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Indeed. Tax codes you say? One year, I made the stupid mistake of submitting my SATR in December, to avoid the rush in January. Result - my tax code was changed by someone in HMRC (who didn't want to be there on 29 December) who put me on an M1 basis, for the rest of the tax year. This was to...

Those are useful figures which highlight the uplift in the size of the final pot, that an upfront tax giveaway can make. On that summary, the SIPP wins hands down. But, it isn't quite as simple as that* What I asked was 'does the 20% effective hike in money going into a SIPP at basic rate...

We are indeed all different. For my part, I would not have accepted what the IFA told me, without evidence to back it up. I would have still wanted to see the numbers in various scenarios, especially my own scenario. I'm not talking about the advantages and disadvantages of SIPPs (20% tax relief...

Raymondo, throughout my working life, I always contributed to both my SIPP and Stocks and Shares ISAs. This was more from a 'don't have all your eggs in one basket' philosophy, rather than knowing which one was best; investing tax free on the way in (SIPP), or investing from your post-tax cash...

Exactly what I do as well. I choose what pot to draw from on a monthly basis, depending on investment performance. I topslice the best performers. Your last sentence is also spot on, although - usual caveat - it depends on individual circumstances. Ignoring growth rates, drawing income from...

Has anyone noticed that among those of us who have retired, not one of us has expressed any regret in doing so? Before I retired at 56, I thought I would miss work, and all that it brings. The money, sense of achievement, challenge, banter etc. Not a bit of it. Mind you, towards the end of my...

You're just an old romantic. I made my NI top ups for myself and my wife in early December, and they've just been applied, so it took them about 10 weeks. The fact that I'm relieved they got it right, is a reflection of my expectations. Hence in today's world, a 10 week turnaround becomes...

Gleaned from a lifetime in IT, the (abridged) solution would be something as follows: Current solution: If AMOUNT-OWED > 0 PERFORM PROCESS-CHASE-THE-BUGGER-UP. New, improved solution: IF AMOUNT-OWED > £50.00 PERFORM PROCESS-CHASE-THE-BUGGER-UP. Result - improved PR, fewer...

Thanks. I looked at that online but couldn't find where to do it. I'll take another look.

It's got a lot going for it. I've just had the enjoyment of spending 40 minutes yesterday waiting to get through to HMRC and then 30 minutes this morning, at which point I gave up. The first time was to see why they changed my tax code on 27 December from my usual 1257L to K872 M1, just to...

Years ago, William Littlewood coined the phrase 'deworsification', a process of taking diversification too far, so that returns will approximate those from an index fund. I've just run the HL X-ray heat map thingy, slicing and dicing all my holdings, and I'm in 59 countries...

I know those two funds will be the first to go if/when I review my holdings. I also know that I will be back in them, or similar, some time later on.

Just looked at my SIPP, and I do have a couple of funds that @Weststander might be interested in: Morgan Stanley Sterling Corporate Bond - down 12.7% Legal & General Active Global High Yield - down 21.12% (US Corporate bonds) These funds are on their final warning. Any more of this and I'll...

One of the strangest experiences I had was straight after the Brexit vote, when the GBP crashed. It took me several days to pluck up the courage to go into my account and check the damage. When I opened it up, I couldn't believe it. I was up £30k. I was expecting to be down by at least £50k...

You sound well diversified. I struggle with diversification, and overtrade as a result. The properties take care of themselves, but otherwise I like to diversify by asset type - bonds, funds, index/passive, equities, ETFs and ITs. I also diversify by country. This results in safety but low...

Indeed. I agree with you. But I'm mindful that for some, annuities are very necessary, including some on this thread. That's why I don't trash them. My honest opinion of them is that - currently - I wouldn't touch them. I prefer to enjoy the markets. That's why I invested in property, the income...

I'm afraid those rates don't appeal to me, at least not at the moment. My circumstances may change, but I'm in the fortunate position of having an income from property which means I don't have to draw an income from my SIPP.

Annuities have been out of favour for a while, due to poor rates, but I've just checked the latest rates and unsurprisingly, they've shot up. Single 65 year old 7.4%, joint 6.8%. I'm still a youngster at 63, so I'll look at them properly when I'm nearer the finishing line.

I confess I haven't listened to much of what IFAs have told me over the years (I shared this information once on here and @dazzer6666 quite correctly scolded me ). But one thing I did listen to, was 'ask yourself this question': 'Do you trust future governments to provide for you in your old...

That's an interesting chart Dazzer. I've never seen a chart of the US market looking so linear. It just shows what a long time horizon (= smoothing) and a log scale can do. Very useful. You're right about the timeframe of course. All four bear markets lasted around 15 years, give or take. I...