First of all, let me make it clear that I’m NOT a Financial Adviser and none of the following should be deemed to be advice, it’s all my opinion. However, if you do your own research I think it all makes good sense.

I’m at the stage where I’m starting to take money from my pension pot so if you’re just starting out then this is not for you – things may very well have changed dramatically by the time you get the opportunity to draw the cash.

Having paid into various pension funds over the years I consolidated into two funds a couple of years ago, luckily just missing the recession which would have seen my pots decimated. That really was luck! I would have consolidated to a single pot but the MVR (Market Value Reduction) brought tears to my eyes and since that one had a guaranteed minimum growth of 4% I was reasonably relaxed about leaving it where it was. I can get my hands on that one in 2014.

Everything else went into a SIPP (Self Invested Personal Pension). Why? Because I got more control and I don’t like Financial Advisers much! Over the course of about a year I looked at numerous investment options but I’m a bit risk-averse so I’ve opted for dividend-bearing shares. I selected large, global companies with a good history of growth and reliable dividend payment. The companies I’m most likely to invest in have good cash-flow projections (like Vodafone), supply products that are in demand Worldwide (drugs, drinks, tobacco, household) and utilities such as energy.

I’ve avoided most of the financial sector for obvious reasons!

Now this is certainly no get rich quick scheme, I’m currently on target to make around 5% this year, but it’s better than being in cash and it will help protect my SIPP against inflation.

I’ve opted to put my SIPP into draw-down mainly because annuity rates are so poor and once I take an annuity I’m stuck with it. On the other hand the payment from the annuity would be guaranteed so, if you want very low risk an annuity may be right for you. In reality, the payment from draw-down is about the same as the payment from an annuity but I’m more likely to get more of my money back under draw-down. That’s because annuity rates are, in part, determined by average life-expectancy and those that live longer are funded in part by those that do not. Unless you take out a joint annuity, when you die the fund dies with you. It’s used to fund those people who live longer than you do. Income draw-down can be passed to your spouse.

To find out how much you might get from your fund search the Internet for a GAD (Government Actuaries Department) calculator. I found one here. The GAD calculations change regularly so check you are using the most up to date tables.

I also took the 25% tax free lump sum but I’ve invested that rather than spent it! The reason for doing this is that I can only withdraw money from my fund up to the upper limit in draw-down so it’s not really cash. Most people who know about retirement will advise moving more and more into cash as you get older so this 25% represents my flexible cash element. I have some cash tied up in longer term, but low-risk, savings to secure a better return while the remainder is in easier access accounts in case of emergencies. A holiday in Spain doesn’t qualify as an emergency!

I also have some property so my portfolio is reasonably diverse.

I do my own research and NEVER respond to cold calls or junk mail even from my bank.

[to be continued]

But wait, there’s more (as they say on those ridiculous ads). If you take an annuity it’ll deliver approximately twice the annual income typical investments would (at the moment) because when you die the insurance company gets what’s left. The actuarial tables tell them more people will die before the pot expires than not. Or, to put it another way, the annuity returns are calculated such that there’s a good bit left for them.

So, to get the best out of your annuity live a long time! You can also index link it; split between yourself and spouse (50% split means if the holder dies the spouse gets a 50% pension) and/or get an enhanced annuity for impaired life (i.e. smoke more than ten fags a day).

Now, you don’t need to take an annuity until you are 75, and you don’t need to pay anyone to ‘unlock’ your pension either. You can take up to 25% of your pension pot if you are aged 50 or more. You can also take an income drawdown instead of an annuity. There’s a lower return but you get greater flexibility (about 50% of what an annuity would deliver at the moment) plus you could always move to an annuity later.

Of course, if you mentioned a retirement date to your pension provider (like I did to Standard Life) you’ll have to wait until then to avoid the horrendous and totally unjustifiable penalty. In my case this penalty is 20% of the fund! The robbing bastards

Disclaimer:

Given that I am not a financial adviser, please don’t base your own pension decisions on anything you read here. However, do look at your pot regularly and see if there’s anything you can do to improve your lot. For example, if you were retiring now you would get about £10k income for every £100k in the pot with an annuity and about £5k income on income drawdown (assuming no capital reduction). Given that the average pension pot is around £33k there will be a few disappointed pensioners in the coming years…