Retirement advice and guidance
There is professional support available to help you make important financial decisions. It’s called ‘advice’ or ‘guidance’. These words have very specific meanings in financial services.
Regulated advisers
If you choose a firm offering ‘advice’ you’ll be asked questions about your finances.
- After a review of your situation, the adviser will recommend what action you should take. It’s a personal service based on a thorough analysis of your finances.
Someone offering advice: - must hold professional financial qualifications in the areas of advice they provide.
- is liable for the advice they give, so if it’s wrong you could seek compensation.
- can receive a commission and may charge you a fee for their service.
Finding an adviser
There are many online sites that can help you find an adviser:
- Unbiased
More than 27,000 advisers makes it the largest directory of advisers in the UK. Like all the directories listed here, it’s free to use. - MoneyHelper
The MoneyHelper offers a retirement adviser directory. This will help you find someone who specialises in retirement planning. - VouchedFor
VouchedFor includes reviews and ratings by clients of financial advisers. The site contains over 233,000 reviews and VouchedFor claim that it never edits reviews.
An organisation providing guidance won’t make a personal recommendation. They’ll give you the facts you need and explain the choices open to you.
But they’ll leave you to choose what you want to do.
Someone offering guidance:
- may take a commission from any product you buy from them.
- isn’t providing advice, so it's difficult to hold them to account if you get the wrong product.
- doesn’t have to hold professional qualifications, though many will have.
Organisations offering free guidance
These organisations all provide free, independent guidance:
- Pension Wise a service provided by MoneyHelper
Offers a guidance session if you’re over 50 and in a workplace or personal pension. - MoneyHelper
Provides online advice and guides plus tools, support over the phone and calculators on a wide range of subjects. They also provides information on workplace and personal pensions for everyone.
Rewire your retirement
How are you planning on making the most of your time in retirement? Visit our Rewirement page to find articles on everything from lifestyle to finance to help you enjoy your colourful retirement.
Next steps
Ready to dig a bit deeper? See full details or get a personal quote and look at other products available as part of your shopping around. Other providers may have more appropriate products or be able to offer a higher level of retirement income.
Need help?
Making decisions about how to finance your retirement is important so it’s worth shopping around and using available guidance and advice, before you buy.
Call us about using your pension pot
Our UK colleagues can answer your questions in office hours, or can help you apply for a quote.
0800 048 2446
Lines are open Monday to Friday
9.00am to 5.30pm
We may record and monitor calls.
Contact us about equity release
To discuss our Lifetime Mortgages, a loan secured against your home, and if they're right for you.
Call us on:
0808 115 8129
Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm.
We may record and monitor calls
