Richard Cook. The Investment and Retirement Coach

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Richard Cook. The Investment and Retirement Coach

Putting you in control of your money. Find out more at www.theinvestmentandretirementcoach.co.uk

Richard Cook has been one of the UK's leading Financial Planners for more than 30 years. As well as running his own Practice in Cheltenham , England Richard has delighted financial services audiences in the UK, Ireland ,USA, Canada, Singapore , and elsewhere. He is an acknowledged expert in building and managing client relationships as well as in all aspects of retirement planning . Having recentl

y sold his business Richard now has two new ventures which motivate and excite him. www.advisersuccess.co.uk is the route through which Richard is helping financial advisers throughout the world to add more value to their client relationships and achieve more productive, satisfying lifestyles. The Retirement Team Ltd is dedicated to improving your retirement years, primarily by giving YOU the tools to optimise the income potential of your pension fund and other assets. The eventual aim is to provide support in all areas of retirement including health, diet , exercise, family, travel, etc. For investment and retirement comment and opinion read my blog at: http://theretirementteam.blogspot.co.uk/

28/04/2026

Are you running your business only to end up worse off than your employees?

Three in ten employers don't have a pension, according to recent research by Rathbones.

I sold my own business on good terms after more than 40 years, but a significant part of my retirement income still comes from my pension plans. If you're assuming a future business sale will fund your whole retirement, that is a risky strategy. The future of any business today is harder to predict than ever, and a substantial pension gives you a proper backstop.

Your employees are automatically enrolled in a workplace pension, with contributions of 8% of earnings. If you don't want to end up worse off than they are, that should be your minimum, and based on your total income from the business, not just salary.

Treat it as a compulsory overhead, not an optional one. If you're not at least matching your employees' contributions, something is wrong.

It's also one of the few ways to take money out of your business without paying tax. A company can contribute up to £60,000 a year into your pension as a business expense, no income tax, no corporation tax, no national insurance. The money then sits in a tax-efficient account until you take benefits.

You don't need expensive regulated advice to set this up. Platforms like Hargreaves Lansdown are straightforward to use.

If you'd like some help thinking it through, our coaching and guidance service can point you in the right direction. Do get in touch if that would be useful. https://www.theinvestmentandretirementcoach.co.uk/

24/04/2026

𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟑? 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮. You may not be aware of the changes to the pension scheme rules that come into effect on 6 April 2028, which move the starting pension age from 55 to 57.

If you were born after 5th April 1973, there is nothing you can do about this, but if you were born between 𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟑, you need to understand the rules and how they apply to you.

If you were born before 6 April 1971, you can choose to access your 25% tax-free cash or start to access your pension at age 55. If, however, you don’t take those benefits by 6 April 2028, you will be locked out until your 57th birthday. And that could be up to two years in some cases.

Is this important? Absolutely!

If you’re aiming to access some tax-free cash at age 55 to reduce mortgages, help the children, start a new business, or even avoid the political threat to the tax-free nature of the payments, you need to start your planning NOW.

If you need some jargon-free, no-nonsense guidance, please feel free to get in touch.

24/03/2026

Markets have been unsettled again over the last few days.
It always feels uncomfortable when values fall, and the news is full of reasons to worry.

What has been reassuring is how calmly most of our clients have responded. Very few have felt the need to check in, which reflects the way their investments have been set up.

From the outset, the intention has been to plan for periods like this — making sure that income does not depend on selling investments at the wrong time.

Even after the recent falls, the client portfolios I’ve looked at remain well ahead of where they were this time last year.

The real protection comes from sensible planning. Keeping an emergency fund and setting aside money for known expenses in stable assets removes much of the stress when markets move around.

As for what happens next, nobody really knows.

In the meantime, it may be no bad thing to enjoy the spring and take a step back from the constant flow of news.

If you are feeling uneasy and would like to talk things through, I’m always happy to help.

25/02/2026

Many self-employed people are building successful businesses — but not always building a retirement.

A recent Fidelity investigation suggested that self-employed workers in the UK risk facing a significantly weaker retirement position than their employed counterparts.

The contrast is stark.

Around 89% of eligible employees now contribute automatically into workplace pensions. Since April 2019, most employees contribute 5% of eligible earnings, with employers adding a further 3%. That’s 8% being invested month after month, almost invisibly.

