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

[Count Steer]

Tax evasion as a prudent retirement plan, eh?

What could possibly go wrong?

There are legal ways for everything. I had a great accountant

Screenshot_20260223_183233_Samsung Internet.jpg

Err...the first two are within your own residence. The third one is where it starts to get interesting and relevant but it gets cut off just about where the real tax implications start.

[Yorick]

Tax evasion as a prudent retirement plan, eh?

What could possibly go wrong?

There are legal ways for everything. I had a great accountant

Screenshot_20260223_183233_Samsung Internet.jpg

Err...the first two are within your own residence. The third one is where it starts to get interesting and relevant but it gets cut off just about where the real tax implications start.

Nothing illegal. No crime for sailing close to the wind.

[Horse]

... I was giving you advice that was very valuable, I can charge several thousand an hour for consultancy based on my results and you were getting that for free and all I got was ridicule,

... if you want to be a joiner would you follow a time-served joiner around telling him he's talking bollocks or would you shut up and watch and learn?

Although my job job title has the word 'consultant' in it, I think I'm not in your premier league

However, what I do know - because I had to do it - is that there needs to be evidenced justification in order to be listened to.

And - no offence intended - you and your advice are only pixels on a screen. You have a backstory - but to anyone here there's no evidence until someone actually really knows you.

If you want the polar opposite of your factual insight and advice, here's a message that I've seen given on forums:

'Use WD40 to stop your brakes squeaking'

[IccyV2]

I’m happy to chew the fat but I think some things need to be called out before they fester. The banter was fun but it turned really dark in the end and it was time to let it go. I don’t find it remotely funny anymore to see actual hatred in people because of the chip on their shoulder.

For all the chest puffing I rarely see anyone actually doing anything to help anyone in need. For example we actually did take in a family when there was all the talk of desperate people, we opened our home to a couple with a young daughter, they stayed about eight months.

Perhaps I should post more about that because the Harry Enfield type character has run its course and it bought some real weirdness out in people.

[IccyV2]

... I was giving you advice that was very valuable, I can charge several thousand an hour for consultancy based on my results and you were getting that for free and all I got was ridicule,

... if you want to be a joiner would you follow a time-served joiner around telling him he's talking bollocks or would you shut up and watch and learn?

Although my job job title has the word 'consultant' in it, I think I'm not in your premier league

However, what I do know - because I had to do it - is that there needs to be evidenced justification in order to be listened to.

And - no offence intended - you and your advice are only pixels on a screen. You have a backstory - but to anyone here there's no evidence until someone actually really knows you.

If you want the polar opposite of your factual insight and advice, here's a message that I've seen given on forums:

'Use WD40 to stop your brakes squeaking'

You can register with various agencies like Guidepoint, as an example, I’m not doing all the work for you, you can find the rest yourself.
With some of the bigger and grander ones you could chance it and put high fees in, $5k an hour is not considered excessive if they deem you worth it.

Convincing them you’re worth it is up to you. Making their clients millions in a few days would do it.
Good luck.

[IccyV2]

I'll send you the £250 over, if you could take that up to £500k thatd be great thanks

As you say, people have different levels of knowledge in certain things. Me making a mistake with a £700k pension could cost me £700k. Making a mistake with a bike choice costs me £500. Learning is the hard bit. But sone things can be expensive to learn.

Making money in that way is a skill like any other, to get very good at it you have to make it an obsession, like an Olympic athlete training, it’s their whole life. I’m not prepared to go to that length and we’ve settled for a lot less than you probably think I have.
When we retire I’ll unzip the savings, sell the cars (they’re investments) and we’ll live like invisible people with just enough but not enough to be noticed.

I’m just poking around to see what others are doing because it’s not my area of expertise and you can always pick up a tip or two if you listen, read and watch other people.

[Horse]

... I was giving you advice that was very valuable, I can charge several thousand an hour for consultancy based on my results and you were getting that for free and all I got was ridicule,

Although my job job title has the word 'consultant' in it, I think I'm not in your premier league

However, what I do know - because I had to do it - is that there needs to be evidenced justification in order to be listened to.

And - no offence intended - you and your advice are only pixels on a screen. You have a backstory - but to anyone here there's no evidence until someone actually really knows you.

You can register with various agencies like Guidepoint, as an example, I’m not doing all the work for you, you can find the rest yourself.
With some of the bigger and grander ones you could chance it and put high fees in, $5k an hour is not considered excessive if they deem you worth it.

Convincing them you’re worth it is up to you. Making their clients millions in a few days would do it.
Good luck.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I really don't need to. As I posted a few days ago;

I retired at 65, state pension at 66. Filly retired at 59.

