Review

Everyone's preferences change as they make their way through life. You might want to trade in your motorbike for a family saloon at some point - it's just a bit more practical. Your investment preferences will also change so you should review them regularly.

Here are a couple of things to consider:

Your age

Investments can go down as well as up. If you're further from retirement you have the time to ride out some of these lumps and bumps.

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Young enough to take the risk? Shares and property aim to provide bigger returns on your investments but they also come with their fair share of risk.

Retirement just round the corner? Investing in cash and bonds should help you protect the pension savings you have got. They are not likely to provide big returns but should help make sure you don't suffer any big losses either.

Risk and return

Do you like a casual stroll on a Sunday afternoon or would you prefer to be bungee jumping over white water rapids? Everyone has their preferences. Where you invest will depend on how much risk you want to take.

Higher risk = higher reward?

It might take a while, but in general the more chance your investments have to go down or up, the higher the potential rewards. If you have a long time before retirement you might want to take more risk with the aim of getting better rewards.

Is safe boring?

Not always! It’s better to protect the savings you have made for your pension than gamble them away at the last minute. Cash might not have the attraction of higher rewards but it does have a better safety record. Although it is important to remember that the returns on cash may not always keep pace with increases in prices. As you approach retirement you might want to protect the value of your savings and lower risk investments are a great way of doing this.

Want to change your investments?

Request or download a Switch Instruction Form.

The amount your pension savings grow affects the amount of pension you get at retirement. Find out more by using the pension modeller.


Are you a risk-taker or do you prefer to play it safe? Find out...

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