Good news on SIPPs

Planning to take charge of your retirement?

If you like the idea of flexibility and freedom, a self-directed pension scheme - like SIPPs - could be right for you.

SIPPs (it stands for a Self-Invested Personal Pension) have become increasingly popular in recent years, with over £30 billion currently invested. Every UK resident under 75 can contribute to a SIPP. You can even open one for a child without affecting your personal tax status.

They offer:

• a wide, innovative choice of investments
• high performance potential
• big tax benefits (an investment of £10,000 could cost you as little as £6,000)

Yet market research indicates many UK customers are still unaware of this savings opportunity, despite the fact that it generally allows a much faster accumulation of pension funds than through traditional channels.

Perhaps it's time you took a look.

Talk to one of our Advisors today:

0800 33 99 99

The Allenbridge Advantage

Running your own investment portfolio can be exciting, daunting - and risky. And like any investment, SIPPs offer no guarantees.

That's why professional advice is always a good idea.

We can help you open and manage a SIPP. And if you simply want to open a SIPP account with Allenbridge and then personally manage it, you can do that too.

We are here to work with you and meet your specific requirements.

A bit of history

SIPPs, or Self Invested Personal Pensions, have been around for a while. In fact, they were first introduced by the UK government in 1989, essentially to encourage people to save more for retirement.

Initially, the high-income end of the market was most interested - mainly for tax reasons - but that has now changed. Today, SIPPs appeal to all income levels and have definitely gone mainstream. Why? Because SIPPs offer you the opportunity to invest in a very broad range of assets and some 1,000 funds (compared to 40 or so for other pension plans). These include:

• Unit trusts and Open-Ended Investment Companies (OEICs)
• Tax-exempt unauthorized Unit Trusts
• Exchange Traded Funds (iShares)
• Commercial Property
• Gilts
• Local Authority Bonds and Fixed interest securities
• UK and international equities, including AIM shares
• Corporate bonds
• Cash
• Deposit accounts with Banks or Building Societies
• Foreign securities
• Futures and Options, including CFDs (Contracts for Difference)
• Hedge Funds (provided they are listed on a Recognised Securities Exchange)

This is definitely NOT your grandfather's traditional pension portfolio. And meanwhile, SIPPS enable you to sit in the driver's seat to a large degree (that's the "do-it-yourself" part), although you can also use a broker or manager.