Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week we’ll provide five quick tips about a different topic of interest. Interested in seeing a particular subject discussed? Send an email with your FAQ to [email protected]
This does not constitute advice and advice should be sought in all instances before acting on it.
Retirement is about spending more time with your loved ones, living life to the fullest, and living out the dreams you didn’t have time to pursue whilst working.
A rock-solid financial plan is essential to prepare for retirement, but there’s plenty of things you can do to ensure a secure financial future.
Here are five tips to help you achieve a happy retirement:
Take stock of all your pensions
If you held down multiple jobs throughout your life, it’s all too easy to lose track of every pension you’ve paid into over the years.
There’s a service, The Pension Tracing Service, that helps you track down your pensions and all you need to supply is the name of your previous employer or pension scheme. Best of all, the service is free!
Review the State Pension
While you shouldn’t rely on the state pension alone to see you through retirement, it should still be taken into account when considering your options. Checking your state pension is easy enough, you can check your State Pension age by using the Government’s state pension calculator – www.gov.uk/state-pension-age.
Consider consolidation
Having several pensions can be overwhelming to manage. Consolidating them all in one place alleviates the burden of handling numerous pensions and might even help you save money.
Appraise your assets
Review and record any other savings and investments, including property equity, which may help you fund retirement.
Consult a professional
Last, but certainly not least, you should seek the advice of a regulated professional financial adviser. Working with an expert is the best way for you to develop a robust plan which will allow you to save enough money for your entire retirement.
After spending your entire adult life working, you’ll want to enjoy your golden years. To ensure the lifestyle you want to lead during retirement is attainable, you’ll need to develop and continually update a financial plan throughout your working life.
Dental & Medical Financial Services can advise on the planning process and recommend ways to help you realise your retirement dreams.