I still do occasional part-time work because I want to. As a for instance, several days in November probably covered our Christmas bills. But we could have managed happily without.

[IccyV2]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I really don't need to. As I posted a few days ago;

I didn't think you did but it was an easy answer to the post you put up where you questioned capability and reputation, these things can be easily obtained if you're quick and good at what you do.

I don't need it either and I generally ignore offers now, but I did some work a while back that turned out to be very worthwhile to a large group and now I get offered a lot more opportunities than I need or want.

[Horse]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I really don't need to. As I posted a few days ago;

I didn't think you did but it was an easy answer to the post you put up where you questioned capability and reputation, these things can be easily obtained if you're quick and good at what you do.

No, the point was that, on here, you're just a random username tapping a keyboard. No evidence / proof / history / backstory, etc.

IRL you would be providing that.

FWIW, I've had instances where people have not believed what I've posted - and it's from my work experience and knowledge.

[IccyV2]

No, the point was that, on here, you're just a random username tapping a keyboard. No evidence / proof / history / backstory, etc.

IRL you would be providing that.

FWIW, I've had instances where people have not believed what I've posted - and it's from my work experience and knowledge.

I think there has been plenty of backstory, but it's all in the past, perhaps we should get back to pensions and looking at the future.

[Horse]

No, the point was that, on here, you're just a random username tapping a keyboard. No evidence / proof / history / backstory, etc.

IRL you would be providing that.

FWIW, I've had instances where people have not believed what I've posted - and it's from my work experience and knowledge.

I think there has been plenty of backstory, but it's all in the past, perhaps we should get back to pensions and looking at the future.

It was you who brought up not being believed!

As for pensions, I've posted fair detail of mine.

[Docca]

I've just checked mine. I've just had a promotion and that hasn't been factored in to the calculations yet.

Because of the 'Mcloud remedy' I'll be slightly better off, but now have two options: take my pension at 60 or 67.


If I take my pension at 60, based on current figures:

Yearly pension: £38k
Lump Sum: £143,893
Adult dependant pension (what my wife will get if I croak): £21k per year


I've always been black and white/open book when It comes to earnings etc. I'm still grateful from being able to move on from being on the streets homeless when I was younger.

[Count Steer]

As for pensions, I've posted fair detail of mine.

I suspect one of the key learning points we have to share Hoss is, thanks to the late '22 financial pandemonium is - 'safe' is a relative word. Even 'safe' investments can get torpedoed. I never quoted an actual value of what it cost me other than the equivalent of a nice car but it was one hell of a wake-up call and led to a bit of disaster planning.

eg What if....my company pension disappears, will the government step in? What if....the company/platform that my SIPP is with goes base over apex?

So, eggs and baskets. It's a good idea to imagine shocks to ones financial plans and build in a bit of resilience.

[Horse]

As for pensions, I've posted fair detail of mine.

I suspect one of the key learning points we have to share Hoss is, thanks to the late '22 financial pandemonium is - 'safe' is a relative word. Even 'safe' investments can get torpedoed. I never quoted an actual value of what it cost me other than the equivalent of a nice car but it was one hell of a wake-up call and led to a bit of disaster planning.

eg What if....my company pension disappears, will the government step in? What if....the company/platform that my SIPP is with goes base over apex?

So, eggs and baskets. It's a good idea to imagine shocks to ones financial plans and build in a bit of resilience.

Yup, all correct.

As I've said before, '22 wiped 1/4 - 1/3 off my various savings pots.

Before then, I'd had an example offer, for retirement less than a year later, of an annuity of about £8.5k. So, luckily, it didn't feature as a significant part (or worse, only) pension income. Currently*, all sat waiting patiently for a decision (probably into draw-down). * Four, plus one that's for current part-time work**. ** Value: peanuts.

With events like 'Equitable Life's, Maxwell, then Truss and Kwartang, there's no such thing as safe.

I count myself lucky to have had a few years in a final salary scheme, and state pension at 65. Although my final 15 years full time employment were at an ex-civil service company, so several people disappearing ages 60, with good pensions and lump sum payments.

Re the 'what if?' planning. Filly has a good pension, but could easily work if necessary. I have state pension.

Worst case, we'd sell the house and downsize, use that to carry us over until Filly gets the state pension.

But I hope that they don't all collapse at the same time!

[Dodgy69]

Seems being homeless in our younger years ain't a bad starting point.

[Wscad]

Yup, all correct.

As I've said before, '22 wiped 1/4 - 1/3 off my various savings pots.

