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Saving for Education – Now is the Time to Act

Plan ahead to ease the burden

Like most financial decisions, forward thinking is paramount to making it work. Quite simply, the sooner you consider and act on the issue of education fee planning, the lower your monthly costs will be – ultimately, this means less stress and, crucially, greater leeway and greater choice.

Long-term savings vehicles are almost always going to represent the best option for those engaged in education fee planning. This is because short-term vehicles are likely to prove too risky and may even prove harmful to your prospects of realising your long-term goals.

Fortunately, there are measures that can be taken with expat regular savings and in the majority of cases this is likely to involve the creation of an intelligently diversified investment portfolio. In many cases this may be able to provide reliable yields without too onerous a monthly financial commitment.

Remember, although education fees are expensive, they can be attainable. Rather than scrimping to meet the costs as you send your child off to school, plan for them; by taking the path of investment you can get capital markets to do the lion’s share of the work for you.

You may need some education for a strong regular savings plan

Just like you trust the teachers at a place of learning to impart the best knowledge to their pupils, so it follows that if you are undertaking a set of expat regular savings and investments then you may need a little expert help.

Blacktower has offices across Europe and beyond and we are able to offer intuitive advice based on your personal needs, investment goals and time horizon. To start on the road for education fee planning contact us today, to see how we can help you.

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.

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Are better Interest rates on their way at last?

Graphs and arrowsThe 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.

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Final salary pensions – why now is a good time to cash in

Juicy lottery-sized sums are being offered to savers to tempt them out of gold-plated workplace pension schemes and into personal plans. We’ve explored whether you should consider taking a final salary pension, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of withdrawing.

What is a final salary pension?

A final salary pension, sometimes referred to as a gold-plated pension, is a special style of retirement fund that is based on your final or average salary.

The main difference between this and a defined contribution pension is that a final salary scheme gives you a guaranteed sum annually for the rest of your life when you retire.

To work out the value of your final salary scheme, consider a few factors: 

  1. Your final or average salary at your place of employment (confirm this with your employer)
  2. Your length of service
  3. The final salary scheme’s accrual rate (this is often 1/80th)

Your final salary pension will take each factor into account, and the resulting figure will be the guaranteed annual sum you are entitled to.

For instance, if you worked somewhere for ten years, and leave on a salary of £100,000, with an accrual rate of 1/80th, you will have a guaranteed retired annual income of £12,500.

It is possible to undertake a final salary pension transfer. Depending upon how long you expect to enjoy retirement, this could be a favourable choice. However, it’s important to consult a financial advisor to make your final salary pension transfer values work harder.

What are the benefits of transferring a final salary pension?

Assessing your final salary pension transfer value, you might consider it worthwhile to withdraw. We’ve outlined the main benefits of taking your final salary pension:

Receive the cash value of your final salary pension

Withdrawing from a final salary scheme allows you to receive a cash lump sum in return for forfeiting your guaranteed income in retirement. This final salary pension transfer value is the main reason to withdraw from a scheme, as it offers you financial freedom.

Remove ties with your employer

This is an especially important point if you’re concerned that your employer may not exist throughout your full retirement. For most, the pension protection fund (PPF) will cover your pension, but, for especially high earners, there is a PPF ceiling of £41,461 (as of April 2020).

Enjoy a flexible income in your retirement

A final salary scheme entitles you to a guaranteed annual income when you retire, but if you go down the route of transferring your final salary pension you will be able to enjoy a little more flexibility in how you receive your income. Usefully, by withdrawing from your final salary scheme, you can choose to take more out in your younger years.

Choose how you want to invest your pension

A final salary scheme is controlled tightly to accommodate all employees and their interests. When withdrawing from the scheme, however, you can take complete control over how your pension fund is invested.

The considerations you should make before transferring your final salary pension

While there are certainly benefits of going down the route of transferring final salary pension funds into various other pots, it’s important to consider what you’ll be giving up:

  • Entitlement to a fixed annual income for the rest of your life
  • A safe income that doesn’t fluctuate with volatile markets and share prices
  • Spousal and family benefits that come with a final salary scheme

 Example: Should I cash in my final salary pension?

An example is Mrs Dee (not her real name), 4 years ago she asked for her final salary transfer values, which came in at £250,000 – a nice sum, you may think. After reviewing all the facts and figures available, however, I advised Mrs Dee to leave her final salary pension where it was, which she duly did.

Towards the end of last year, because of favourable market conditions, I applied again to see the value of transferring her final salary . This one came in at just under £600,000.

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