For the self-employed, the picture is very different.

Only around a quarter are contributing to pensions at all, and many of those contributions are irregular or fixed cash amounts rather than linked to income.

Some people may of course be preparing for retirement in other ways, but the available evidence suggests this is far less common than many assume.

What often surprises me most is how many higher-rate-tax-paying self-employed individuals are still not contributing. With pension contributions attracting up to 40% tax relief, the effective return on day one can be substantial.

I covered this in more detail in a previous post about how higher-rate tax relief can effectively double part of your pension, here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richardcook2_a-reminder-of-what-sensible-investing-and-activity-7426583714471731200-1Olr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAOCqG4BsXD10Tcs6nlxoN5V8wKIqwPL9Nk

20/02/2026

"1 in 7 parents plan to spend their children’s inheritance.”

That was the headline from a recent Standard Life report.

In practice, what I’m seeing with clients is slightly different.

Much of the current discussion stems from the planned inclusion of unused defined contribution pension funds within Inheritance Tax calculations from April 2027. For many people, this means they may fall into the IHT net for the first time, or see their potential liability increase significantly.

As a result, far more than “1 in 7” are now reviewing their retirement and estate planning arrangements.

That doesn’t mean recklessly “spending the children’s inheritance”. What it usually means is thinking more carefully about how and when money is used. For some, that includes gifting to family (either directly or via trusts). For others, it means feeling more comfortable prioritising their own lifestyle in retirement.

After all, money spent on enjoying life now, whether that’s travelling a little more comfortably or helping family sooner, may simply reduce the amount that would otherwise be lost to tax later.

Of course, any additional spending has to be balanced carefully against future income needs. The priority is always ensuring long-term financial security first. But with proper planning, many people find they have more flexibility than they originally assumed.

Inheritance Tax remains one of the least popular taxes. People work hard to build their assets and naturally want those assets used in the most sensible and beneficial way possible.

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is helping clients feel confident about their options — whether that means spending a little more in the earlier years of retirement, supporting family sooner, or structuring their estate more efficiently.

If this is something you’ve been thinking about, I’m always happy to have a conversation.

12/02/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭.

From April 2027, unused defined contribution pension funds are expected to be included in your estate for Inheritance Tax.

For some families, this could create an IHT bill where none previously existed.

In the past, pension death benefits were often dealt with outside the estate and paid separately from probate assets. The process was generally more straightforward.

Under the new rules, executors and pension providers will need to work together to establish values and ensure any Inheritance Tax is paid within the required timescales. The more pension schemes involved, the more complex the process is likely to become.

Quite apart from investment considerations, simply having multiple small pension arrangements may increase cost and delay for your family at a difficult time.

If you have accumulated several pension pots over the years, now would be a sensible time to review them. Consolidation is not always appropriate, but the forthcoming changes make it worth examining carefully.

If you would like help understanding how these changes may affect you, I’m happy to discuss.

09/02/2026

A reminder of what sensible investing and tax planning can achieve.

I recently reviewed a client’s pension arrangements following a bonus payment they received last year.

They invested £34,000 into their SIPP and, as a higher-rate taxpayer, reclaimed £8,500 in tax relief. The net cost was £25,500.
Less than a year on, the investment is valued at £52,138.

This has been an unusually strong year for markets, but it’s worth remembering the wider context: political uncertainty, ongoing conflicts, and constant unsettling news in the UK.

Results like this should not be expected every year. And they don’t come not from reacting to headlines, but from making sound decisions and sticking with them.

If you’re not sure that you’re making the most of the allowances available to you, or whether your pension contributions still make sense, a review can often provide clarity. Get in touch if you need a review. https://www.theinvestmentandretirementcoach.co.uk/contact

06/02/2026

Uncertainty is leading many people to make poor investment decisions.
And I’m not surprised.

A recent report suggests that most people feel the world is more uncertain than it was five years ago, and that confidence about future finances has fallen sharply. I see the same concern regularly in conversations with clients and prospective clients.

The most common response is to build up cash savings because it feels safe. And for short-term needs, that makes sense. But when fear drives people to hold large amounts of cash for the long term, the risk quietly changes. Cash may feel reassuring, but over time it is unlikely to keep pace with inflation.

