Building your own pension pot in a tax‑efficient way is one of the most powerful steps you can take.
Pension planning with Lewis Christopher starts with understanding what you already have and what you are trying to achieve. We help clients in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and across the UK plan for a secure retirement. As part of our pension and retirement advice, we review all of your pension arrangements — including defined contribution (DC) schemes and entitlements from defined benefit (DB or “final salary”) and State Pension schemes — to help you understand how they fit into your overall retirement plan. We do not provide advice on transferring defined benefit pensions.
We then use cashflow modelling to project your finances forward, showing how your pensions, other investments, expected spending and inflation could interact over time. This helps you see if you are on course for the lifestyle you want in retirement, and what may need to change to get there.
From there, we look at both sides of the retirement journey: the accumulation stage, where you are funding for retirement, and the decumulation stage, where you start taking benefits and need your savings to last.
The accumulation stage is about building your pension in a sensible, tax‑efficient way. You might contribute:
We help you decide how and when to fund your pension in the most tax‑efficient way, taking into account your age, intended retirement date, current and expected earnings, and wider financial position. Cashflow modelling allows us to test different contribution levels and retirement ages so you can see the impact before you commit
Decumulation is where the decisions tend to get more complex. Once you reach retirement, there are several ways to access your pension savings, and the right answer depends on your expectations, circumstances and attitude to risk.
For many people, flexi‑access drawdown is one option to consider. This keeps your pension invested while allowing you to vary the income you take over time, which can be useful if your needs change from one year to the next. On the other hand, if you value greater certainty and simplicity, you may prefer to use some or all of your fund to purchase an annuity, giving you a guaranteed income.
We use cashflow models to show how different withdrawal strategies could affect the sustainability of your income, helping you balance flexibility, security and the risk of running out of money. We can then advise on the best way to access your money as and when you need it and adjust the plan as your situation evolves.
We also talk through the tax side of your pension decisions – both while you are working and when you start to draw benefits. That includes how your pension income will be taxed alongside other income, and how to structure withdrawals to keep things as efficient as possible.
If you expect to leave some of your pension to beneficiaries, we will explain the different tax scenarios and help you plan to reduce any potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill where the rules allow. Cashflow modelling can help illustrate the effect of leaving more or less in your pension versus other assets.
Geoff Cardno has been leading the financial advice side of the business for over 25 years. He has recently been joined by his son, Dan, who spent 12 years at Deloitte before qualifying as a financial adviser through the London Institute of Banking & Finance, bringing additional experience to the family firm, offering impartial pension and retirement planning advice in Milton Keynes and across the UK.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax or cashflow planning.
The value of pensions and investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount invested. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in the future.
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Pension planning with Lewis Christopher starts with understanding what you already have and what you are trying to achieve. We help clients in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and across the UK plan for a secure retirement. As part of our pension and retirement advice, we review all of your pension arrangements — including defined contribution (DC) schemes and entitlements from defined benefit (DB or “final salary”) and State Pension schemes — to help you understand how they fit into your overall retirement plan. We do not provide advice on transferring defined benefit pensions.
We then use cashflow modelling to project your finances forward, showing how your pensions, other investments, expected spending and inflation could interact over time. This helps you see if you are on course for the lifestyle you want in retirement, and what may need to change to get there.
From there, we look at both sides of the retirement journey: the accumulation stage, where you are funding for retirement, and the decumulation stage, where you start taking benefits and need your savings to last.
The accumulation stage is about building your pension in a sensible, tax‑efficient way. You might contribute:
We help you decide how and when to fund your pension in the most tax‑efficient way, taking into account your age, intended retirement date, current and expected earnings, and wider financial position. Cashflow modelling allows us to test different contribution levels and retirement ages so you can see the impact before you commit
Decumulation is where the decisions tend to get more complex. Once you reach retirement, there are several ways to access your pension savings, and the right answer depends on your expectations, circumstances and attitude to risk.
For many people, flexi‑access drawdown is one option to consider. This keeps your pension invested while allowing you to vary the income you take over time, which can be useful if your needs change from one year to the next. On the other hand, if you value greater certainty and simplicity, you may prefer to use some or all of your fund to purchase an annuity, giving you a guaranteed income.
We use cashflow models to show how different withdrawal strategies could affect the sustainability of your income, helping you balance flexibility, security and the risk of running out of money. We can then advise on the best way to access your money as and when you need it and adjust the plan as your situation evolves.
We also talk through the tax side of your pension decisions – both while you are working and when you start to draw benefits. That includes how your pension income will be taxed alongside other income, and how to structure withdrawals to keep things as efficient as possible.
If you expect to leave some of your pension to beneficiaries, we will explain the different tax scenarios and help you plan to reduce any potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill where the rules allow. Cashflow modelling can help illustrate the effect of leaving more or less in your pension versus other assets.
Geoff Cardno has been leading the financial advice side of the business for over 25 years. He has recently been joined by his son, Dan, who spent 12 years at Deloitte before qualifying as a financial adviser through the London Institute of Banking & Finance, bringing additional experience to the family firm, offering impartial pension and retirement planning advice in Milton Keynes and across the UK.
The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax or cashflow planning.
The value of pensions and investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount invested. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in the future.