Added risk If you're unfamiliar with making pension investments, or aren't comfortable with taking on investment risk, transferring to a personal pension may not be for you. Should you make the wrong decisions, you could accidentally end up losing portions of your savings.
Some older pension plans have high exit charges, sometimes more than 10% of your total pension savings. The good news is that the government is set to crack down on these excessive fees though, so you might want to hold off transferring until these new caps come in.
Consolidating your pensions could help you take advantage of better investment options. Consolidating could mean getting rid of higher-charging plans. Your administration will be easier if you don't have to deal with multiple pension plans. It may not be worth consolidating pensions if you're on a defined benefit plan.
It's wise to be cautious when exploring your options. While a defined benefit pension transfer can offer advantages, there are circumstances where it may not be advisable. If you have health issues or a strong need for a guaranteed income throughout retirement, retaining stability and security is usually more suitable.
Defined benefit plans provide a fixed, pre-established benefit for employees at retirement. Employees often value the fixed benefit provided by this type of plan. On the employer side, businesses can generally contribute (and therefore deduct) more each year than in defined contribution plans.
Risk transfer is the process of transferring the risks associated with defined benefit (DB) arrangements away from a pension scheme, usually to an insurance company in the form of buy-ins and buyouts or through a longevity swap. This process is also known as “de-risking”.
While most states have repealed their bulk sales statutes, in some states across the U.S., such as California, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the practice of bulk sales compliance remains alive and well.