Money Pit Stop: We are high risk investors who want to retire at 50 on �50,000 a year - can we make it?

In our series Money Pit Stop, we ask an investing expert to give our readers a free portfolio makeover.

Merchant seamen Fiona and Greig, both aged 35, want to retire at 50 but have reached a crossroads on how best to invest their retirement savings.

Between them the Glasgow couple currently have a combined pension investment pot of �240,000 plus their own mortgaged home and a buy-to-let, and hope to be able to retire with a �50,000 joint income in just 15 years' time.

To do that they plan to pursue their high-risk Asian growth-focused investing strategy and take advantage of one of their pension schemes being an international plan, which lets them access funds at 50 rather than 55 - the earliest age UK savers can usually tap pensions without getting hit with a massive tax penalty.

But this more flexible scheme has just undergone a revamp, throwing them out of the Asia fund they used to invest in and offering a different small choice of funds.

They want to know whether they should stick with this limited range of investment funds for the sake of getting early access to their money, or move it to a Sipp where they could pick other funds they feel have more growth potential.

Should they decide to transfer out, they would like to know what kind of pension investment portfolio might best achieve their goals, given they have a high risk appetite and want to retire in 15 years' time on around �50,000 a year.

They are also considering selling the buy-to-let, which has �80,000 worth of equity, and investing the money in Isas, which they plan to make more use of with their regular saving.

Are their early retirement dreams achievable? We ask a financial planner.

Post a Comment

0 Comments