After 40 years of an average working life, retirement at 65 should mean 20 years or more in retirement. If you had been in a traditional occupational pension scheme for all of those years, then you might retire with half or two-thirds of your final salary. However, these types of schemes are very much a thing of the past.

Most people do not manage to accumulate a maximum pension because they haven't benefited from such a scheme during the whole of their working life. So, unless they have supplemented this with additional contributions, they will face retirement on a much reduced pension income.

Those people who have never belonged to any occupational scheme and who never made contributions to a Personal Pension will face retirement on the State Pension.

Could you manage on £95.25 per week as a single person or £152.30 as a married couple?

You also need to ensure that you have capital available to you during retirement to replace the car every few years, replace clothing, furniture and fittings, maintain your home and pay for holidays and other treats for yourself and your grandchildren! In fact, most of the same things you spent your money on before you retired!

So what will your income be at retirement? What savings will you have to service all life's other little necessities?

If there are just 40 years available to save the money necessary to pay for 20 years of retirement, then ask yourself how many of those years have you missed out on already!

Now more than ever it is imperative that you get a review of where you are and what you need to do for the future. Our training equips us to advise on all aspects of Pensions, Corporate Pensions, Small Self Administered Schemes, Executive and Personal.

We also advise on the especially complex area of pension transfers and the consolidation of various pension schemes accumulated during your lifetime.

"You have delivered all you said you would and more, in the search for the investment that needs to provide for our whole future. Your absolute attention to detail and application you've shown has mirrored our very own approach to serious financial transactions and for all your help and guidance, we are both very grateful."

CRAIG & CAROLINE JAMIESON