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Averting a later-life financial crisis

More retirees drawing pensions without LPAs

People are generally living longer these days. Increasingly, more people are living well into their 80s and 90s – and some even longer. This may mean you have a long time to budget for. That’s why it is very important to consider all of your options carefully and think about what will matter to you in retirement.

You can now access your pension in more ways than ever before, after the Government introduced wide-ranging changes in April 2015. These changes give you more options, so it’s important that you take time to think carefully before you decide what to do with your money.

Later-life financial crisis
Nearly 80% of retirees using the UK’s pension freedoms to manage their retirement savings face a potential ‘later-life financial crisis’ as they have not set up a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), a recently published report [1] has warned. There are two types of LPA. These are the Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney, and the Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney.

The research found that 345,265 pensioners accessing their pension pots in this way have not yet given a family member or friend the legal authority to make decisions on their behalf if they were no longer able to do so.

Responsibility of managing income
The analysis underscores the scale of an issue that has emerged since the British government abandoned the requirement to buy an annuity at retirement. It has come to light that twice as many people are now opting for drawdown over annuities. In effect, this puts the responsibility of managing income in retirement on the individual.
Registering an LPA has become even more important since the pension reforms. Thousands of people are now making complex decisions on their pension into old age, when the risk of developing a sudden illness or condition such as dementia increases. Despite this, many are unprepared for a sudden health shock or a decline in their mental abilities. The time to set up an LPA is well before you need it.

Potentially creating problems
With more and more people moving into drawdown, this is potentially creating problems that could leave thousands of people facing a possible later-life financial crisis. It is vital to plan for a time when managing your pension might become hard, or even impossible, and obtaining professional financial advice is one of the best ways to do this.

Discussions with your family or others
An LPA can be a very important part of advance planning for a time when a person will not be able to make certain decisions for themselves. It allows you to choose someone you trust to make those decisions in your best interests. This can be reassuring, and making an LPA can start discussions with your family or others about what you want to happen in the future.

The stigma around the LPA, as with dementia, is compounded by its links to mental capacity. Some people are reluctant to consider a future where they may not be able to make their own decisions due to the connotations they associate with this. In cases where LPAs are not in place, assets and equity may be lost, or those in a vulnerable position may be forced to make decisions they are no longer able to cope with.

Source data:
[1] The study for Zurich UK is based on a YouGov survey of a UK sample of 742 people who have moved into drawdown since the pension freedoms were introduced in April 2015. The survey was carried out between 14 December 2017 and 24 January 2018.
FCA Data Bulletin (issue 12) shows 345,265 pots moved into income drawdown between October 2015 and October 2017. Assuming the number of people moving into drawdown continued at a similar rate from November 2017 to April 2018, this would equate to a further 86,316 people in drawdown. 345,265 + 86,316 / 5 x 4 = 345,265 people.
345,265 / 2 years of drawdown data = 172,632 x 10 years = 1,726,325 people.

PENSIONS ARE A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT.

THE RETIREMENT BENEFITS YOU RECEIVE FROM YOUR PENSION PLAN WILL DEPEND ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS INCLUDING THE VALUE OF YOUR PLAN WHEN YOU DECIDE TO TAKE YOUR BENEFITS, WHICH ISN’T GUARANTEED, AND CAN GO DOWN AS WELL AS UP.

THE VALUE OF YOUR PLAN COULD FALL BELOW THE AMOUNT(S) PAID IN.

ACCESSING PENSION BENEFITS EARLY MAY IMPACT ON LEVELS OF RETIREMENT INCOME AND YOUR ENTITLEMENT TO CERTAIN MEANS TESTED BENEFITS.

ACCESSING PENSION BENEFITS IS NOT SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE. YOU SHOULD SEEK ADVICE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR OPTIONS AT RETIREMENT.

When I’m gone

How a simple list can help your loved ones after your death

Although it may not feel like it, your family finances are probably more precarious than you think. It’s all well and good when the breadwinners are healthy and working, but if something unfortunate were to happen, the outlook for those around you could change instantly.

