A self-invested personal pension (SIPP) is a retirement pot that encourages its users to invest their money and accumulate funds for retirement. What makes it unique is its higher flexibility. The best SIPP providers will offer you SIPP schemes with a wide range of instruments that you can arrange on your own or with additional help and support from a financial planner. But before you jump deeper on your own, you should have a better understanding of SIPP to avoid any wrong financial decisions that can put your senior years in jeopardy.
- SIPP characteristics
What makes a great distinction between SIPP and other pension schemes is that it gives you full authority and control, so you can easily make modifications and adjustments to your portfolios anytime necessary. It can also provide a broader selection of investment choices, such as:
- Domestic and international company stock
- Land and property
- Open-ended investment companies (OEICs)
- Investment trusts
You cannot make a direct investment in real estate properties, however, it is feasible to allocate your SIPP to commercial properties like office buildings.
If you don’t have much experience in fund management, it is highly recommended to use the help of a SIPP pension transfer or financial expert, so you can be guided in choosing the right investment choice to maintain and develop your portfolio.
- Amount of savings
There are no definite rules about the amount of money you should invest. As mentioned before, SIPP offers flexibility to its users. Therefore, you can decide how much money you want to allocate and how often you save it. Either you contribute regularly or make lump sum payment, you can do whatever is convenient for you. Additionally, your company can also add contributions to your pension pot. It is advised to consult with your SIPP provider to make sure about the procedure you need to go through before you invest your money because you will be required to fill out some administrative forms before starting your investment.
- Additional expenses
It is common for financial services companies to impose a fee or charge their users. However, the range of charge may differ from one to another. Therefore, you need to carefully gather information about this matter from your potential SIPP provider or UK pension transfer before you use the service. Here are some extra fees that you should pay attention to:
- Installation fee – it is the first fee that may apply when you start your investment.
- Regular administrative fee – This cost is for the platform or the service that you use throughout your pension investment. It can be charged monthly or annually, depending on the agreement that you will sign.
- Investment fee – It is usually charged when you want to put your money into the pension pot. Some companies may have set some fixed amount, but you should also be aware that some others make it percentage-based.
Those are some important information that you need to know about SIPP. Remember that it is never too early or too late to start saving for your pension. If you think you need more guidance about investments, you can always ask for help from a financial advisor, so that you can begin investing for your senior years.
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