Thinking about retiring early? We highly advise you plan now! Here’s our early retirement advice…

As the state pension age rises, life expectancy increases, and final salary pension schemes become a thing of the past, it looks likely that more workers will remain in employment for longer in order to be able to build up sufficient funds for their retirement years.

According to analysis by Aviva1, the number of people retiring before they reach age 65 is decreasing rapidly. The insurer calculates that if the present rate of change continues, by 2035 almost no one will be able to retire early.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show a record 10.1 million over-50s remain in work, with 1.2m of these workers aged over 65. Ten years ago, less than 700,000 over-65s were in work. In 1998 the figure was 434,000.

HOW TO PLAN FOR EARLY RETIREMENT

Increased life expectancy means that people retiring at 65 today can reasonably expect to live on into their 80s if not longer, and some can expect to live to 100. However, when it comes to planning for retirement, people can underestimate the odds of reaching a great age and may not be adequately prepared financially for the years ahead.

That’s why it makes good sense at all stages of your working life to keep an eye on your pension arrangements, especially if you intend to retire earlier rather than later.

You need to think about the following key questions:

• When do I want to retire?
• How much will I need in income and savings to fund my lifestyle in retirement?
• Are my plans on track? Am I currently saving enough?

Although it has recently been increased, the state pension is still only a basic safety net for most people, and not enough on its own to guarantee a comfortable retirement.

Personal pensions offer generous tax breaks to encourage us all to provide adequately for retirement. If you are a basic-rate taxpayer making a pension contribution, every £100 you pay in will in effect only cost you £80 once income tax relief has been applied. If you are a higher-rate taxpayer, every £100 contributed within the HMRC annual allowance will cost just £60.

As part of the government’s drive to ensure we all make adequate provision for retirement, employers are now legally obliged, subject to age and earnings thresholds, to automatically enrol their employees into a qualifying pension scheme, where employees and employers make monthly contributions.

TAKING ADVICE CAN HELP YOU MEET YOUR GOALS

The need for professional advice tailored to your individual circumstances has never been more important. If you’re concerned about your pension arrangements, we’re happy to review your plans and help you keep on track for a financially-comfortable retirement.

Clifford Osborne are Independent Financial Advisors (IFA) based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, offering early retirement advice, pension advice, mortgage advice and more. You can read our VoucherFor reviews here. Our clients often come from Uckfield, Lewes, Brighton, Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Bexhill, Newhaven, Seaford, Crowborough and further afield.

The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The past is not a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated.

It is important to take professional advice before making any decision relating to your personal finances. Information within this blog is based on our current understanding of taxation and can be subject to change in future.

It does not provide individual tailored investment advice and is for guidance only. Some rules may vary in different parts of the UK; please ask for details. We cannot assume legal liability for any errors or omissions it might contain. Levels and bases of, and reliefs from, taxation are those currently applying or proposed and are subject to change; their value depends on the individual circumstances of the investor.

The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The past is not a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated.

If you withdraw from an investment in the early years, you may not get back the full amount you invested. Changes in the rates of exchange may have an adverse effect on the value or price of an investment in sterling terms if it is denominated in a foreign currency. Taxation depends on individual circumstances as well as tax law and HMRC practice which can change.

The information contained within the blog is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.

The purpose of the blog is to provide technical and general guidance and should not be interpreted as a personal recommendation or advice.