Understanding the various investment choices on offer can be daunting and so we have created this simple guide as a starting point to help you decide how to invest your pension fund.
We recommend you review your investment choices regularly. This is especially important in the run up to accessing your pension savings
If you have a financial adviser, we recommend you speak to them before making a decision.
If you are a UK resident and do not already have a financial adviser, you can find details of the advisers in your area from Unbiased. Financial advisers may charges for providing financial advice.
Factors to consider when deciding where to invest
Everyone’s personal circumstances are different and your investment choices depend on many things including:
Your attitude to risk
Where your pension funds are currently invested
How you plan to take your benefits
When you plan to access your pension savings
Attitude to risk
Cautious
Cautious investors do not like to take risks with their investments and typically invest in lower risk funds such as cashCash
Cash & deposits – short term investments including bank, building society and local authority deposits. Any growth is likely to be similar to what you would expect from a bank or building society account., depositDeposit
Cash & deposits – short term investments including bank, building society and local authority deposits. Any growth is likely to be similar to what you would expect from a bank or building society account., fixed interestFixed Interest
Fixed interest securities are a way for companies or governments to raise money by borrowing from investors. Securities issued by the UK Government are also called gilts or gilt-edged securities, while securities issued by companies are known as corporate bonds. or bond funds which aim to deliver security rather than growth.
In between cautious and adventurous
In between investors (sometimes known as balanced or medium risk investors) are prepared to take some degree of risk
with their investments and typically invest in medium risk funds which aim to deliver long term growth by investing
in a mix of UK and overseas equitiesEquities
Equities – A way to release some of the value of your property to spend while you are alive. It is generally only suitable for people who own their property but have little in the way of other assets or income., bondsBonds
Bonds – a written promise to repay a debt at an agreed time and to pay an agreed rate of interest on that debt.,
property and cashCash
Cash & deposits – short term investments including bank, building society and local authority deposits. Any growth is likely to be similar to what you would expect from a bank or building society account..
Adventurous
Adventurous investors are prepared to take risks with their investments and typically invest in higher risk funds that invest heavily in equities.
Where are your pension savings currently invested?
Lower risk funds
Lower risk funds aim to provide short term security and have limited growth potential. They typically invest in cashCash
Cash & deposits – short term investments including bank, building society and local authority deposits. Any growth is likely to be similar to what you would expect from a bank or building society account., depositDeposit
Cash & deposits – short term investments including bank, building society and local authority deposits. Any growth is likely to be similar to what you would expect from a bank or building society account., fixed interestFixed Interest
Fixed interest securities are a way for companies or governments to raise money by borrowing from investors. Securities issued by the UK Government are also called gilts or gilt-edged securities, while securities issued by companies are known as corporate bonds. or bond.
Medium risk funds
Medium risk funds aim to grow your pension savings over the longer term. They normally provide long term growth by investing in a mix of UK and overseas shares (equities), bonds, property and cash. You could lose money if the value of your investment falls.
Higher risk funds
Higher risk Managed funds aim to provide long term growth by investing mainly in UK and overseas equities. You could lose money and you can expect to see greater fluctuations in the value of your investments than in a low or medium risk fund. Other higher risk funds may invest in a single market, such as the Far East.
How do you plan to take your pension savings?
(You can choose more than one option and mix them)
Take all pension savings in one go
You can take the whole of your pension savings in one go. A quarter of your pension savings can usually be taken tax-free; the rest will be taxed as income. You will need to plan how you will provide an income for the rest of your retirement.
Get a flexible retirement income
You can leave your pension savings invested and take one off lump sums or regular income. You decide how much of your pension savings is to be used and a quarter of that amount can usually be taken tax-free. Any regular income is taxable. There is no requirement for you to take a regular income.
The amount left in your pension savings remains invested, which gives your pension savings a chance to grow although it could go down in value too.
You may need to move into a new pension plan to access this option.
Get a guaranteed income for life
A lifelong, regular income, known as an annuity, provides you with a guarantee that the income will last as long as you live. A quarter of your pension savings can usually be taken tax-free and any other payments will be taxed as income.
