Getting help and advice

When you’re coming up to retirement, or thinking ahead to when that day comes, you have a lot of choices to make.

These are choices that can affect your own future, as well as the money you leave behind if you die.

 Things to think about, include:

• when you will retire
• the ways to take the pension benefits or Personal Retirement Account (PRA) you’ve spent years building up

 Luckily, there's plenty of guidance and support available to help you understand your choices and the retirement process.

 Here’s a quick overview. 

 What you can get help with

• Your options when you retire - it's important you understand your options and choose what's best for your needs. You can find out more here
• Budgeting and planning - retirement can mean a big change to your lifestyle and finances so you need to plan ahead and know what to expect.  You can find out if your savings are on track here
• Tax – if you're unsure how your pension benefits will be taxed once you receive them, you can find clear, jargon-free information on the gov.uk website.
• Your State Pension – this is different to your workplace pension. When, and how much you receive with your State Pension, is set by the Government. You'll find a calculator to help you work out your State Pension age and how much State Pension you might get on the gov.uk website.
    
  

Where to find help:

• You can find a variety of information in the Planning for Retirement section of the website and in the video library. 
• If you have specific questions about your pension, you may find the answers by logging in to your myRPS account or, if it's urgent, by contacting us directly 
• Liverpool Victoria (LV) has been chosen as the official partner to give RPS members access to financial advice. LV can be contacted on 0800 023 4187.  This service is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
• You can also find an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) in your area at unbiased.co.uk – just be sure to go with someone who has knowledge and experience in pensions, rather than a generic financial adviser.

Other useful sources of information include:

• moneyhelper.org.uk from the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). It brings together the support and services of three government-backed financial guidance providers: Money Advice Service, The Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise. And offers free support on a wide range of financial matters, online and over the phone. This covers a variety of pension topics, including:

• Auto enrolment
• Building your retirement pot
• Pension problems
• Pension basics
• State Pension
• Taking your pension
• Tax and pensions
• Pensions and retirement

For more information visit https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/pensions-and-retirement