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If you’re not a financial adviser we can redirect you to the appropriate part of our website.
Please confirm if you’re an adviser.
Most people approaching retirement choose between two solutions which are in many ways polar opposites, a lifetime annuity or flexi-access drawdown. While both play a key role in retirement planning, the idea of a single product for life is increasingly irrelevant.
Given that income needs are likely to change during retirement, retirement plans should be frequently reviewed and all assets should be considered in meeting your clients’ objectives.
Below we explore the multitude of solutions that are available and how they can be layered together for a better blend of security, flexibility and control.
Final salary pensions provide a guaranteed income for life, usually increasing each year to offset inflation. They can offer valuable peace of mind. In the ‘swinging sixties’ they helped to make retirement a relatively simple process. In 1966, men could retire at 65 and women at 60. Nine out of ten employees were with companies that ran their own pension schemes providing a percentage of their final salary as an income at retirement. Combined with the state pension, this provided an adequate income for most people. .
Financial planning often consisted of answering one simple question - should I commute part of my pension for a tax-free lump sum? Fewer people have final salary benefits today and even fewer will in the future. In fact, there isn’t a single FTSE100 company providing a guaranteed pension based on final salary that remains open to new entrants1.
Many people retiring now will have a mix of final salary benefits and money purchase benefits. Clients that are planning to retire early may find that their expected income from a defined benefit scheme is reduced significantly.
Key considerations:
The combination of a longer retirement, coupled with the demise of final salary schemes, is creating a precarious environment for some of today's retirees. It's creating a greater need and opportunity for financial advisers to help clients skilfully navigate this complex environment and to help them achieve a comfortable retirement.
Defined benefits can be layered with other assets to build robust and flexible retirement plans for a better blend of security, flexibility and control.
1The future of defined benefit pension provision, KPMG, June 2015
Since pension freedoms, the number of people accessing their pension pot using flexi-access drawdown has increased.
Given that income needs are likely to change during retirement and there is no single pattern of expenditure, it's not surprising that drawdown is proving so popular because it provides flexibility.
Clients can take whatever they want, whenever they want, so long as they have enough money. They can keep their money invested in assets and any balance on death can be passed on to dependents.
While drawdown addresses many of the challenges clients face during retirement, it may also expose clients to some risks. These include:
By layering drawdown with other solutions, your client can be provided with the flexibility they are looking for, as well as having security and peace of mind. There are various other assets and solutions that can provide your clients with an income during retirement and deserve consideration including, fixed term annuities, equity in the home, savings and investments, to name just a few.
Drawdown may help:
Today we have a situation where most people approaching retirement choose between two solutions which in many ways are polar opposites, a lifetime annuity or flexi-access drawdown.
Undoubtedly, there are benefits and risks to both drawdown and annuities. With drawdown investment markets could be poor, the client may end up taking an unsustainable amount of income, they might outlive their funds, they could get caught out by sequencing of returns risks.
Annuities on the other hand are a lifetime decision, the income is fixed and there is no opportunity to take adhoc amounts. Your client could also get a better rate as they get older and their health deteriorates as it opens up enhanced annuity options. However, annuities can act as a foil to drawdown and vice versa. They’re a powerful counterpoint.
Given that income needs are likely to change during retirement, retirement plans should be frequently reviewed and all assets should be considered in meeting clients’ objectives.
The increase in life expectancy and the demise of generous final salary schemes means that many people will need to leverage all of their non-pension assets, including the equity in their home. Many of your clients approaching and in retirement may potentially have more wealth in their home than in their pension pots as Britain’s over-55s hold around £1 trillion in housing wealth.
Whether to help generate an income, maximise tax efficiencies or for legacy planning, equity in the home can be used in a variety of different ways as part of a holistic retirement plan.
We've given a short overview of some of the options:
Some of your clients approaching retirement may be considering using the equity in their home to free up cash, maximise tax efficiencies or for legacy planning. Whatever your client’s overall retirement goals, property can play a key part in a layered approach to retirement planning where all your client's assets are used to produce the best possible outcomes.
