
Flexible retirement income
It’s hard to know what you’ll be doing in the future, so picking a retirement income to last a decade or two (and hopefully even longer) isn’t easy. Flexible retirement income (pension drawdown) lets you take whatever income you want – and change it when you need to.
Keeping your income sustainable
People are living longer and choosing to spend their retirement in many different ways. So if you’re thinking about flexible income, consider the factors that will affect how long your pension lasts:
- The amount you have in your pension and other investments at retirement.
- The amount you take out of your pension.
- The way you invest your money.
- You can aim to provide an income, to grow the capital in your pension, or for a combination of the two.
One of the big decisions about flexible income is how you produce it.
The facts | Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|---|
You can take up to 25% as a tax-free lump sum up to the standard lump sum allowance of £268,275. | You can take it at any point from age 55. | Any cash you take reduces the amount of income you could receive. |
The rest of your money stays invested, and you can take withdrawals at any time. | Flexibility of taking money when you need it and making further contributions if you wish. | All income is taxed the same as any earnings you have. You should ensure you understand what tax rates might apply to you. |
You need to consider how long you will need an income for, as you could live 20 years or more in retirement. | If you invest your money carefully and regularly review how any income is reducing your pension pot, you can ensure that your money lasts as long as possible. | You could run out of money if you take too much income from your pension pot. |
You need to decide which funds your pension pot is invested in as the performance of any funds will affect how long any income will last. | You can choose where to invest your pension to meet your needs. | Your pension pot could go down dramatically if you don’t regularly monitor how your funds are performing. |
Three options for producing flexible retirement in
Natural income only
Capital withdrawals only
Capital withdrawals plus natural income
Whichever method you use to take an income, it’s important you plan carefully so you don’t run out of money. You need to think about the different types of fund choices that will support the way you draw down your pension.
Changing your flexible retirement income arrangements
The advantage of flexible retirement income is that you can manage your money as your needs change over time. You can change the funds you’ve invested in, how much and how often you choose to withdraw, and even change your provider.
If you want to withdraw an amount from your workplace pension with Fidelity call us on 0800 3 68 68 73 to discuss the options available to you.
To find out the options available and what you need to consider, please call Fidelity on 0800 3 68 68 73 or refer to an authorised financial adviser.