If you are looking beyond the short term, real investments like pensions and Stocks and Shares ISAs offer the prospect of maintaining and growing purchasing power.

What concerns me most is that only a small minority of people say they're considering financial advice. Many assume it is either unnecessary or just not for them.

In reality, if your affairs are not complex, full advice may not be needed. A sensible framework, some guidance, and the disciplined use of well-established DIY platforms such as Hargreaves Lansdown or AJ Bell may be enough to help you confidently move forward.

If you recognise yourself in this and would value a steady hand rather than a sales pitch, I’m happy to help.

03/02/2026

£54bn paid into Cash ISAs last year, was it the right decision?

Cash ISAs have seen record inflows, and for some purposes, they are exactly the right place for money.

If you are holding an emergency fund or setting aside cash you might need to spend within the next few years, a Cash ISA is a sensible and tax-efficient choice. The money is secure, accessible, and not exposed to market ups and downs.

Where problems can arise is when Cash ISAs are used for money that is unlikely to be needed for many years.

Although they feel reassuring, cash returns are unlikely to outpace inflation over time, and there is no opportunity for real growth. For longer-term funds, that can quietly erode spending power.

This is why cash-flow planning matters. Start by deciding how much you want available for emergencies. Add any money you know you will need for planned expenditure over the next three years or so. That money should be kept free from investment risk, and a Cash ISA fits well here.

If you have additional funds beyond this, a Stocks and Shares ISA is usually a better long-term option. It remains tax-efficient and allows investment in a diversified portfolio designed for growth. While markets will fluctuate, long-term investing has always involved riding out periods of volatility.

For those with relatively simple arrangements, online investment platforms like Hargrave Lansdown and AJ Bell can be perfectly adequate. If you'd like some help understanding how to use them effectively, I’d be happy to help you, get in touch.

30/01/2026

𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 – 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳?

Hargreaves Lansdown has announced fee changes with effect from 1st March, and at first sight we agree with their claim that it will provide more clients with better value for money.

However, that is not the entire story.

What HL have done is to destroy one of their main marketing advantages. People investing in funds via their SIPP or ISA plans have, until now been able to make investment decisions without having to think about fees. The introduction of dealing fees, however small, brings a most unwelcome complication.

Our view is that simple fixed fees are much better than dealing fees, and we can only assume that HL consider the new fee structure to be more profitable for them, whatever the headlines say!

Our previous research brings HL to the top of the DIY investment platforms list, based on overall features. We do not expect these fee changes to alter that. However, every client will be different. Some will need to change their dealing strategy to avoid fee increases, while others may need to consider a change of platform provider. We will be examining this for our clients over the next few weeks.

If you would like some guidance about your own situation, please get in touch. https://www.theinvestmentandretirementcoach.co.uk/

29/01/2026

SJP adjust portfolios to de-risk for an uncertain 2026

St James’s Place have announced changes to their portfolios in response to what they describe as an “uncertain” outlook for 2026. The explanation they have provided will mean very little to most people.

They refer to:
“Reducing exposure to higher-risk credit assets in developed markets where spreads have become increasingly tight.”

That may sound technical, but it says very little about what this actually means for individual investors.

This is one of the core weaknesses of fund-of-funds solutions. Centralised decisions of this type take no account of personal circumstances. In practice, they tend to have minimal impact on long-term returns and only modestly reduce volatility, while helping to justify ongoing fees.

Periods of uncertainty are nothing new. Sensible investing has always involved dealing with them. If you are uneasy, the sensible step is not clever repositioning, but checking that money you may need in the next few years is not exposed to unnecessary ups and downs.

After all, it is your money. Are you comfortable handing full control to managers who can move it around without reference to your own plans?

If you would like help setting up and managing your own investments using established online platforms, while remaining fully in control, let me know.

22/01/2026

"CGT receipts fall 8% as tax payers swerve rate rise”

This announcement caught my eye as it clearly demonstrates that whatever nasties the Government throws at us there is nothing to say we must catch them.

Did you have your eye on the ball or did you miss the catch?

Reviewing investment strategies regularly, both with taxation and performance, is essential if you are to avoid the consequences of unwelcome tax changes.

What has worked in the past may not work now.

If you think you would benefit from a quick review, just message me, and we can have a chat.
https://www.theinvestmentandretirementcoach.co.uk/

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