Retirement & pension planning advice
Helping you plan confidently for your best retirement
What to expect from our retirement & pension planning advice
Planning for retirement can feel overwhelming - but you don’t have to do it alone. When you speak with us, you’ll get:
- Personalised service from a named, independent adviser who understands your goals
- A whole-of-market review, so we find the best options for you—not just our own products
- Clear, tailored recommendations on how to make the most of your pension savings and when to access them
- Confidence and peace of mind, knowing your plan is built around your needs and future lifestyle
Your initial chat is completely free and without obligation. If your pension pot is £50,000 or more, you’ll also have the option to move forward with full advice - designed to give you real value for money.
Book your free consultation here
Get peace of mind for your future, with a free telephone consultation to get to know you. It only takes about 15 minutes, and you'll need to have at least £50,000 in your pension pot.
0800 029 3036
Our team is available between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Calls may be monitored and recorded.
Or if you prefer, we'll call you:
How do you get retirement & pension planning advice?
How our advisers have helped customers:
“I wasn’t confident to take the plunge myself on sorting out my pension, but advice gave me that confidence”
“I already have a background in pensions but wanted someone to confirm what I wanted to do was fine”
"It feels good to have an expert to discuss my options with"
What do you get with retirement & pension planning?
When you take retirement planning advice with us, you'll get:
- A named, independent adviser, who'll take the time to get to know you
- A whole of market review, who'll look at products from other providers as well as our own, and find the best solution for you
- A comprehensive analysis of your income and expenditure over time, so you can plan ahead with confidence
- A tailored recommendation about what action to take - from how to deal with your pension savings to how to take your money and when
How much does this sort of advice cost?
It will cost £1,495 (including VAT).
If you decide to go ahead, you can pay us at any time after your second, in-depth chat with your adviser. As part of that chat, your adviser will check and confirm that our advice will give you real value for money.
If you choose to receive retirement and pension planning advice combined with savings and investment advice, the total cost is £2,245 under our bundled pricing.
Please note that this is a combined service price and not calculated by simply adding one service to the other. The way charges are facilitated may vary depending on your advice journey.
Could you pay for advice from your pension pot?
Yes – if your pension plan allows it, you can choose to have the agreed advice fee taken directly from your pension rather than paying from your own pocket.
It's called a Facilitated Adviser Charge (FAC). If you're not sure if your pension plan allows this, your adviser will help you understand whether you can use FAC or not before any charges apply.
How do our costs compare with other advisers?
Most advisers charge a percentage of your savings. We use a fixed fee, which often works out cheaper as your savings grow.
| Combined pension savings |
Our fixed fee for retirement and pension planning advice, as a percentage |
| £50,000 | 2.99% |
| £100,000 | 1.49% |
| £250,000 | 0.60% |
| £500,000 | 0.30% |
Learn more about financial advice and retirement planning
Listen to our podcast
Iona Bain and guests will help you make smart money choices and get to grips with your finances for the longer term.
Need help deciding how to use your pension pot?
Answer some simple questions and we can help you understand which retirement income product type suits you best.
Other common questions
Retirement planning goes beyond just picking investments. Financial advice covers everything from managing taxes and benefits to helping you understand how different products can meet your needs at particular stages, and even how you can use them together to meet your financial goals. Taking advice can also give you the peace of mind that you’re making the right decisions for you and your family.
The State Pension could make a difference to your retirement - but will it cover your ideal later lifestyle?
For the 2025/26 tax year, the full State Pension is £230.25 a week, if you’ve paid National Insurance for the full 35 years. That adds up to £11,973 a year. Would that support your ideal retirement lifestyle? Of course, you might be part of a couple. The two of you will get £23,946 a year – but that’s much lower than the £43,900 yearly income Retirement Living Standards suggested would be needed for a couple to enjoy a moderate retirement.
Advice can help you identify other sources and solutions that could help plug any gap between the State Pension and the retirement you'd like.
No - different providers may have higher rates of payment, different options, features, qualifying criteria and charges. The options they offer could have different tax implications for you.
When you take advice, you’ll get access to years of training, expertise and insights, helping you navigate the complexities of financial planning. That includes understanding your savings choices, exploring your attitude to risk, seeing which products could be best suited to you, and making sure you’re on track to achieve your current (and future) goals.
Even if you're retiring right now, advice can still be useful. Taking advice from one of our expert advisers can show you how to get the most out of your existing assets, top up any gaps in your State Pension, turn your pension pot into the best possible retirement income, find any lost pensions or even put back your retirement if you want to keep saving for a little longer.
Even if you're retiring right now, advice can still be useful. Taking advice from one of our expert advisers can show you how to get the most out of your existing assets, top up any gaps in your State Pension, turn your pension pot into the best possible retirement income, find any lost pensions or even put back your retirement if you want to keep saving for a little longer.
It’s never too early to start saving into a pension – in fact, the earlier you start the better. Your money has more time to hopefully grow (though of course its value can also go down). That means you might not have to save as much later on to achieve your retirement dreams – or you could even retire early.
Need some help?
Retirement Advice
Not sure if advice is right for you?
It's still worth giving our advice team a call. They'll help you explore your options - no pressure, no obligation.
0800 029 3036
Our team is available between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Calls may be monitored and recorded.
Prefer to plan on your own?
Try our Retirement Planner - a simple way to start shaping your future at your own pace.
Retirement guidance
Pension Wise from MoneyHelper
If you're aged 50+ you can get guidance from the government's free and impartial service to help make your money and pension choices clearer.
The availability of appointments can vary between a few days and several weeks, so if you need guidance, it's a good idea to book an appointment slot now:
0800 138 3944
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Calls may be recorded and monitored.