In his last Budget speech, writes Tony Watts, Chancellor George Osborne surprised everybody – not least the entire pensions industry as well as many of his fellow Conservative MPs – when he announced proposals to totally revisit the way that those entering into retirement can arrange their investment portfolio. Out would go the tyranny of […]

Happy with the changes to the pension system made by the Coalition Government? asks Tony Watts OBE. Importantly, what else might be in the pipeline as we come up to the next election? Your perspective on the pension reforms undertaken in the last couple of years may well depend on whether or not you are […]

Have the reforms to the State Pension gone far enough, fast enough? Just how fair are they – and have older pensioners in particular lost out? Tony Watts OBE asks Pensions Minister Steve Webb to put the record straight. Steve Webb regularly wins plaudits from all sides for his grasp of the complexities of the […]

George Osborne today announced that a new range of pension bonds will be issued by the National Savings Office next year.  First indications suggest the interest rate offered will be higher than most bank rates and the interest will be taxable. The limit for each bond is expected to be £10,000.  More to follow soon.

George Osborne today announced potentially far-reaching changes in retirement planning and funding effective from next April.  Central to the new regime is the ability to withdraw the whole of a pension fund as a single lump sum or as a series of lump sums over a period of time.  25% of the pension fund can […]

In today’s Budget, George Osborne announced higher ISA limits of £15,000 per individual from July 2014. The new limit will combine both Cash and Investment ISAs with greater flexibility to switch between each type. More to follow soon.

There a number of processes, some straightforward and some complex,  to consider well ahead of your ultimate retirement date.  Hopefully, the following key points will be of some help:

It has been announced that the September CPI value was 2.7%.  This is the rate that the State Pension and other pension revaluations will be increased by with effect from next April.

With one of the key annuity providers reducing annuity rates again this week, it is key to shop around not only for the best standard annuity rate but also for non-standard annuities.

………………and of course a pension fund of £1.25 million is, indeed, a lot and I am sure most of us will accumulate a pension fund far less than this.  But the new limit coming into effect from 2014 may tell us a bit about how the Government is thinking about private pension provision and retirement savings generally.