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The Argument Against Annuity Rate Tables and Annuity Calculators

You may already have visited other annuity sites and used an annuity rates calculator or consulted an annuity rate table. Have you been misled? • Were you sure that the information about the range of annuities was in date? • Did the annuity table or calculator take into account all of the products on the market or was it just a selection? • Did you know that specialist independent annuity brokers may have access to a wider range of retirement annuity possibilities? • Was it an individual annuity quote or just an illustration? • Did the website promote particular annuity … Continue Reading

Rolling Over 401(k) at Ex-employer

I’m always being asked whether or not to move a 401(k) or other employer-sponsored pension plans when leaving an employer. Generally the answer is “move your pension money when you leave an employer”. Here are some advantages of moving a 401(k) rather than leaving it:

1. You get more investment choices and opportunity to better diversify.

2. Expenses may be lowered.

3. You can consolidate with other money which makes administration easier.

4. It is oftentimes easier to get if you need for an emergency.

5. Can covert to a Roth IRA if you qualify and if … Continue Reading

What Is QROPS And How Do You Get It?

Citizens in Britain frequently have an issue with finding the right investment for their retirement funds. This is especially true for those individuals who move out of the country. When they finally get their pensions, the money is taxed and it is always delivered in British pounds. Unfortunately, the pound is not the currency of choice, especially when living outside of the country. This has much to do with the fact that the British pound may not be worth the currency of the country the expatriate is living in.
As for QROPS is, it is an investment plan for British expatriates … Continue Reading

A Case for “Third Schedule” Retirement Pension Funds in Sierra Leone

 OVERVIEW:   The NASSIT Act, 2001 established a virtual state-monopoly in the NASSIT for the management and investment of pension funds in Sierra Leone. However, as is generally the case with monopolies and especially quasi governmental monopolies in Sierra Leone, we must continue to be vigilant and guard against inefficiencies in management and oversight, politically-driven investments, political interference, nepotism and a blotted bureaucracy which have in the past become hallmarks and recipes precipitating their subsequent failures and demise.   It is thus against this backdrop that the continued viability of the current retirement system remains to be seen especially … Continue Reading

What is a Pension Annuity?

When the investment in your personal pension plan reaches maturity when you retire, you will need to transfer its accumulated value into a regular income for the remainder of your retirement. This is achieved through the purchase of a pension annuity – a seemingly simple and straight forward transaction that exchanges the final value of the pension fund into which you have been paying into a regular income.
Whilst the principle of a pension annuity is seemingly very straight forward, however, things are rarely quite as simple as they seem.
The first and probably most critical aspect of buying a pension annuity … Continue Reading

What You Need To Know About Stakeholder Pensions

For those of you who are thinking about planning for your retirement, you will need to do a bit of research on pensions to find the best way to save for your future retirement. This article is about stakeholder pensions and will explain a bit about them and how they work. So first of all what is a stakeholder pension? Well it is not a new kind of pension so to speak, but it is a personal pension which has a set of conditions under which it must operate in order to be called a stakeholder pension. It is … Continue Reading

The Attractions of a Self-invested Pension

One of the reasons for searching out the services of an independent financial adviser is that pension matters are awash with esoteric terms, labels and descriptions. The self-invested pension – or Self-invested Personal Pension (Sipp) as you’ll often see it called – is a good case in point. The underlying principle is relatively straight forward and attractive, but to make the most of the opportunities it represents, it really is essential to take expert advice especially if you are considering transferring to a self-invested pension from an existing pension scheme.
What it is?
A self-invested pension shares the same basic features as … Continue Reading

Moving Pensions to another Country

Many people want to move their pensions. They can’t understand why the government won’t allow them to move their pensions around as they wish. It seems only fair to move your 30 plus years of acquired pension to your new community that offers better pension schemes. So why doesn’t the UK allow you to move your pension at least in part to another locale. First, you have to understand the UK’s view on taking care of its people. They believe that they have an obligation to take care of the elderly and not allow their citizens to get in a … Continue Reading

Pension Transfers – Should I be Thinking of One?

Despite the quite considerable contributions individuals are likely to be making to them and the accumulated value they are likely to have, it is surprising how few people keep an eye on how their pension fund investments are doing. The contributions are made on the same monthly basis, come what may, regardless of the investment’s comparative performance. It seems that many people give no thought to the possibility of pension transfers and whether such a move would make sense for them.
Whether a pension transfer is something you should be considering, of course, will depend on the performance of your current … Continue Reading

Where to Get Pension Transfer Advice

A brief scan of the financial pages of the national press might give you some idea of the number of employers these days why are eager to switch their employees from final salary pension schemes into other, personal pension, plans. Many employers are so keen to encourage such a switch that they are offering a lump sum cash inducement for those who elect to transfer their pension rights in this way. Despite such an apparently attractive inducement, however, where can the employee get pension transfer advice that he or she can feel secure in knowing the transfer is in their … Continue Reading