Research from Macmillan[1] highlights the worrying fact that two in three people living in Britain don’t have a Will – including 42% of over-55s. Without an up-to-date Will, the law could supersede a person’s final wishes and leave treasured possessions, money, property and even dependent children with someone they may not have chosen.
This news comes despite official guidance recommending that people review their Will every five years and after any major life changes[2], yet a quarter of Wills have not been updated for at least five years[3].

Top five things to do to help your loved ones after you have gone:

1. Write a Will
A Will ensures that the right people inherit from you, and while most of us know how important it is to have a Will and keep it up to date, many of us don’t do it. The research shows that three in five adults (60%) don’t have a Will, and a quarter (26%) of those are aged 55 and above. It’s especially important for cohabitating couples to have a Will, as the surviving partner does not automatically inherit any estate or possessions left behind.

2. Think about care of children
If you have children, it’s important to decide on guardians, but three in five (58%) parents with children under 18 haven’t chosen guardians should they die. Think about who you would want to step into this role, and ask them if they’d be happy to do so. Then make sure you appoint them as guardians in your Will.

3. Write a ‘when I’m gone’ list
More than one in ten (12%) adults admitted that it would be very difficult for anyone to handle their financial affairs after they died. Pulling together all your personal and financial information into one simple document can really help your loved ones when you’re gone.

4. Make a plan to pay for your funeral
Research shows that the average cost of a funeral is around £3,800, with one in six people (16%) saying they struggled with the cost. Having a plan in place to pay for your funeral will mean your family won’t have to find several thousand pounds at a difficult time.

5. Have a conversation with your family
Having a conversation with your family about your wishes can remove a great deal of uncertainty for them in the event of your death. The research shows that of those who have had to arrange a funeral, two in five (41%) were not left any instructions from the deceased. Starting a conversation might include talking about your funeral wishes with your loved ones or showing them where your important documents are kept.

Source data:
[1] Macmillan/Opinion Matters online survey of 2,000 UK adults. Fieldwork conducted 1–4 December 2017. Figures based on total population.
[2] Office for National Statistics. UK population mid-year estimate for adults aged 18 or over. Available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland [Accessed 12 December 2017]
[3] https://www.gov.uk/make-will/updating-your-will

PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT A RELIABLE INDICATOR OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

Driving towards the next phase of your life

Getting the date right can help you reach your destination sooner

At some point you’ll say ‘goodbye’ to your co-workers, get into your car and drive towards the next phase of your life – retirement. But when will that be? The move to retirement is one of the most important decisions you’ll make, so it’s not surprising that determining the date is harder than you may ever expect.

However, most over-45s are not making plans to match their hopes for the future according to new research[1]. The vast majority (86%) of those aged 45 or over are already dreaming about escaping their working life for retirement, but only 8% of the same age group have recently checked the retirement date on their pension plans to make sure it is still in line with their plans. Over half (56%) don’t have a clear idea of when they want to retire, and only one in ten (10%) have worked out how much income they’ll need when they decide to stop working.

The study reveals that it doesn’t get much clearer as you go up the generations. Less than a fifth (17%) of those aged between 55 and 64 have recently checked to see if the retirement date on their pension policy still fits in with their plans.

Some people will have set their retirement date when they were in their 20s or 30s, and a great deal will have changed since then, including their State Pension age and perhaps their career plans. It may seem like a finger-in-the-air guess when you’re younger, but the date that you set for retirement on a pension plan does matter. It will often dictate how your money is being invested and the communications you receive as you get nearer to that date.

Reasons to keep your retirement plans up to date

Right support, right time
If the date you plan to retire changes or you simply want to take some of your pension without stopping working, it’s important to tell your pension company provider. Otherwise you may not receive information and support about your pending retirement at the most helpful times, as they’ll be basing this on your out-of-date plans.

De-risking investments
Some investment options will start to move your pension savings into lower-risk investments as you get closer to retirement. If you don’t have the right retirement date on your plan, you could be moving into these investments at the wrong time. For example, if you move into them too early, you could potentially miss out on investment returns that could increase the value of your pension savings. But if you move too late, you could be exposing your life savings to unnecessary risk.

Investment pot
The size of pension pot you need to build up to maintain your lifestyle when you come to retire will depend on when you plan to do so.

