Taking advice
At a glance
Deciding how to take your pension benefits from the Plan is a big decision that can involve significant sums of money.
Talking to an independent financial adviser will help you think through the retirement you want and how the pension benefits you have in the Plan can help you achieve that. Advice isn’t just for the wealthy. It’s more about understanding what you want from your retirement and how to get you there.
We understand that it can be difficult to choose an adviser, so we’ve partnered with Origen, one of the UK’s leading financial advisers. Origen advisers have an excellent understanding of the Plan, and the Trustees have negotiated competitive charges which you can find in the ‘Help is at hand’ information sheet.
If you wish to use Origen as your financial adviser, you need to provide consent in writing to the Plan Administrator to enable them to send your personal information to Origen.
You don’t have to use Origen – you can choose a different adviser if you wish. You can find a list of advisers at VouchedFor. Make sure you check that your adviser is registered with the Financial Conduct authority though – you can check the register here. Please be aware that if you’re thinking of transferring, an adviser who takes a percentage of your transfer value may be significantly more expensive that Origen.
Guidance
There is also guidance available for free – this is not advice tailored to your circumstances, but just information that might help you make up your own mind about your options.
The Government’s MoneyHelper site has lots of information as well as:
Interactive tools that can help you understand your options.
If you’re aged 50 or over, and you have any DC benefits, MoneyHelper can help you to arrange a free one-to-one guidance session with Pension Wise.
If you’re considering a transfer, you may be referred to MoneyHelper for a ‘Pension Safeguarding Guidance’ appointment to help you to understand the risks you may be taking and the benefits you may be giving up.