Before then, I'd had an example offer, for retirement less than a year later, of an annuity of about £8.5k. So, luckily, it didn't feature as a significant part (or worse, only) pension income. Currently*, all sat waiting patiently for a decision (probably into draw-down). * Four, plus one that's for current part-time work**. ** Value: peanuts.

With events like 'Equitable Life's, Maxwell, then Truss and Kwartang, there's no such thing as safe.

I count myself lucky to have had a few years in a final salary scheme, and state pension at 65. Although my final 15 years full time employment were at an ex-civil service company, so several people disappearing ages 60, with good pensions and lump sum payments.

Re the 'what if?' planning. Filly has a good pension, but could easily work if necessary. I have state pension.

Worst case, we'd sell the house and downsize, use that to carry us over until Filly gets the state pension.

But I hope that they don't all collapse at the same time!

That’s a very good post horse. Very good

I predict interest rates will go down a little....stay stable for a while... then increase.

The issue I have is no one on here has any influence on world affairs

Did anyone predict covid ? No. Covid changed the world and no smart arse saw it coming

Did anyone predict the truss/Kwasi budget? That budget affected many family’s in the uk. No smart arse on this forum saw it coming

Right now... the world is a dangerous place

Xi jing ping has said he will have a pop at Taiwan before he retires. How will that affect trade movement? Any predictions anyone?

Putin and Xi. What if they both decide to dredge the ocean sea floor and disrupt oil/gas/internet. Any predictions?

The world will be a very different place 10 years from now.

Predictions/target pension pots will mean nothing

[Count Steer]

Well Wscad, you have predictions/possibilities so it comes back to resilience. What does a body do about it? (Assuming we're not all glowing in the dark!).

There are always options of varying degrees of likely success. Physical gold has been popular in the past, so people have prepared for upheaval before.

Not suggesting full on 'prepping' but some sensible options might exist knowing that the unexpected or 'might just happen' sometimes does happen.

[weeksy]

Well Wscad, you have predictions/possibilities so it comes back to resilience. What does a body do about it? (Assuming we're not all glowing in the dark!).

There are always options of varying degrees of likely success. Physical gold has been popular in the past, so people have prepared for upheaval before.

Not suggesting full on 'prepping' but some sensible options might exist knowing that the unexpected or 'might just happen' sometimes does happen.

Chainsaws. If its a zombie apocalypse I will have lots of chainsaws.

Truth is though, you can't a count for every eventuality but if all pensions drop by 50% then you've still got more than the guy who had 50% less than you before hand.

[Count Steer]

Well Wscad, you have predictions/possibilities so it comes back to resilience. What does a body do about it? (Assuming we're not all glowing in the dark!).

There are always options of varying degrees of likely success. Physical gold has been popular in the past, so people have prepared for upheaval before.

Not suggesting full on 'prepping' but some sensible options might exist knowing that the unexpected or 'might just happen' sometimes does happen.

Chainsaws. If its a zombie apocalypse I will have lots of chainsaws.

Truth is though, you can't a count for every eventuality but if all pensions drop by 50% then you've still got more than the guy who had 50% less than you before hand.

I'm starting a crossbow making business.

(It was the blokes that sold shovels that made a good, steady living during the gold rush and Lobb bootmakers started out making boots for Aussie miners so I'm preparing for rising demand ).

If I thought stocks were going to plummet, I'd probably convert some into 'cash' ready to buy when it did....assuming I thought it would come back up again before I needed it.

(Actually I've partly done that on the back of all the doom and gloom about AI....so you can guarantee the fall won't happen!).

[IccyV2]

I did actually predict Covid.
It’s too good a story not to tell.

In November 2019 we were about to do something in another country, our capital in the project was about £20m and I was sat with the chairman having one of our chats like we always do before we pull the trigger on something.

Him - So are we good?

Me - No, something is happening, I don’t know exactly what it is yet but I’m seeing something, lots of movement. I haven’t seen this before, but something is happening. It feels big, the signs are there and it’s global. I’m not willing to sign off on anything until I’ve figured it out.
Let’s wait until the end of Q1 2020 so I can make sense of it.

On my mother’s life, that morning we shelved a £20m deal on a hunch.
I took a lot of flack for that from another global entity that probably still hate me for collapsing a deal.

In the new year as it broke I started to take phone calls from people asking exactly what and how I knew because I called it, but I didn’t have any magic or premonition, it’s just observational awareness. It’s like watching the herds on the plains of Africa, if you’re tuned in you see the animals smell something and move, way before you see the lion.