Income
If you’re planning to buy an annuity at retirement, which will guarantee you an income for the rest of your life, the amount of income you’ll get will depend on the size of your pot and annuity rates at that time. If you prefer to use your pension savings more flexibly, you can keep your money invested and take it as and when you require it. You’re then responsible for making sure your life savings last as long as you need them to.

Source data:
[1] Research was carried out online for Standard Life by Opinium. Sample size was 2,001 adults. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). Fieldwork was undertaken in November 2017.

PENSIONS ARE A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT.

THE RETIREMENT BENEFITS YOU RECEIVE FROM YOUR PENSION PLAN WILL DEPEND ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS INCLUDING THE VALUE OF YOUR PLAN WHEN YOU DECIDE TO TAKE YOUR BENEFITS, WHICH ISN’T GUARANTEED AND CAN GO DOWN AS WELL AS UP.

THE VALUE OF YOUR PLAN COULD FALL BELOW THE AMOUNT(S) PAID IN.

Pensioner debt

Worrying increase on last year’s figure

The over-65s in the UK are expected to owe around £86 billion by the end of 2018, according to latest figures from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and More 2 Life. Total debt had increased on last year’s figure of £78 billion, as borrowing grew £35 billion in just three years. The research forecast that all types of secured and unsecured debt to retirees would exceed £142 billion by 2027.

When conducting the research, CEBR took borrowing including mortgages, credit cards, overdrafts, loans, car finance, hire purchase, student loans, payday loans and store cards into consideration.

Researchers have suggested that this increased level of debt is down to a number of factors, including this generation’s use of interest-only mortgages, current borrowing trends and relatively modest pension savings.

University of Birmingham’s college of social sciences Louise Overton said: ‘Worryingly, this report indicates that a significant minority are carrying secured and unsecured debt to help manage cash flow problems and make ends meet.’

Dave Harris, chief executive officer at More 2 Life, said the rapid increase in the retirement lending market ‘will only be exacerbated by an ageing population, people buying houses at a much later stage, and shrinking pension pots resulting in low retirement incomes.’

He added: ‘For growing numbers of people aged 65 and over, financial products that draw on the resource of housing wealth may well turn out to be the optimal way for them to solve the financial challenges they and their families have to face in future.’

Understanding investment risk

Making informed decisions to improve your chances of achieving your financial goals

Your investment time frame will determine your risk profile to some extent, as this has a direct bearing on your capacity to take risk. Risk capacity is also influenced by factors such as your age, wealth, and the goals you are saving and investing for. Your capacity for risk is likely to change over the course of your life as your personal circumstances change.

If you understand the risks associated with investing and you know how much risk you are comfortable taking, you can make informed decisions and improve your chances of achieving your goals.

Risk is the possibility of losing some or all of your original investment. Often, higher-risk investments offer the chance of greater returns, but there’s also more chance of losing money. Risk means different things to different people. How you feel about it depends on your individual circumstances and even your personality. Your investment goals and timescales will also influence how much risk you’re willing to take. What you come out with is your ‘risk profile’

Different types of investment
None of us likes to take risks with our savings, but the reality is there’s no such thing as a ‘no-risk’ investment. You’re always taking on some risk when you invest, but the amount varies between different types of investment.

As a general rule, the more risk you’re prepared to take, the greater returns or losses you could stand to make. Risk varies between the different types of investments. For example, funds that hold bonds tend to be less risky than those that hold shares, but there are always exceptions.

Losing value in real terms 
Money you place in secure deposits such as savings accounts risks losing value in real terms (buying power) over time. This is because the interest rate paid won’t always keep up with rising prices (inflation).

On the other hand, index-linked investments that follow the rate of inflation don’t always follow market interest rates. This means that if inflation falls, you could earn less in interest than you expected.

Inflation and interest rates over time
Stock market investments might beat inflation and interest rates over time, but you run the risk that prices might be low at the time you need to sell. This could result in a poor return or, if prices are lower than when you bought, losing money.

You can’t escape risk completely, but you can manage it by investing for the long term in a range of different things, which is called ‘diversification’. You can also look at paying money into your investments regularly, rather than all in one go. This can help smooth out the highs and lows and cut the risk of making big losses.

