Pension stuff, how's it all looking ? HAve you prepared ?

[Yambo]

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You renamed your villa?

[Count Steer]

I'd look even more tragic in AMQs! Haven't you got a few musculoskeletal problems? Join us. You'll come for the arch support and stay for the machine wash ability!

I bought a pair of Skechers and didn't get on with them at all. The sole/heel is too soft so they ended up in the back of the car as something to change into for driving after walks etc. I prefer proper trainers with firmer soles that are a bit more designed to cope with pronation - Saucony work for me.

[Dodgy69]

My wife has decided to go part-time at her job and wants me to cut my hours, probably to a 4 day week. Her cut in hours is because she will have to help more with her Mum who has dementia and she knows as her Mum declines, she'll be needed to help out more.

Her wish for me to cut my hours is so we can get more time together and make a point of doing something other than caring for her Mum. I'm sort of coming around to it, but I actually really like what I do and enjoy being at work. Plus, apart from the obvious less pension contributions from myself and my employer, I'm not sure what the other implications of reduced hours will be, if any?

She could pack it in altogether and get the attendance and carer's allowance.

[Dodgy69]

Regarding pensions and investments, which of these portfolios do you believe is best for growth ?

I'd of thought the defensive was potentially, safer, less growth, less loss and aggressive potentially more growth, more loss, but it don't look like that to me.

Risk level on left from top to bottom and shows % change per year and all time on right 2015. It's slightly cropped but you get the picture.

Only for the pension nurds which I'm one of these days.

[Count Steer]

What were the launch dates? (It's been cropped).

TBH it doesn't tell me much other than the brief interlude of Truss/Kwarteng stoofed the bond market. I assume that 'aggressive' has higher charges than the 'defensive' too. a) It's a v short time frame and b) it's (obvs) what's happened in the past and 'previous performance yadda yadda...'

In other news, apparently lots of people forget to change their pension nominee when they split up. That must be fun when you find your partner's pension is heading off to the ex!

[Horse]

TBH it doesn't tell me much other than the brief interlude of Truss/Kwarteng stoofed the bond market.

Apparently a goodly chunk of my pension pot which had been gradually transferred into 'low risk' was tanked by the dynamic duo

[Count Steer]

TBH it doesn't tell me much other than the brief interlude of Truss/Kwarteng stoofed the bond market.

Apparently a goodly chunk of my pension pot which had been gradually transferred into 'low risk' was tanked by the dynamic duo

One of my 'safe' pots went south quite impressively too. Fortunately I'm not planning on drawing on it for a while so there's time for a bit of claw-back.

(Apparently, back a while, it was bonds that did for Equitable Life too).

[Dodgy69]

What were the launch dates? (It's been cropped).

TBH it doesn't tell me much other than the brief interlude of Truss/Kwarteng stoofed the bond market. I assume that 'aggressive' has higher charges than the 'defensive' too. a) It's a v short time frame and b) it's (obvs) what's happened in the past and 'previous performance yadda yadda...'

In other news, apparently lots of people forget to change their pension nominee when they split up. That must be fun when you find your partner's pension is heading off to the ex!

They launched October 2015. The guy I spoke to said what I expected, aggressive is more risk and defensive is less. Looking at their table, aggressive has done very well, even since 2020 and the world went tits up.

Feb 22 - Feb 23 aggressive lost 0.8 defensive lost 4.2. How's that work then.?

[Horse]

TBH it doesn't tell me much other than the brief interlude of Truss/Kwarteng stoofed the bond market.

Apparently a goodly chunk of my pension pot which had been gradually transferred into 'low risk' was tanked by the dynamic duo

One of my 'safe' pots went south quite impressively too. Fortunately I'm not planning on drawing on it for a while so there's time for a bit of claw-back.

Ditto.

My [limited] planning is having a rethink

Luckily, Filly will still be working for a while.

[Count Steer]

What were the launch dates? (It's been cropped).

TBH it doesn't tell me much other than the brief interlude of Truss/Kwarteng stoofed the bond market. I assume that 'aggressive' has higher charges than the 'defensive' too. a) It's a v short time frame and b) it's (obvs) what's happened in the past and 'previous performance yadda yadda...'

In other news, apparently lots of people forget to change their pension nominee when they split up. That must be fun when you find your partner's pension is heading off to the ex!

They launched October 2015. The guy I spoke to said what I expected, aggressive is more risk and defensive is less. Looking at their table, aggressive has done very well, even since 2020 and the world went tits up.

Feb 22 - Feb 23 aggressive lost 0.8 defensive lost 4.2. How's that work then.?

