Financial planning for early retirement
Leaving the stresses and strains of work behind is an attractive prospect, especially if it’s earlier than you’d originally planned. But it’s a decision full of potential pitfalls, and even more so if you’re a high-income earner. That’s why good financial planning for early retirement and a careful investment strategy are essential.
Even if you’re in the lucky position of having considerable pensions or savings, knowing exactly how to put the right financial plan in place to retire early can be daunting. Our Wealth Planners have the expertise and, importantly, the independence to advise you on the best way forward.
Book your free early retirement planning consultation
Book a free consultation with an independent Wealth Planner to discuss how we can help you create an effective financial plan and invest tax-efficiently for the early retirement you want.
Planning for early retirement – how we can help
Your dedicated independent Wealth Planner can:
- Review your current financial situation and help build a diversified investment portfolio suited to your individual needs
- Take you through a cash flow planning exercise and let you know if early retirement is realistic and achievable
- Stress-test their plans against various scenarios such as market falls and rising inflation, so you can feel confident in your future plans
- Determine the best investment strategy to help you retire early
- Review your plans on a regular basis and make adjustments as and when they are needed.
Calculate how much you might need to retire early
Early retirement advice from our experts
Although it sounds tempting, stopping work early increases the amount of time you’ll need to draw money from your retirement funds and decreases the amount of time you have to generate an earned income. Your investments will need to be structured carefully, so the sooner you can start planning your early retirement the better.
How much money you’ll need will depend on how you intend to spend all that free time, so it’s important to think about this and remember a lot will change over the years, as you could be retired for a long time. Planning for the different stages of your retirement, and for the unexpected, will be important.
What to consider when planning to retire early
1. What can you afford
Early retirement means relying solely on your savings and investments for longer. So, you need to think carefully about what you can afford and to paint a complete picture of your finances. Do you have any unsecured or mortgage debt that needs to be considered? Do you have a complete picture of all your available pensions and investments, including the state pension?
2. How long do you have until you retire?
How long you have until you take early retirement can make a big difference to the sorts of things you might invest in and the level of risk you are able to take. The longer you have, the more time you have for your investments to work hard for you.
3. What do you plan to do when you retire?
When you retire, you are likely to find yourself with a lot more leisure time. How do you intend to spend that time and how much is it going to cost? Are you going to go on more holidays, join a golf club, or buy a camper van? Spend some time thinking about what an early retirement might look like as it could affect your investment strategy.
4. How long might you be retired for?
If you expect to live to 90 and are planning to retire early, you could be retired for as long as you were working. Your investment plans will need to take account of your different income needs throughout this time, from your younger, perhaps more active years to your later years, which may take on a slower pace. You may also want to factor in the costs of later-life care.
5. What is your attitude to risk?
Finding the right approach to risk is a key element of any early retirement investment strategy.
If you take no risk at all by keeping your cash in the bank, it’s highly likely that inflation will erode its value over time. On the flip side, if you take too much risk, a significant economic shock could severely impact your ability to fund your early retirement.
6. How might things change over time?
Over time it’s likely that your objectives and how you think about your life will change. Everything around you will change too – markets, the cost of living, the health of the economy, your family circumstances – and they will all have an impact on your money and how it works for you. You need to be able to adapt and change how you invest over time so that your approach remains suitable and aligned to your goals.
Book your free early retirement consultation
If you have £250,000+ to invest (including ISAs and pensions) book a free, hour-long consultation with an independent Wealth Planner to discuss your early retirement plans.
This is your opportunity to get to know the expert who’d be dedicated to you, without any obligation to go further.
Your consultation will cover five important areas:
- Your financial situation – your income, assets and outgoings
- Your current priorities such as school fees, retirement or buying property
- Your early retirement goals and aspirations both for you and your family
- Your current investments and how they are performing
- How a financial plan could help you achieve your goal to retire early.
Investment involves risk. The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up and you may not get back the amount originally invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
The tax treatment of all investments depends upon individual circumstances and the levels and basis of taxation may change in the future. Investors should discuss their financial arrangements with their own tax adviser before investing.
The tax treatments set out in this communication are based on our current understanding of UK legislation. It is a broad summary and cannot cover every circumstance and it does not constitute advice.
The information provided is not to be treated as specific advice. It has no regard for the specific investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any specific person or entity.
Our specialist services
Book a free retirement planning consultation
What happens next?
1. Arranging an initial consultation
First you can expect to receive an email from our team within 48 hours to find a suitable time that works for you, to arrange a voice or video call for an initial consultation.
2. Your consultation
During this consultation, a member of the team will discuss your situation with you to understand your requirements and answer any questions you might have about Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management and the services that we provide.
3. Referral to a Wealth Planner or Investment Manager
If you decide to progress with us, you will be referred to one of our Wealth Planners or Investment Managers to discuss your situation and requirements in more detail. They will then design a bespoke proposal detailing a unique investment portfolio that matches your individual requirements and attitude to risk, to meet you and your family’s needs.
4. Working with you long-term
With our wealth planning and investment management professionals, your wealth is in expert hands. Our mission is simple - to help you build your wealth with confidence. We will always keep you informed about your investment portfolio and performance and will continue to work with you to build our relationship on your terms. We can meet with you face-to-face, by phone or by email, whichever is more convenient for you. You can also access your account online at any time through our app. Our wealth management professionals are always readily available to speak with you.
Frequently asked questions about retiring early
Answers to some of the early retirement questions our Wealth Planners are often asked:
How do I know if I can retire early?
Will my money run out if I retire early?
How can I invest for early retirement?
Investment involves risk and you may not get back what you invest. It’s not suitable for everyone.
Investment involves risk and is not suitable for everyone.