Our services: retirement planning and pensions

When it comes to retirement planning, it is never too early to start thinking about your financial security in later life.

When the state pension was introduced in 1908, the average life expectancy was in the mid-40s. Today, the average life expectancy for women is around 85 and 82 for men.

So with many people looking forward to a retirement of around 20 years or more, planning ahead and making provision now is crucial, as a state pension may simply not be enough to meet all your future financial needs.

With 2008 research showing that only 51 per cent of people* are setting aside enough money to provide themselves with an adequate income in retirement, it makes real sense to talk to us about the steps you can take to make your later years the time to relax and enjoy yourself you hope for.

We will look at your current pension arrangements and what these are forecast to provide, to give you a full picture of how you stand now.

Then we will establish the income you would need to provide for your desired lifestyle, the kind of contributions you will need to make to give you that income and your options.

The good news is that pensions are more flexible than ever before, from simple individual pensions to more complex schemes such as income drawdown and self invested personal pensions (SIPPs).

We can also identify other saving and investment opportunities to supplement your retirement income. All our recommendations will be based on our knowledge of you, your circumstances and your attitude to risk.

Our experience in protection against risk means we can also consider issues such as medical insurance, to give you peace of mind in case of ill health in later life.

To find out more about what we can do for you, please contact us.

*Source: Scottish Widows Pension Index 2008