Defensive tends to be safe stuff ie bonds but Truss/Kwarteng managed to bomb the value of bonds, which was pretty impressive ie not normal. Pension managers tend to move towards 'safer' investments as you approach taking a pension. Blunderwoman put the skids under that. Hopefully it won't happen again, but never say never.

Aggressive funds can gain/lose value rapidly ie they tend to be more volatile. Generally they'll do well in a rising market but one has to ask if that's where we're heading. Concensus seems to be slow growth...maybe. Hedge your bets and go for balance would be my 2d.

[Dodgy69]

Yeah, he said aggressive was in stocks and shares and defensive was more bonds. I just don't get their performance table considering the last few years of global turmoil. The risky ones losing less than the safer ones.

It's a funny old game.

[Count Steer]

Yeah, he said aggressive was in stocks and shares and defensive was more bonds. I just don't get their performance table considering the last few years of global turmoil. The risky ones losing less than the safer ones.

It's a funny old game.

The main thing about very defensive funds is that they aren't suppose to lose money (inflation apart) but you wouldn't normally hold everything in one for a long time, just feed in as you approach retirement.

This was more important when you had to go the annuity route. The last thing you wanted to risk was the stock market cacking it's pants the week before you transferred it all into an annuity.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Stocks in particular were...complicated...during and after the pandemic. Yeah they took a beating immediately on lockdown but then some of them went nuts. It's all been a bit mad since really.

Don't bother trying to make much sense out of the last 3 years!

[Count Steer]

Oh, and finally, aggressive/actively managed funds tend to have higher management charges. They should really show performance after costs in order to compare properly. If they did that people might find index trackers more attractive but then they'd earn less in charges (which they take whether a fund goes up, down or sideways. ).

[Cousin Jack]

Whar it all boils down to is bankers taking bets with our/your money. Sometimes we gain, sometimes we lose, but the bankers win every time. Some bankers even pretend to understand rhe market, they lie!

[Dodgy69]

Update...my pension fund managers are shite.

Nearly 18 months in now and it hasn't grown a penny. Infact, today it's down 12k, it has been down 24k. Do I stick or twist into something that will make me money. Seems to me these diversified portfolio's managed for you don't like an unsettled climate, but I reckon an unsettled climate is what we've got for the foreseeable.

Any thoughts ???

[Count Steer]

Update...my pension fund managers are shite.

Nearly 18 months in now and it hasn't grown a penny. Infact, today it's down 12k, it has been down 24k. Do I stick or twist into something that will make me money. Seems to me these diversified portfolio's managed for you don't like an unsettled climate, but I reckon an unsettled climate is what we've got for the foreseeable.

Any thoughts ???

Is that in the 'defensive' funds? If so, that's what got stuffed by the financial wizards that got into 10 and 11 Downing Street for a few weeks and decided to turn the financial world on its head. It's been an 'interesting' year or so but you're paying them to know how to deal with it. A good fund manager can make money in a downturn but tbh nobody alive has seen what just happened before.

I might be inclined to give them 6 months while you work out what you will do if you take the money out (watch out for account closure charges too). Can you or whoever you put the ££s with do better? Have a look at fund performance over the same period of stuff like Fidelity funds - the data is all out there. Have their comparable funds done better? Lots of funds have taken a bit of a cold bath but the 'low risk' bonds market got completely stuffed by the financial kamikaze twins in a few weeks. (Now she has the nerve to give 'honours' to the genii that helped her do it).

[Dodgy69]

It was in a defensive portfolio but I spoke to one of there advisors and it's now in a growth but doing just the same. It is a personal pension so moving it may need some thought.

No fee's to move it but where to. There's still tax free cash in there and the rest taxable. They always say its volatility and over the long term gains are made. Thing is, I want it making money now.

They do a podcast every morning on YouTube and you can leave comments. Seems everyone's got the same opinion. They take annual fee's and lose our money. Gains one day, loses the next. I'd of thought decent fund managers should have the resources to make some Gains even in uncertain times. Happy days.

[Mr. Dazzle]

They say 5 years is the sort of timescale to look at. Checking it every day to see if it's gone up/down is a good way to drive yourself potty.

FWIW pretty much every pension fund has been taking a kicking.

[Count Steer]

They say 5 years is the sort of timescale to look at. Checking it every day to see if it's gone up/down is a good way to drive yourself potty.

FWIW pretty much every pension fund has been taking a kicking.

True. Also, while markets are down, hopefully they buy in so you get a bigger bounce on an upturn. It is a bit though when you see it stoofing.