Capital risk
Your investments can go down in value, and you may not get back what you invested. Investing in the stock market is normally through shares (equities), either directly or via a fund. The stock market will fluctuate in value every day, sometimes by large amounts. You could lose some or all of your money depending on the company or companies you have bought. Other assets such as property and bonds can also fall in value.

Inflation risk
The purchasing power of your savings declines. Even if your investment increases in value, you may not be making money in ‘real’ terms if the things that you want to buy with the money have increased in price faster than your investment. Cash deposits with low returns may expose you to inflation risk.

Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk of not achieving a financial reward due to a borrower’s failure to repay a loan or otherwise meet a contractual obligation. Credit risk is closely tied to
the potential return of an investment, the most notable being that the yields on bonds correlate strongly to their perceived credit risk.

Liquidity risk
You are unable to access your money when you want to. Liquidity can be a real risk if you hold assets such as property directly, and also in the ‘bond’ market where the pool of people who want to buy and sell bonds can ‘dry up’.

Currency risk
You lose money due to fluctuating exchange rates.

Interest rate risk
Changes to interest rates affect your returns on savings and investments. Even with a fixed rate, the interest rates in the market may fall below or rise above the fixed rate, affecting your returns relative to rates available elsewhere. Interest rate risk is a particular risk for bondholders.

Transferring ISAs

Time to bring your investments together?

If you have accumulated a number of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) over the years, keeping them all in one place could give you better control and help you save money. There’s a common misconception that you can’t move your existing ISAs from one provider to another. Transferring your ISA doesn’t affect its tax-efficient status, but you should make sure that you don’t have to pay penalties or give up valuable benefits.

If you want to switch from an existing ISA provider to a new one, you’re perfectly within your rights to do so. Much like a mortgage, you shouldn’t feel as though you’re saddled forever with your first ISA provider choice. Transferring your ISAs could allow you to widen your range of investment choices, as the range on offer can differ between providers.

Easier to monitor and manage
Another reason to switch is that you could find you’re better off because another provider is offering lower fees and charges. You may also want to move because you prefer to keep all your investments conveniently in one place, where they’re easier to monitor and manage.

You can transfer your ISA from one provider to another at any time. You can also transfer from one type of ISA to a different type of ISA – for example, you can move money held in a Stocks & Shares ISA into a Cash ISA, or from a Cash ISA to a Stocks & Shares ISA. Similarly, money held in an Innovative Finance ISA can be transferred into a Stocks & Shares ISA or into a Cash ISA.

Not all ISA providers accept transfers
Remember that not all ISA providers will accept transfers. Also, bear in mind that the ISA provider you are moving from might charge you for the transfer. If you transfer cash from an existing ISA into a Lifetime ISA, it will count towards your £4,000 Lifetime ISA allowance for the year and qualify for the government bonus, but will not count towards your overall ISA allowance of £20,000 in 2018/19. It is not advisable to transfer from a Lifetime ISA.

Transferring your ISAs won’t affect their tax-efficient status, provided you follow the correct process. You might think that to make a transfer from one ISA to another, you’ll need to close down your existing account, make a withdrawal, then open up a new account and pay in. But closing down your current ISA means you’ll immediately lose all the tax benefits, so never withdraw your savings to pay into a new ISA.

Additional permitted ISA allowance
Instead, if you want to make a transfer, we’ll contact your provider to inform them and manage the entire transfer process for you. Remember that tax rules can change in future, and their effect on you will depend on your individual circumstances.

If you are looking to transfer ISA tax benefits following the death of your spouse or registered civil partner, the survivor can now inherit their ISA tax benefits. This will be in the form of an additional permitted allowance equal to the value of the ISA at the holder’s death and will be in addition to your own ISA allowance.

INFORMATION IS BASED ON OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF TAXATION LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS. ANY LEVELS AND BASES OF, AND RELIEFS FROM, TAXATION ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

THE VALUE OF INVESTMENTS AND INCOME FROM THEM MAY GO DOWN. YOU MAY NOT GET BACK THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT INVESTED.

PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT A RELIABLE INDICATOR OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

Easing into retirement

Older workers are increasingly valuable members of the gig workforce

We tend to associate young people with the gig economy, but new research shows that older, more skilled workers are increasingly making the move. The gig economy has been enthusiastically embraced by millennials who favour the flexibility it offers, although it appears that it is older workers who might be benefiting the most.

