Retirement and pension planning across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire
Retirement is one of the biggest financial transitions of your life, and how well you plan for it makes an enormous difference to the choices you will have. The decisions you make now shape the kind of life you will be able to lead when you stop working.
Planning for retirement at every stage
Good retirement planning is not a single event, it is something that evolves as you move through your working life. In your earlier years it is about building up your pensions and making the most of the time your money has to grow. Closer to retirement it becomes about protecting what you have built, deciding when you can afford to stop, and planning how you will draw your income.
We help people across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire understand what they already have, whether it is on track for the retirement they want, and what to do about it if it is not. We explain all of it in plain language, so you always feel in control of your own plan.
Whatever stage you are at, the starting point is the same: a clear picture of where you stand today. Most people have never brought all of their retirement arrangements together in one place, yet doing so is often the most valuable step they take.
The value of an investment with St. James's Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.
How we help
Open each to see what it involves.
Making the most of your pensions
Understanding what you have and whether it is working hard enough
Making the most of your pensions
Understanding what you have and whether it is working hard enough
Most people build up several pensions over a working life, and few ever review them properly. We help you understand what you have, whether it is working hard enough, and how it all fits into your plans.
That means looking at what each pension is invested in, what it costs you, what benefits or guarantees it carries, and what it is on course to be worth at the age you actually want to stop. Some older arrangements carry valuable features that are easy to overlook and should not be given up lightly.
Planning your retirement income
Turning what you have saved into an income that lasts
Planning your retirement income
Turning what you have saved into an income that lasts
Turning a lifetime of savings into a reliable income is one of the most important financial decisions you will ever make. We help you plan how to draw your money in a way that lasts.
One of the biggest risks in retirement is drawing your money too quickly and running short later, particularly as we are all living longer. There is also the question of order and timing: how and when you take money from your pensions and your other savings has a real effect on the tax you pay, and therefore on how much you actually keep.
Knowing when you can afford to retire
The biggest question of all, answered with real numbers
Knowing when you can afford to retire
The biggest question of all, answered with real numbers
Perhaps the biggest question of all is simply, can I afford to stop working? We help you answer it with real numbers, so you can make the decision with confidence rather than crossing your fingers.
It comes down to three things: what you have, what you will spend, and how long it has to last. We model those together, including the effect of stopping a few years earlier or later, so you can see the trade-off rather than guess at it.
From a pile of paperwork to a plan
A conversation about what you want
What retirement looks like to you, and roughly when. No obligation, and nothing to prepare beforehand.
We gather what you already have
Old employer schemes, personal pensions, the State Pension forecast. We do the chasing rather than leaving it to you.
A clear picture, in one place
What it is worth, what income it would produce, and how that compares with the retirement you have described.
Recommendations, and regular reviews
What to change and why, in writing. Then we review it with you as your plans and the rules around them change.
Advice that fits the rest of your life
Retirement planning does not sit on its own. It connects to your investments, your tax position, your protection and, eventually, what you leave behind. Because we advise across the whole of your financial life, we help make sure your retirement planning works alongside everything else, rather than in isolation.
Retirement questions we are asked most
How do I know whether my pensions are on track?
By starting with a number rather than a feeling. We work out what you have, what it is likely to be worth at the age you want to stop working, and what income that would produce. Comparing that with the income you actually want tells you whether you are on track, and how much difference a change now would make.
When can I afford to retire?
It depends on what you have, what you will spend, and how long the money has to last. It is a calculation rather than a guess, and it is the question we are asked most. We model it with real numbers so you can make the decision with confidence rather than crossing your fingers.
Should I take my tax-free cash as soon as I can?
Not automatically. Taking it early can make sense where you have a specific use for it, and it can be an expensive habit where you do not, because money drawn out is no longer invested and may affect the tax you pay later. The order and timing of what you draw matters as much as the amount.
I am years away from retiring. Is it too early to get advice?
No, and early is where advice is worth most, because small changes have decades to compound. Earlier in your working life the conversation is about building up and making the most of the time your money has to grow. Closer to retirement it turns to protecting what you have built and how you will draw it.
Find out where you actually stand
Wherever you are on the journey to retirement, a conversation about where you stand is the best place to start. No obligation, just a clear picture of where you are and what your options look like.