NAPF and WEALTH at work to offer retirement roadshow.

25th August 2015

The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) and WEALTH at work, have launched a new retirement “roadshow” which will travel across the country educating the public about their retirement options.

WEALTH at work is a leading provider of financial education in the workplace. It is used by many of the UK’s largest companies to provide tailored financial education and has educated tens of thousands of employees on retirement planning. Its retirement seminars are normally only available to employees via their employers, but the new roadshow makes them available directly to individuals for the first time.

The recent pension reforms give retirees far more choice about how to use their pension savings. The roadshow called “Understanding the risks of retirement – making sense of your options” will address key issues individuals should think about when considering their finances in retirement, including sources of income, the impact of risk, tax efficiency and recognising actions that are key when planning ahead. The seminars will also look at the importance of taking into account other savings and investments as well as pensions, when planning for retirement.

The NAPF’s education and training arm, the NAPF Academy, and WEALTH at work have created the roadshow for pension schemes to offer attendance to their members, as well as other individuals approaching retirement.  It is aimed at those who want to understand their retirement options and have the opportunity to learn and ask questions alongside those in a similar position.

Jonathan Watts-Lay, Director, WEALTH at work, said, “Since the pension changes, it has never been more important to provide high quality financial education to those who are nearing retirement. We have been delivering financial education for many years and know what a difference it can make to savers who learn about the options available to help get the most out of their pension and other savings and investments. We are really excited that we can now make this service available to individuals.”

He continues, “The seminars will aim to provide attendees with a higher level of understanding of the value of contributing to their pension, the pros and cons of accessing it early, as well as how savings and investments can work together to provide a sustainable income in retirement, in a tax efficient manner. We believe that attendees will leave confident about taking the next step having understood the options available and how they might action them.”

Joanne Segars, NAPF, Chief Executive, comments, “Savers tell us they are positive about the pension freedoms but they are also aware of the risks they now face when managing their savings in retirement. We want to help savers make the most of the new freedoms and our partnership with WEALTH at work has been designed to do just that. We’ve made sure that these sessions are available to both individuals, who might want additional support when planning their retirement income, as well as schemes who may want to make the seminars available to their members. The seminars have been designed for anyone who is approaching retirement in the next couple of years, or is thinking about accessing their pension pot in the near future.”

The seminars run from 11am to 4pm, and costs £210 + VAT for NAPF members and £395 + VAT for non-members. Over 17 million people have a pension provided by an NAPF member and many NAPF members are offering to pay for this for their employees.

The first roadshow will be visiting Birmingham on the 22 Sept, 29 Oct & 24 Nov, Edinburgh on the 8 Sept, 9 Oct & 4 Nov, Harrogate on the 17 Sept, 21 Oct, & 12 Nov, Liverpool on the 16 Sept, & 16 Nov, London on the 10 Sept, 5 Oct & 18 Nov, and Manchester on the 13th October.

The roadshow is designed to provide useful support in addition to, and independent of, the Government’s guidance service, Pension Wise. They will provide information only and do not include or constitute personal financial advice.

Further information on the seminars and how to book can be found on the NAPF website here.