However, over a third (36%) of gig workers aged 55 and over take on ‘gig’ jobs to help them ease their way into retirement, according to research from Zurich UK.

Published within Zurich UK’s ‘Restless Worklife’ report – based on UK-wide analysis from YouGov of over 4,200 adults, of which 603 were gig workers – the research found that the same amount (36%) said flexibility and being able to choose the work they take on was the main attraction. In fact, over one in ten of all gig workers questioned only expect to stop gig work when they are over the age of 75, almost ten years after passing State Pension age.

Number of over-50s working
The number of workers over the age of 50 has grown significantly over the past few decades, with government figures showing the employment rate for people aged 50 to 64 has grown from 55.4 to 69.6 per cent over the past 30 years.

However, the gig economy itself has attracted its fair share of criticism, with little job security or access to workplace benefits, given most are not defined as full-time employees. Lack of workplace benefits such as income protection, holiday and sick pay was put forward by 44% of gig workers over the age of 55 as the main drawback, while over a third (34%) said it was not knowing where their next paycheck would come from, and 27% said it was not having access to a workplace pension.

Popular choice for near-retirees
Not everyone wants to jump straight from working full-time into retirement, whether that stems from reluctance to stop a familiar routine or an enjoyable job – or simply because it will mean waving goodbye to a salary. As such, gig work is clearly a popular choice for near-retirees, allowing them to keep a form of money coming in without the traditional 9–5.

Instead of fully retiring, older people are using the gig economy to supplement or boost their retirement income, and it could play an increasingly important part in stretching out their pots as they live longer. However, as the world of work continues to change at a rapid rate, it shouldn’t come at the expense of financial protection, particularly as older workers are more susceptible to illness.

Protecting your estate for future generations

Many individuals find the Inheritance Tax rules too complicated

If you struggle to navigate the UK’s Inheritance Tax regime, you are not alone. Whether you are setting up your estate planning or sorting out the estate of a departed family member, the system can be hard to follow. Getting your planning wrong could also mean your family is faced with an unexpectedly high Inheritance Tax bill.

Reluctant to seek professional advice
Findings from a recent survey[1] revealed that many individuals find the Inheritance Tax rules too complicated, but the majority are reluctant to seek professional advice. The research revealed that over three quarters (77%) think the UK’s Inheritance Tax rules are too complicated. Yet despite this, only a third (33%) have sought professional advice on Inheritance Tax planning.

We understand that ensuring your Inheritance Tax planning is tax-efficient is a sensitive subject, and as a result planning opportunities can be missed. Early preparation is the key to success. Taking advantage of alternative methods to secure wealth and to shelter your estate will ensure that more wealth can be passed onto the next generation.

Exempt from Inheritance Tax
Every individual in the UK, regardless of marital status, is entitled to leave an estate worth up to £325,000. This is known as the ‘nil-rate band’. Anything above that amount is taxed at a rate of 40%. If you are married or in a registered civil partnership, then you can leave your entire estate to your spouse or partner. The estate will be exempt from Inheritance Tax and will not use up the nil-rate band.

Instead, the unused nil-rate band is transferred to your spouse or registered civil partner on their death. This means that should you and your spouse pass away, the value of your combined estate has to be valued at more than £650,000 before the estate would face an Inheritance Tax liability.
Here’s our snapshot of the main Inheritance Tax areas you may wish to consider and discuss further with us.

Steps to mitigate against Inheritance Tax

Make a Will
Dying intestate (without a Will) means that you may not be making the most of the Inheritance Tax exemption which exists if you wish your estate to pass to your spouse or registered civil partner. For example, if you don’t make a Will, then relatives other than your spouse or registered civil partner may be entitled to a share of your estate, and this might trigger an Inheritance Tax liability.

Residence nil-rate band
If you’re worried that rising house prices might have pushed the value of your estate into exceeding the nil-rate band, then the new ‘residence nil-rate band’ could be significant. From 6 April 2017, it can now be claimed on top of the existing nil-rate band. It starts at £100,000 per person and will increase annually by £25,000 every April until 2020, when the £175,000 maximum is reached.

