When a QROPS isn’t Right
Whether you are a member of a defined benefit plan or another scheme, you may worry about the talk of a UK pension crisis, particularly as the State Pension, as important a safety net as it may be, is worth less than £9,000 a year.
Even with the 25% tax, a QROPS transfer may still be a useful and suitable option for you, especially if you have moved abroad and intend to stay abroad.
But what do you do if your wealth manager advises you against a QROPS – is there an alternative?
For many, in this situation a SIPP (a Self-Invested Personal Pension) may be the flexible vehicle necessary to help you reach your retirement goals.
It gives retirement savers a broad spectrum of investment choice and allows seasoned investors to self-manage their investment, while the less experienced investor can choose to have someone manage the investments on their behalf.
A SIPP can be comprised of bonds, funds, shares and other types of security, so allows for a great deal of diversification.
Furthermore, as you don’t have to make regular contributions, it is possible to set a strategy and then wait for the results; in its own way a SIPP can be surprisingly low maintenance.
And because you can withdraw up to 25% of your SIPP in a lump sum, tax-free, from the date of your 55th birthday, you are able to reinvest, spend or gift a large proportion of the money entirely on your own terms. You then have the option of income drawdown, so that you can receive income while having the security of staying invested.
Expat Retirement Transfer Advice
Blacktower FM can help you decide whether an expat retirement transfer into an HMRC QROPS is suitable for you and your circumstances – for example, whether it is the best way to draw income, and whether it is beneficial from the perspective of inheritance tax and legacy planning.
For more information, contact your local Blacktower office today.
This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.
Hands up if you still own a property in the UK, but have residential status in Tenerife, or indeed anywhere else in the world? 
The UK has had an unprecedented period of low interest rates; 2009 saw the base rate drop to 0.5 and then last August down to 0.25. That’s eight years of extremely low interest rates. Whilst this has been great for borrowers and helps to keep the business economy afloat, it has been disastrous for those people in or approaching retirement. Annuity rates have been terrible for pension income returns and the bank rates for the people who have savings have been providing very poor returns.