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Retirement guides

Achieving your dream retirement takes planning and preparation. With our handy guides, you can learn how to build a retirement plan, understand your pension options and more.
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Explore your pension options

Get a head start on your retirement savings with our guidance on starting a pension and explore some of your options for taking your pension pot.

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Starting a pension

Discover your pension options and see how you can save for life after your career, with our guidance on state, workplace and personal pensions.
Read the guide
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Taking a guaranteed pension income

Looking for a stable retirement income? Learn more about purchasing a guaranteed income for life, known as an annuity.

Learn about annuities
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Taking a flexible pension income

See how you can take income directly from your pension as and when you need it with flexi-access drawdown.

Discover flexi-access drawdown
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Taking a cash lump sum from your pension

Get access to your entire pension pot by taking all or some of your pension fund as cash lump sums. 
Learn about lump sums
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Deferring your pension benefits

If you’ve reached retirement and don’t need to access your pension straight away, then it could pay to leave your pension pot untouched. 
Find out more
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Consolidating pensions

In this guide, we talk you through everything you need to know about merging your pension pots - from how it works to the potential benefits.
More on consolidation
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How much do I need to retire?

Planning for life after work is an exciting prospect, but knowing how much you need for a comfortable retirement can be tricky. Learn more in this guide.
Read the guide
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Equity release explained

If you're a UK homeowner aged 55 or over, equity release could allow you to access money built up in your home. Read more.
Explore equity release
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Options for taking your pension

The amount of potential options to access your hard-earned pension can feel overwhelming. Our guide to pension options gives a quick overview of the things you might want to consider.
Ways to take your pension

Your retirement, your way

Choose how and when you retire with our guides on taking an early or flexi retirement.

Partial retirement

For some, stepping back from the workplace can feel daunting. For others, giving up work entirely simply isn’t financially practical. See why partial retirement is becoming the go-to choice for many.
Read the guide

Early retirement

Want to stop working sooner rather than later? In this guide, you can find out how and when you might be able to afford an early retirement.
Get informed

Partial retirement vs. retire and return

Considering a flexible retirement? Here we discuss partial retirement vs. retire and return - and the potential benefits and challenges of both.

Find out more

Life after the NHS

Understand the ins and outs of the NHS Pension Scheme and start your retirement planning with our guides for doctors and dentists.

NHS Pension Scheme guide

With three different parts of the scheme in operation, the NHS pension isn’t the easiest thing to understand. This guide takes a detailed look at how membership of the NHS pension works - and what it might mean for your future retirement plans.
Read the guide

Retirement planning guide for medics

In this guide, we’ll look at some of the things you might want to consider before calling time on your career. Find out how much money you might need to retire, and why it always pays to plan ahead.
Plan your retirement

Lessons for teachers

Plan for life after the classroom and get to grips with the complexities of the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

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Retirement planning guide for teachers

Get prepared for life beyond the classroom, with specialist advice on the complexities of retirement planning, your options for retirement, and how you can make the most of your Teachers’ Pension and retirement income.
Get prepared
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Teachers’ Pension Scheme guide

Pensions can be complicated at the best of times, and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme is no exception. Discover the ins and outs of the scheme, including how much you pay in and the benefits you might be entitled to.
Read the guide

Pensions and retirement insights

19 September 2024 5 min

What dentists should think about when pension planning

In this article, Gordon McMillan, Dental Specialist Financial Adviser, shares what dentists should be thinking about when pension planning.

Pensions Dentists NHS Pension Scheme
29 August 2024 16 min

Podcast - Partial retirement vs. retire and return

This podcast looks at flexible retirement options for dentists and how this will impact pensions.

Retirement Dentists NHS Pension Scheme
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10 July 2024 3 min

63% of working retirees risk falling into a 'tax trap'

This article discusses the importance of seeking financial advice when it comes to avoiding the ‘tax trap’ when working during retirement.

Retirement Financial planning