Make lifetime gifts
Gifts made more than seven years before the donor dies, to an individual or to a bare trust (see types of trust), are free of IHT. So it might be wise to pass on some of your wealth while you are still alive. This will reduce the value of your estate when it is assessed for IHT purposes, and there is no limit on the sums you can pass on. You can gift as much as you wish – this is known as a ‘Potentially Exempt Transfer’ (PET).

However, if you live for seven years after making such a gift, then it will be exempt from Inheritance Tax. However, should you be unfortunate enough to die within seven years, then it will still be counted as part of your estate if it is above the annual gift allowance. You need to be particularly careful if you are giving away your home to your children with conditions attached to it, or if you give it away but continue to benefit from it. This is known as a ‘Gift with Reservation of Benefit’.

Leave a proportion to charity
Being generous to your favourite charity can reduce your Inheritance Tax bill. If you leave at least 10% of your estate to a charity or number of charities, then your Inheritance Tax liability on the taxable portion of the estate is reduced to 36% rather than 40%.

Set up a trust
Family trusts can be useful as a way of reducing Inheritance Tax, making provision for your children and spouse, and potentially protecting family businesses. Trusts enable the donor to control who benefits (the beneficiaries) and under what circumstances, sometimes long after the donor’s death. Compare this with making a direct gift (for example, to a child) which offers no control to the donor once given. When you set up a trust, it is a legal arrangement, and you will need to appoint ‘trustees’ who are responsible for holding and managing the assets. Trustees have a responsibility to manage the trust on behalf of and in the best interest of the beneficiaries, in accordance with the trust terms. The terms will be set out in a legal document called ‘the trust deed’.

Types of trust you might consider

Bare (Absolute) Trusts
The beneficiaries are entitled to a specific share of the trust, which can’t be changed once the trust has been established. The settlor (person who puts the assets in trust) decides on the beneficiaries and shares at outset. This is a simple and straightforward trust – the trustees invest the trust fund for the beneficiaries but don’t have the power to change the beneficiaries’ interests decided on by the settlor at outset. This trust offers potential Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax benefits, particularly for minor beneficiaries.

Life Interest Trusts
Typically, one beneficiary will be entitled to the income from the trust fund whilst alive, with capital going to another (or other beneficiaries) on that beneficiary’s death. This is often used in Will planning to provide security for a surviving spouse, with the capital preserved for children. It can also be used to pass income from an asset onto a beneficiary without losing control of the capital. This can be particularly attractive in second marriage situations when the children are from an earlier marriage.

Discretionary (Flexible) Trusts
The settlor decides who can potentially benefit from the trust, but the trustees are then able to use their discretion to determine who, when and in what amounts beneficiaries do actually benefit. This provides maximum flexibility compared to the other trust types, and for this reason is often referred to as a ‘Flexible Trust’.

Source data:
[1] Canada Life’s annual Inheritance Tax monitor survey of 1,001 UK consumers aged 45 or over with total assets exceeding the individual Inheritance Tax threshold (nil-rate band) of £325,000. Carried out in October 2017.

Investment trusts

Public company aiming to make money by investing in other companies

Investment trusts, unlike unit trusts, can borrow money to buy shares (known as ‘gearing’). This extra buying potential can produce gains in rising markets but also accentuate losses in falling markets. Investment trusts generally have more freedom to borrow than unit trusts that can be sold to the general public.

BUYING SHARES

Unlike with a unit trust, if an investor wants to sell their shares in an investment trust, they must find someone else to buy their shares – this is usually done by selling on the stock market. The investment trust manager is not obliged to buy back shares before the trust’s winding up date.

The price of shares in an investment trust can be lower or higher than the value of the assets attributable to each share – this is known as ‘trading at a discount’ or ‘at a premium’.

SPLIT CAPITAL INVESTMENT TRUSTS

These run for a specified time, usually five to ten years, although you are not tied in. This type of investment trust issues different types of shares. When they reach the end of their term, payouts are made in order of share type.

You can choose a share type to suit you. Typically, the further along the order of payment the share is, the greater the risk, but the higher the potential return. You also need to bear in mind the price of shares in an investment trust can go up or down so you could get back less than you invested.

ASSET TYPE

The level of risk and return will depend on the investment trust you choose. Its important to know what type of assets the trust will invest in, as some are riskier than others.

