OT: Boring question...
 

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[Closed] OT: Boring question - pensions

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 Pook
Posts: 12685
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I know nothing about them.

Say I had £300 a month to stick in a pension, where do I start?


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:28 pm
Posts: 145
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Give it to me or set fire to it.


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:29 pm
 Pook
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Then what?

Will that let me buy one of those baths that opens?


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:33 pm
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I don't know, but I suspect most with a pension may as well do what I suggest.


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:34 pm
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I'm assuming your employer (if you have one) doesn't have a scheme. They are usually best as the employer may contibute, effectively topping up your salary.

Bit of a cop out but I'd advise go see an IFA. There are ALOT of pensions/funds to choose from, and you need to choose carefully (fee's etc).

Alot will depend on age, expected retirement age, fincancial circumstances etc.


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:37 pm
 Pook
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A happy diversion from farce to politics there, but back to the original question...

Where to start with getting a pension?


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:37 pm
 Pook
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Cheers KiD - I'm really a novice in all of this.

At the mo I'm also on short term contracts so have no idea how that fits with my employer.


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:40 pm
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If you have a financial advisor then ask them, its worth setting up as all pension payments into a properly set up scheme are tax exempt. Alos if you are self employed your pension payments from the company are NI exempt too.

I hope this is correct, its as much as I can remember from a pensions meeting at work


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:41 pm
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The tax free bit is the big deal with pensions: If you pay £100 a month into your scheme, £120 gets paid into your fund. It does count as taxable income when you withdraw the money at maturity.
I got fed up with below inflation growth and the huge whack my provider was taking for this fabulous service, so I transfered to a SIPP (self invested) and bought some shiney commodities. Fund has grown 34% in 6 months, but this is a bit of a one off; quite what I'll do in the future with it I can't say! At least some thieving fund manager won't get his mits round it 😈


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:51 pm
 Pook
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From reading up on it, my employer has one of the best pension schemes in the country and have recently bolstered it.

Being on repeated short term, extended contracts though I keep thinking I should get some consistency away from the company.

1) I've no idea what to put in
2) Stakeholder/personal/something else.... it's all greek to me!!


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:53 pm
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What you need to do is save up for a deposit and run against George Osbourne at the next general election. Get voted in as a MP - there you go - bulletproof pension.


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 10:54 pm
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Pook,
Have a look at [url= http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/?tab=29 ]Martin Lewis'[/url] website for starters.


 
Posted : 29/11/2011 11:01 pm