Tel: 0800 012 1117

Help and advice

Fraudsters may try to take advantage of the widespread anxiety caused by the recent coronavirus outbreak to target pension savers with scams – please be extra vigilant!

For information on what warning signs to look out for, how to protect your pension, and much more, check out the safety and scams page.

Your options when you retire

It's important you understand your options and choose what's best for your needs.

You can find more information about your options in the Planning for Retirement section of the website and in the video library. 

If you're unsure what's right for you, an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) can look at your personal circumstances and help you decide.

Liverpool Victoria (LV) has been chosen as the official partner to give Fund members access to financial advice. LV is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and can be contacted on 0800 023 4187.  You can find more information in the section below.

You are still free to choose your own Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). You can find an 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.

Here are some questions you can ask a financial adviser to help you choose the best one for your needs.  

Where to find help:

Guidance on your defined contribution transfer and retirement options

If you’re aged 50 or over and request to transfer out or take any defined contribution benefits, such as BRASS or AVC Extra, you may need to obtain free guidance on your retirement options from Pension Wise before we can go ahead with your application. 

You can find out more on the Guidance on your transfer and retirement options page.

Advice service with Liverpool Victoria:

The Fund's administrator, Railpen, has appointed Liverpool Victoria (LV) to provide advice to all Fund members. This includes those in the CARE section, as well as the 1970 and 2007 sections.

LV covers all areas of advice, including:

  • retirement
  • financial planning
  • tax support
  • transfers

 It also has a dedicated team, with specific knowledge on the Fund. 

LV will be offering its services at a discounted rate for Fund members. For DB members, this is priced at £1995 for any type of advice.

You can also discuss any other pension benefits you might have at the same time.  

 While we understand LV is not the cheapest on the market, this service was carefully chosen based on both quality and cost.

Financial advice is optional in most cases. However if you are a DB member looking to transfer to a DC arrangement and have a transfer value of £30,000 or more, you are legally obligated to seek advice before any transfer can be made.

LV can be contacted now on 0800 023 4187.

You are still free to choose your own Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). And you can find an IFA in your area at unbiased.co.uk.

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 get advice on how to manage your money and avoid problems, the choices available to you, and how a change in your circumstances, such as births, death or divorce, could affect your pension. 
   
​Where to find help:

MoneyHelper.org.uk

Midlife MOT - for those aged 45 to 65

 

Tax issues

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.
   
​Where to find help: 

MoneyHelper.org.uk

Gov.uk

Your State Pension

You can receive State Pension once you reach State Pension age, but the age varies depending on when you were born. 
 
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:
 
gov.uk/claim-state-pension-online
gov.uk/state-pension-age

MoneyHelper.org.uk

General pension information

MoneyHelper brings together the support and services of three government-backed financial guidance providers: Money Advice Service, The Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise. 

It offers free support on a wide range of financial matters, online and over the phone. This covers a variety of pension topics, including:

  • Building your retirement pot
  • Pension problems
  • Pension basics
  • Pensions and retirement

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

If you have specific questions about your Fund pension, you may find the answers by logging in to your myFund account. For anything urgent, you can also contact us directly.