How often does your employer give you free money? Employer pension contributions often come with no obligation on the individual and are an additional benefit to your employment package.

In how many other walks of life will the government increase your savings by at least 20% just to encourage you to save - so if you save 80% and they will add another 20% to your pension straight away.

Although for pensions advisers the history of pension rules reads like war and peace, investors can getgood advice to guide them to the right type of plan for them so that ultimately a pension as is just another savings plan, nothing more complicated than that. The key point is let your adviser sort out the complexities for you.

Well managed pensions can make you money, history shows that it is possible to make much more than you put in. The problem is too many investors have poorly managed pensions sitting in poorly managed funds earning them no return. This doesn't make pensions a bad idea; it just means they need to be managed properly by someone who knows what they are doing.

The insurance industry in the UK has been ripe for takeovers over the last 10 years or so and therefore the chances are that the company you originally set your pension up with no longer exists. We can help you track this down and work out what your pension is worth.

Throughout a working life many people accrue a number of different pensions, many of which are invested in funds which are closed to new investors. This means that the fund managers are not really incentivised to grow the value of your fund, as they know their assets will naturally diminish over time anyway. We can analyse your existing funds and advise on their continued suitability for your needs.

Over the age of 55 in most instances, you can decide when you want to draw a tax free lump sum fromyour pension fund and an income for life. Nobody else has to make this decision for you.