We all want to look forward to a happy, healthy and enjoyable retirement.  Here are some pointers to help you with your retirement planning.

1. Firstly, you may have a main pension pot but do you have any ‘lost’ pensions? If you’ve worked for a number of employers then you’ve probably attained a number of different pension pots. Most pension schemes should send you a statement each year but if this is not the case you can visit the gov.uk website find-pension-contact-details to find out more.  It may be a good idea to consolidate your pension pots to maximise your retirement income, pay less in charges and there could be tax relief benefits too.
2. Secondly, establish your needs for retirement: You know best what your bills currently are and what they might be at retirement.   Also consider what budget you’d like for travel and leisure.  This will give you a good idea of what level of income you are aiming for.
3. Also don’t forget to check your State pension: You will be entitled to State Pension as long as you have made the required number of National Insurance contributions. Men and women born between 6 October 1954 – 5 April 1960 start receiving their pension on their 66^th  birthday.  For those born after that, there will be a phased increase at age 67 and eventually 68.