Investment Pathways for Retirement Planning is a new initiative launched by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in February 2021, designed for people who wish to draw their pension under a Drawdown arrangement, without first obtaining regulated financial advice. As we will explore, one size does not fit all, and forging your own bespoke path, whilst taking ongoing advice, may well lead to better outcomes.
Flexi-Access Drawdown is an alternative to the purchase of an annuity, which provides much greater flexibility in terms of how income is drawn in retirement. It is increasingly popular, as it can offer the potential for individuals to use their pension savings to best fit their needs and objectives, but unlike a pension annuity, does not provide a guaranteed income for life. As the pension fund continues to be invested throughout retirement under Drawdown, investment decisions and careful management of the fund are critical components of a successful Drawdown approach. Personal responsibility for the long-term viability of the pension drawdown plan rests with the pension holder, hence the importance of receiving initial advice on the level of income drawn and investment options, and reviewing the plan regularly to ensure that it continues to meet the initial objectives.
The idea behind Investment Pathways is to create four default investment routes for individuals who have already taken Tax Free Cash from their pension, leaving the remaining funds in Drawdown. The FCA hope the initiative will reduce the number of individuals, who decide to enter Drawdown without receiving advice, making poor investment decisions, such as leaving significant funds in Cash for the long term, or taking excessive investment risk.
Four Paths have been defined, with the first being aimed at those who have no intention of drawing an income in the next five years. This strategy is largely aimed at growth over the medium term. The second Path is designed for those who wish to purchase an annuity in the next five years and will aim to preserve capital. The third is for those who are considering drawing income in the medium term and will aim to provide a balanced approach. The final Path is for those who are looking to draw the full value of their pension in the next five years, and again aims to preserve the capital value.
For each defined Pathway, pension providers will produce a ready-made investment portfolio which aims to meet the objective of the Pathway, which is where we feel the proposals may begin to fall short of their objectives.
The majority of providers offering these Pathways are using a single passive investment fund, with no ability to vary the investment options within the Pathway selected. This limits the scope for an individual to select alternative funds within an individual Pathway, or to access funds that meet their own preferences, for example, to invest in a socially responsible manner.
But more importantly, the Pathways do not take into account an individual’s financial circumstances, objectives or attitude to investment risk. This is a vital element of the advice process that is missed by using this automated approach. Take an individual who prefers to take a cautious approach to investment as an example. They choose the third of the fourth automated pathways, as they are considering drawing income from the pension in the next five years. In this scenario, they could experience an increase in investment risk and volatility over their existing arrangements they held before entering the Pathway approach, which they may not be aware of, or may be contrary to their wishes.
Conversely, an individual who chooses the Pathway towards taking the full value of their pension in the next five years (option four) would be placed largely in a Cash fund with most providers, where negative real returns are more than likely to be achieved when charges, and the eroding effects of inflation, are taken into account. We don’t imagine someone who is planning to draw their fund out in five years’ time will be pleased to be missing out on the potential for investment returns over this period, even if they were taking a cautious investment approach.
We understand the Regulator’s concerns. Without proper advice, individuals could leave their pensions in Cash over the longer term or take excessive risk with their pension arrangements, neither of which are likely to be appropriate. However, we feel that Investment Pathways are too rigid and inflexible for most individuals with at least modest sized pension plans, who are considering Flexi-Access Drawdown as an approach to retirement planning. For these individuals, we believe that Investment Pathways are no substitute to taking an alternative path, via independent advice, that is tailored to their own circumstances and objectives. Furthermore, regular reviews of any Drawdown are of high importance, to ensure the approach remains appropriate to any future change in circumstances.
If you are considering your retirement planning and would like to discuss your options with one of our experienced financial planners, please get in touch here.
This content is for information purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or financial advice.
