Latest expert comment
A partner's pension at no cost to yourself
By Nigel Callaghan
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21 Aug, 2008
You spend much of your working lives trying to look after your loved ones. The same concerns and considerations apply equally when you are about to retire. With minimum effort, you can achieve the peace of mind of protecting your partner’s future at little or no additional cost to yourself. Simply by switching pension companies to secure the best annuity deal could mean buying your partner an income that would continue after your death for the rest of their life. Research from Hargreaves Lansdown has found that there is at least a 15% difference between the best and worst annuity rates offered by pension companies. Rather than accepting whatever your pension company is offering, by shopping around you could choose a pension that includes a pension for your partner after your death and still receive the same level of annuity, based just on your own life, that you’d been offered by your pension company.
You spend much of your working lives trying to look after your loved ones. The same concerns and considerations apply equally when you are about to retire. With minimum effort, you can achieve the peace of mind of protecting your partner’s future at little or no additional cost to yourself. Simply by switching pension companies to secure the best annuity deal could mean buying your partner an income that would continue after your death for the rest of their life. Research from Hargreaves Lansdown has found that there is at least a 15% difference between the best and worst annuity rates offered by pension companies. Rather than accepting whatever your pension company is offering, by shopping around you could choose a pension that includes a pension for your partner after your death and still receive the same level of annuity, based just on your own life, that you’d been offered by your pension company.
Recent comments
Aiming at a moving target
By Danny Cox
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20 Aug, 2008
We will have all seen the values of our investments and properties fall in recent months and an advantage, perhaps not one that we wholly enjoy, is that our inheritance tax liabilities have also fallen. Falls in markets provide...
We will have all seen the values of our investments and properties fall in recent months and an advantage, perhaps not one that we wholly enjoy, is that our inheritance tax liabilities have also fallen. Falls in markets provide...
Shock, denial, regret, acceptance
By Stephen Lansdown
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19 Aug, 2008
When I look over the events of the past year or so I think the above heading summarises everything. It was indeed a shock to the system when the US sub-prime problems arose and affected the world. It was a major...
When I look over the events of the past year or so I think the above heading summarises everything. It was indeed a shock to the system when the US sub-prime problems arose and affected the world. It was a major...
Market volatility
By Mark Dampier
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18 Aug, 2008
Markets have continued their incredible volatility. What in the industry is called a vicious sector rotation has been going on for the last couple of weeks with banks, builders and many of the high yielding stocks which have been hit...
Markets have continued their incredible volatility. What in the industry is called a vicious sector rotation has been going on for the last couple of weeks with banks, builders and many of the high yielding stocks which have been hit...
Past comments
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A week in advance 18th - 22nd August 2008
By Keith Bowman | 15 Aug, 2008
This coming week sees an upturn in the number of UK corporate second quarter/half year results, whilst the economic calendar lacks a major focus. In the US, the second quarter corporate results season has now finished, whilst economic events may... -
Your pension may be worth more than you think
By Nigel Callaghan | 15 Aug, 2008
Some investors want to retire now, but are put off from doing so by the worrying daily headlines of falling stockmarkets. They assume that their pension savings will be as badly affected. However, for many investors this will simply not... -
It's always darkest before the dawn - a stockmarket recovery?
By Meera Patel | 14 Aug, 2008
If this year is anything to go by, it serves as a reminder that volatility has always been a feature of the stockmarket. It doesn’t help when news headlines report that billions of pounds have been wiped off the stockmarket.... -
Holding our Interest
By Alexander Davies | 13 Aug, 2008
Last Thursday the Bank of England voted to keep the interest rate at 5% for the fourth consecutive month; despite pleas from many to control inflation by raising rates. Many people believe the next move in interest rates should be... -
Gold still a bold investment?
By Meera Patel | 12 Aug, 2008
Over the last five years we have seen the gold price surge from around $350 an ounce to a peak of over $1000 in March this year. Since then the gold price has been unusually volatile. The price fell sharply... -
Quote: me happy
By Danny Cox | 11 Aug, 2008
Norwich Union, sorry Aviva, have announced that they are going to distribute £1bn to around 1m with profits policyholders. This is a reattribution process meaning that shareholders pay policyholders from shareholder funds, so that orphan assets can be used as... -
A week in advance 11th - 15th August 2008
By Keith Bowman | 08 Aug, 2008
This coming week in both the UK and the US, corporate second quarter results are winding down and the economic focus is moving towards inflation matters. Economics In the UK, the prospects for inflation (rising prices) come back into focus.... -
The Olympic effect on China
By Ben Yearsley | 08 Aug, 2008
With the eagerly awaited Beijing Olympic Games now upon us, a key question for investors is whether there will be an economic impact on the Chinese economy. Some of the initial impact has already been felt with many new Olympic... -
When is 10% not 10%?
By Ben Yearsley | 07 Aug, 2008
I might be stating the blindingly obvious here but a 10% rise in either house prices or the stock market and a 10% fall in either is not necessarily the same thing. If you buy a house that is valued... -
Don't bury your head in the sand
By Stephen Lansdown | 06 Aug, 2008
It is tough in investment markets at the moment and the likelihood is that it will be tough for some time to come. The point I think we should remember is that just as when times are good and it... -
Money guidance
By Tom McPhail | 05 Aug, 2008
How easy is it to plan for retirement? The government is continuing to redesign the UK’s pension system, with yet another Pensions Bill currently on its way through parliament (they are currently averaging one every couple of years). One of... -
Climate Change
By Alexander Davies | 04 Aug, 2008
The climate change debate continues to rage. Opinion seems divided on whether it exists, and if it does, on how it can best be tackled. I am not a scientist and I cannot tell you if the earth will be... -
A week in advance 4th - 8th August 2008
By Keith Bowman | 01 Aug, 2008
This coming week sees a continuation of the UK corporate second quarter/half year results season, whilst the economic calendar sees attention turn back to interest rate policy. Over in the USA, the corporate second quarter results season also continues, whilst... -
Protected Rights
By Danny Cox | 01 Aug, 2008
I mentioned in a recent article that from October you will be able to transfer Protected Rights pension money into your SIPP. Almost everyone that I have spoken to about this article has asked me what Protected Rights are and... -
Russia
By Mark Dampier | 31 Jul, 2008
Recent falls in the Russian stock market have been put down to problems with Mechel, the steel company, and the continuing fight over TNK-BP. Russia is still an emerging market so problems with politics can still occur. However, that said,...