Take pension savings as a number of lump sums
You can leave your pension savings invested and take lump sums as and when you need them. A quarter of each lump sum taken is usually tax-free; the rest will be taxed as income. You can keep taking lump sums until your pension savings run out or you choose another option. You decide when and how much to take out.
The amount left in your pension savings remains invested, which gives your pension savings a chance to grow although they could go down in value too.
You may need to move into a new pension plan to access this option.
When do you think you might access your pension savings?
(You can choose more than one option and mix them)
In the next year
Regardless of when you think you will access your pension savings it is recommended that you regularly review your investment choices.
You should consider if the funds you currently invest in are targeting short, medium or long term returns and that these are in line with when you might access your pension savings.
You can usually switch existing investments and change where future payments are invested for free.
In 1 to 5 years
Regardless of when you think you will access your pension savings it is recommended that you regularly review your investment choices.
You should consider if the funds you currently invest in are targeting short, medium or long term returns and that these are in line with when you might access your pension savings.
You can usually switch existing investments and change where future payments are invested for free.
In 6 to 10 years
Regardless of when you think you will access your pension savings it is recommended that you regularly review your investment choices.
You should consider if the funds you currently invest in are targeting short, medium or long term returns and that these are in line with when you might access your pension savings.
You can usually switch existing investments and change where future payments are invested for free.
In 10 years or more
Regardless of when you think you will access your pension savings it is recommended that you regularly review your investment choices.
You should consider if the funds you currently invest in are targeting short, medium or long term returns and that these are in line with when you might access your pension savings.
You can usually switch existing investments and change where future payments are invested for free.
Example investment choices for your pension
We have created some examples to illustrate how investment choices can change depending on when and how you plan to access your pension savings.
These examples are not based on actual customers and should not be taken as advice or the most appropriate course of action in similar situations.
Investment choices for taking pension savings all in one go
If you are intending to take all of your pension savings as a lump sum (of which, 25% is tax-free) and your chosen pension date is approaching, you may want to consider lower risk funds that invest in cash or deposits. The funds available to you will depend on the product you bought. This information can be found on our fund factsheets.
The actual funds available to you will depend on the product you bought.
| Medium Risk | Managed Fund |
|---|---|
| Lower risk | Cash |
Investment choices for guaranteed income for life
If you are planning to exchange your pension savings for a guaranteed income for life, you may want to consider lower risk funds that don’t fluctuate as much. This becomes more important as you get closer to the date you intend to access your pension savings.
Example - moving from a medium risk to a lower risk fund
The actual funds available to you will depend on the product you bought.
| Medium Risk | Managed Fund |
|---|---|
| Lower risk | Cash or Fixed Interest |
Investment choices for flexible retirement income
If you are planning to access flexible retirement income in the near future, you should consider your investment choices taking into account your personal circumstances and how long any balance of your pension savings will remain invested.
Example – investing in medium and low risk funds
The actual funds available to you will depend on the product you bought.
| Medium Risk | Managed Fund |
|---|---|
| Cash for lump sums or any income you plan to access soon | High and medium risk Managed Fund for balance of pension savings |
Investment choices for a number of lump sums
If you are planning to take your pension savings as a number of lump sums (of which, 25% is tax-free) you may want to consider a mixture of investments that takes into account your personal circumstances and the period of time over which you plan to take the lump sums.
Example – investing in a mixture of high, medium and low risk funds
The actual funds available to you will depend on the product you bought.
| Medium Risk | Managed Fund |
|---|---|
| Cash for lump sums you plan to access soon | High and medium risk Managed Fund for balance of pension savings |
Next Steps
Phoenix pension plans offer a range of funds from low to higher risk, if you are interested in talking to a member of our team about your pension please get in touch.
Before making any investment decisions, we recommend that you take independent financial advice. If you are age 50 or over, you can contact MoneyHelper – a free and impartial service set up by the Government - to help you understand your pension options.