Where appropriate, we use a process called Personal Financial Modelling to establish what your retirement may look like financially. Using sophisticated financial planning software, we look at your current financial position and your likely expenditure needs.

We then utilise 100 years of economic data to build a realistic forecast of how your pension and other assets are likely to evolve over time. This helps us establish what level of income from your pension fund will be sustainable over the long term. This is stress tested against adverse economic events, such as recessions or periods of high inflation, as well as against changes in your personal circumstances, such as the untimely loss of a spouse or need for long term care.

This process helps us establish what the best advice for you is and gives you the peace of mind that whatever life throws at you, your finances are in the best possible shape to take it on.

The average Brit changes job 6 to 12 times in their lifetime. Having lots of different pension arrangements can be difficult to keep track of and pension funds may even end up getting lost, in fact, there is an estimated £26.6 Billion in lost pensions in the UK.

By not keeping track of your pensions, you may be paying more in charges than you need to, and you could be invested in poorly performing funds that are not aligned to your goals.

Consolidating your pensions can help you optimise your arrangements from a cost and performance perspective, as well as help you build a clear picture of what might be possible for your retirement.

However, moving your pension fund might not always be the best thing to do. Some pension funds come with valuable guarantees and enhancements attached that may be worth holding on too, as such it is important that your pensions are reviewed by a qualified professional before you make any decisions.

For a long time, the options for taking money from your pension fund were relatively simple. You could take up to 25% as a tax-free lump sum, and then you could get a fixed level of income by exchanging your remaining pot for an annuity. Or you could take the whole pot at once, receiving 25% tax-free and having the remaining 75% taxed as income.

However, in April 2016 new Pension Freedom Legislation came into effect. This ushered in Flexi-Access Drawdown (FAD), giving people a lot more control over how and when they can access their pension pot.

The right option for you is multi-faceted and depends on your personal circumstances. There are many different factors to consider when looking at any of the options, so it is important to speak to a professional before making any decisions that could have a long term impact on your financial health.

Many often confuse the State Pension age (Currently 66, rising to 67 by 2028) for their retirement age. However, you can start to access your private age after you reach the current minimum retirement age of 55 (Set to increase to 57 in 2028).

There are some exceptions. For example, those in ill health may be able to take their funds sooner)