INVESTMENT & RETIREMENT PLANNING HQN Financial Management Limited 

INVESTMENT & RETIREMENT PLANNING SERVICES - 5 STEP PROCESS 

We advise on most areas of investment and retirement planning. This typically includes Investment Trusts, Unit Trusts, OEIC’s, ISA’s and Investment Bonds. This is an outline of the process we use to form our advice: 

STEP 1. GATHERING INFORMATION ABOUT YOU & YOUR OBJECTIVES 

We work with you to determine your overall financial position and consider tax planning in making your investments more tax efficient. We discuss pension plans, any other investments and savings you have. We then look at how we can structure investments to meet your requirements in line with your approach to investment risk. Once you are happy with the broad outline we provide you with, and our fees, then we proceed to the next steps. 
 
 
 
 

STEP 2. INVESTMENT ANALYSIS & PENSION TRACING 

We look in depth at each your pension and investment plans and consider if they are on track to meet your requirements in line with your approach to investment risk. We also look at the funds in which you are investing and consider if they are suitable for you. It is easy to lose track of pensions. Changes of employment or house moves can result in pensions being left behind. We will help you track them down. 

STEP 3. SOURCES OF INCOME FOR RETIREMENT 

It may be that you have already retired or are planning to do so and we consider how any existing investments/savings or pensions that you have that can provide an income for you. For those retiring before State Pension Age, we will obtain a forecast of your state pension so that we start to forecast future income. We bring all of this information on your income to the next step where we consider your income and expenditure needs. At this stage we will have a closer look at how tax efficiently your investments are structured to determine if some tax planning may increase your income. 

STEP 4. CASH FLOW PLANNING 

For most of us, income declines in retirement but so does expenditure as we repay mortgages and costs such as commuting to and from work reduce. It is this balance of income and expenditure that is useful to review both as clients approach retirement and during retirement. As described above, we can help you identify what income sources you will have and your likely expenditure when preparing a financial plan to retire. This is particularly important when clients plan to retire early as the cash flow plan can show what net disposable income is likely to be. It is also important when clients consider gifting assets to the family to ensure that they are leaving themselves with enough income. Most clients find this really useful and re-assuring. 

STEP 5. RECOMMENDED PLAN 

We bring together all the information to advise you what income we believe is sustainable long term for you in retirement and agree a plan with you. Once the plan is agreed then we usually review it with you on an annual basis to make sure that things are on track.