The changing nature of retirement means that flexible, tailored retirement plans that are reviewed frequently are essential to ensuring good client outcomes. Fixed term annuities can provide a regular, guaranteed income and can be used to cover your clients’ essential spending for a fixed period, to bridge an income gap or to allow clients to keep their future options open.
With a fixed term annuity, an income can be paid for a fixed term up to 40 years and a maturity value can be paid at the end of the term. Your client then has the flexibility to decide to buy a lifetime annuity, invest in the markets via flexi access drawdown or take the payment as cash. Alternatively, it may make sense to choose another fixed term annuity.
Fixed term annuities offer security, but with a degree of control. Some products also include the option to take an ad hoc lump sum from the maturity value at any time. There are also plans which do not offer a maturity value at all.
A fixed term annuity could help you support your clients through a number of different stages in their personal retirement journey:
A guaranteed income with flexibility could provide your client with the peace of mind and security they are looking for. Fixed term annuities can be layered with other assets to build robust and flexible retirement plans for a better blend of security, flexibility and control.
When choosing a fixed term annuity your client should consider:
Before pension freedoms, if someone was lucky enough to have a choice, then the choice was largely binary, Annuity or drawdown.
Now we have many more options; fixed term annuities, lifetime annuities, drawdown, taking the whole fund as cash and an uncrystallised funds pension lump sum. But as you’re well aware, it’s not simply a matter of choosing between a longer list.
Using certain solutions in combination can provide better outcomes. For example, there are a number of studies providing empirical evidence that combining an annuity with drawdown can often produce better outcomes1.
It’s probably fair to say that in the recent past lifetime annuities have been deemed to have ‘gone out of fashion’, but annuities still have an important place in modern day retirement planning:
A guaranteed income for life could provide your client with some peace of mind and security they're looking for. Lifetime annuities can be layered with other assets to build robust and flexible retirement plans for a better blend of security, flexibility and control.
Buying a lifetime annuity is a once and for all decision. Once their annuity is in payment your client can't change any of their payment options, even if their circumstances change.
1Are annuities missing asset class for sustainable drawdown? Money Marketing
2The Retirement Income Riddle, Demos
As you’ll know, retirement planning goes beyond looking at a client’s pensions.
Below we’ve summarised some of the savings and investment options that could be used to supplement pension savings from non-pension assets in a way that is tax efficient. While tax may not be the only objective clients have, paying less tax is probably a desirable outcome.
Here are some tax efficient savings and investment products that could be considered:
Other objectives may drive the choice of solutions selected to provide retirement income. For example, if leaving a legacy is an objective, the ISA can be passed on death to a spouse or registered civil partner.
When you’re reviewing your clients’ non-pension assets alongside their pension assets, it can provide an opportunity to truly layer a range of solutions together to build more robust and flexible retirement plans that help your clients achieve their retirement objectives.
The State Pension is the main source of retirement income for many retirees. However, many people don't really understand the State Pension and how it will work for them, particularly following changes from previous reforms.
Below we've summarised the key information to support your client conversations
The full State Pension scheme now pays a flat rate amount of £203.85.per week and the amount your client will receive is based on their National Insurance (NI) record. Although the State Pension can provide a reliable and stable income, it may be necessary to consider other assets to meet your client’s retirement objectives.
Below we've summarised the key information to support your client conversations.
There are a number of key considerations to be aware of:
Benefits for your client:
Navigating the transition into retirement
People are retiring gradually, perhaps working part time or in a less well paid, but more personally rewarding role. Alternatively, they may retire early before their defined benefits or the State Pension become payable. In these circumstances, they may need a temporary income or something that will bridge the income gap.
People who're naturally risk averse or reluctant to take risks with their funds close to retirement, may prefer the guarantee of a regular income and a guaranteed maturity value. Fixed term annuity products can be invaluable in the right circumstances, but they're a temporary solution, so another solution or combination of solutions is required at the end of the term.
In some cases, the State Pension in isolation may not provide enough income to meet your client’s retirement objectives. Whether it is claimed at outset or deferred, the State Pension can be layered to help build robust and flexible retirement plans.
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Retirement has changed. Find out what this means for retirement planning and how a multitude of solutions can be layered together to help achieve your clients’ objectives.
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