In addition, look at the difference between the investment trust’s share price and the value of its assets, as this gap may affect your return. If a discount widens, this can depress returns.

BORROWING MONEY

You need to find out if the investment trust borrows money to buy shares. If so, returns might be better but your losses greater. With a split capital investment trust, the risk and return will depend on the type of shares you buy.

As of April 2016, all individuals are eligible for a £5,000 tax-free Dividend Allowance (this tax-free allowance will fall to £2,000 in April 2018). Dividends received by pension funds or received on shares within an Individual Savings Account (ISA) will remain tax-efficient and won’t impact your dividend allowance.

TAX-EFFICIENT

Many unit trusts can be held in an ISA. In this case, your income and capital gains will be tax-efficient.

Any profit you make from selling shares outside an ISA may be subject to Capital Gains Tax.

One in eight will retire with no pension in 2018

Excuses to avoid facing the difficult work of saving for retirement

Retirement is one of our biggest financial challenges. As with any daunting challenges we face, we tend to think up excuses so we can avoid facing the difficult work of saving for retirement. Worryingly, nearly one in eight people retiring this year (12%) have made no provision for their retirement, including 10% who will either be totally or somewhat reliant on the State Pension, according to new research[1].

This leaves some retirees starting their retirement with an income of just £1,452 a year, below the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s (JRF) Minimum Income Standard for a single pensioner[2]. But neither panicking nor putting off the matter will solve the problem. For those people that have a shortfall in their retirement savings, there are many immediate steps that can and should be taken. If you have any concerns about your retirement provision, we can help you look at the different options available to you.

Planning to retire without a pension
There is good news, as the numbers retiring without a pension is lower than the 14% in 2017, and now nearly half the 23% recorded in 2008. Women are more likely to have no retirement savings – 18% will retire without a pension this year, compared with 7% of men. The gap is narrowing over time – in 2016, 22% per of women had no retirement savings, compared with 7% of men, while in 2008, a third of women (32%) were planning to retire without a pension.

An acceptable standard of living
A tenth (10%) of those retiring in 2018 will either rely somewhat or solely on the State Pension, which for those retiring after April this year will mean an income of £164.35 a week[2], or just over £8,500 a year. Taking the JRF’s Minimum Income Standard of £192.27 a week for a single pensioner, which is a benchmark of the income required to support an acceptable standard of living[3], those relying on the State Pension will fall short of the minimum standard by £27.92 a week, or £1,452 a year.

Significance of the State Pension
The research highlights the significance of the State Pension to people in retirement, including those with pension savings of their own. On average, people expecting to retire this year estimate that the State Pension will account for more than a third (33%) of their income in retirement.
Of those retiring in 2018 who do have a pension of their own, two fifths (42%) have the majority of their pension in a workplace final salary scheme, one in eight (13%) have their savings in a personal pension which is not through their employer, and 12% have the majority in a workplace defined contribution scheme.

Source data:
[1] Research Plus conducted an independent online survey for Prudential between 29 November and 11 December 2017 among 9.896 non-retired UK adults aged 45+, including 1,000 planning to retire in 2018.
[2] Benefit and pension rates 2018-2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662290/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2018-to-2019.pdf
[3] Figures taken from the 2017 update of the Minimum Income Standard for the United
Kingdom published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation – https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/minimum-income-standard-uk-2017

A PENSION IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT. THE FUND VALUE MAY FLUCTUATE AND CAN GO DOWN, WHICH WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE LEVEL OF PENSION BENEFITS AVAILABLE.

PENSIONS ARE NOT NORMALLY ACCESSIBLE UNTIL AGE 55. YOUR PENSION INCOME COULD ALSO BE AFFECTED BY INTEREST RATES AT THE TIME YOU TAKE YOUR BENEFITS. THE TAX IMPLICATIONS OF PENSION WITHDRAWALS WILL BE BASED ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES, TAX LEGISLATION AND REGULATION, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE.

THE VALUE OF INVESTMENTS AND INCOME FROM THEM MAY GO DOWN. YOU MAY NOT GET BACK THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT INVESTED.

PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT A RELIABLE INDICATOR OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE.