retirement.
Most unused pension funds and pension death benefits count towards your estate from April 2027. What it means, and why rushing to withdraw is rarely the answer.
Survivor's pensions, nominations, and what your household income looks like if one of you dies first.
A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until 55 (57 from April 2028). Your capital is at risk. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. The tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on your individual circumstances, tax legislation and regulation which are subject to change in the future.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax planning and estate planning.
Workplace pensions are regulated by The Pensions Regulator.
Before you speak to anyone
Have a look at the numbers yourself.
Our retirement calculator gives you a rough idea of where you stand — no details required, nothing stored, nothing sent to us.
Retirement questions
The six we are asked most.
Earlier gives you more options, but it is rarely too late. Five to ten years out is when most people come to us — there is still time to change contributions, adjust risk and tidy up old pensions. Two years out is still useful: the decisions shift towards how you draw the money rather than how much you add.
Not always. Consolidating can simplify things and reduce charges, but some older plans carry guarantees — protected tax-free cash, guaranteed annuity rates, enhanced terms — that would be lost on transfer. We check each plan before recommending anything. Sometimes the right answer is to leave a pension exactly where it is.
We build a cashflow model of your actual spending, income sources and assets, then test it against real scenarios: markets falling early in retirement, living to ninety-five, care costs, one of you dying first. The output is not a single number but a range, and an understanding of what would have to go wrong before you had a problem.
We can help you understand the benefits and options available under your defined benefit pension scheme, including when benefits can be taken and any dependant benefits that may apply. Advice on transferring benefits from a defined benefit scheme requires specialist regulatory permissions. If you need this type of advice, we can refer you to a suitably authorised specialist.
It depends on the type. Defined contribution pensions can usually pass to whoever you nominate. Final salary schemes normally pay a reduced pension to a spouse. From April 2027 most unused pension funds and pension death benefits count towards your estate for inheritance tax, which changes the calculation for many people — we cover that in a separate article.
Nothing, and there is no obligation to go further. If you decide to proceed, you will see the cost of advice in writing before any chargeable work begins.
More general questions are answered on our FAQs page.
Start at step one.
A free initial conversation, 20 to 30 minutes, no preparation needed and nothing to sign. You will speak to one of our qualified advisers.
Contact us