There comes a time in almost everyone’s life when they have to start taking retirement planning seriously.

Typically, our clients who want to plan for a life after work are in their early 50s, although they can be younger.

Although the specific event, for example a significant birthday, or job change, that triggers people to take financial advice is different, their backgrounds are remarkably similar.

When they first approach us, our clients often have several pensions scattered around with very little idea what income these will provide in retirement. Indeed, many people when they come to us don’t know how much income they will need in retirement.

Their other investments and savings are often similarly disorganised.

“Retire from work, but not from life.” M.K. Soni

How do we help?

Our job is to provide clarity, over existing pensions, investments and savings, as well as consider your retirement objectives and then produce a plan to make your dream retirement a reality.

The first question our clients generally want answered is; when will they be able to afford to retire and maintain, or even improve their standard of living? To answer that, a series of further questions need to be considered:

  • What are their retirement objectives? In other words, what lifestyle do they want to lead in retirement?
  • How much income will they need to pay for this lifestyle?
  • Do they need any lump sums? For example, to pay for one-off events
  • Ideally, when would they like to finish work?
  • What existing pensions, savings and investments do they have? And what income are they on track to produce?
  • What income will they get from the State Pension and when will this be available?

Once this information is available, we can build a plan, which will take them from where they are now, to being able to retire.

Of course, occasionally, we come across people who can already afford to retire, they just didn’t know they could.

There are several things that could stop you taking the all-important financial advice that will help you achieve your financial objectives.

If you have not used an Independent Financial Adviser or Financial Planner before, you will naturally be cautious. Worried perhaps about being charged too much, or being given advice that benefits the adviser more than it does you.

We are committed to being open, fair and transparent. For example, we are in the minority of advisers who display their fees online. We are pleased that our clients have also happily explained the benefits of working with us; you can see these below.

Finally, research has shown that those people who work with financial advisers:

  • Boost their assets by an average of £48,000 over 10 years*
  • See their pension value rise.  Those deemed “just getting by” see an increase of 24%, while those that are “affluent” see their retirement savings increase by 11% over 10 years.

The combined financial benefits of advice over 10 years are around 2,400% greater than the initial cost of advice, on average, research suggests.*

A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until 55 (57 from April 2028). The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available.

Sources

* Unbiased 12/12/2022

 

A client's story...

What do our clients have to say?

We were particularly impressed with the support and guidance Ben provided on what to expect in the early years of retirement and how we should organise our finances. We highly recommend Ben, we know he gives us good well-informed information and advice. Lynn & Julian
We were keen to ensure that our retirement planning was on track and that when we retired, maintain our standard of living. The service we received was professional, suited to our requirements and, most importantly, easy to understand. We would highly recommend Cactus Financial Planning. Stephen & Rachael
We needed investment advice after we had received an inheritance. After discussions with Ben he put into place a strategy where we were able to use these investments to help supplement our retirement income. We have been able to use this money to help pay for holidays and even a house extension! We have always found Ben a friendly and approachable person who understands our needs and requirements. Roger
I have recently started working with Ben who provided some investment advice. He explains things in a clear and concise manner, and is approachable and proactive. I have been delighted in the advice and ongoing service provided. Les