No one deserves to be the victim of a mis-sold pension. As we get older, we deserve to enjoy our golden years with a secure pension to support our livelihoods. After all, you have worked hard to earn this period of relaxation. However, if you have opted out of your job’s pension scheme, you may have been unintentionally mis-sold a pension by an unscrupulous firm or financial advisor. Whether you want to move pensions or are considering a specific SIPP, it’s important that you are aware of all of the s that come with investing pensions into money schemes.
Here at Gowing Law Solicitors, we understand that many people investing in more high-risk schemes are simply looking for a stronger pension fund altogether. So, if you have already become the victim of bad financial advice, we can help you make sure that you receive the compensation that you deserve. Today, we are going to learn what sort of high-risk pension schemes are out there that could make you lose money!
The Three Types of Pension Schemes
Before you consider whether or not you have been the victim of a mis-sold pension, it’s important to know what sort of pension you already have. There are three options available to you:
For both your defined benefit pension and defined contribution pension, you will usually get around 25% of your nest egg tax free. However, keep in mind that any private pension arranged by yourself may go up and down depending on what sort of investments were put into it. The value of how your pension pot will perform will then depend on how well your investments perform.
Automatic Pension Enrollment
One of the main questions that you need to ask yourself before you retire is ”How much money will I have to live on?” For most people, the answer is going to be that it will be significantly less than what you may have been earning whilst you were employed. If you don’t want to be living on the bare minimum, then you will need to consider whether or not it’s worth it to invest in a state pension all together. Now, Martin Lewis, in an interview on This Morning gives some useful tips on improving the state of your pension. But is this really enough?
If you are thinking about leaving your “auto-enrolled” pension, you may have been looking into a privatized financial scheme. This would help you take the money that you have saved, invest it in a validated scheme and then reap the reward.
Pension Investment Schemes
There are quite a few schemes that you can invest in.
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SIPPs (Self- Invested Personal Pensions)
A SIPP is an investment scheme where you can use pension funds to create a higher return. Whilst you can get advice from your financial advisor on these plans, remember that they are more suited to experienced investors. This is because the bigger risks tend to have more returns. Try to avoid investing all of your pension into one SIPP, that way it is less likely you will be too badly impacted by a mis-sold SIPP.
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GSIPPS (Group Self-Invested Personal Pensions)
GSIPPs are offered by employers to build up a larger retirement fund. They focus on a group of people under a specific scheme. Each person under the scheme has an individual SIPP contract between you, the other members, and the pension provider. Your employer can contribute to your GSIPP, but they may also need your contribution as well.
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SSASs (Small Self-Administered Pension Schemes)
This scheme is a workplace pension that is established by key members of staff and company directors. They can offer this scheme to any employee who wants it. The best part of these schemes is that you can choose precisely how your money is invested. You can even decide to invest in the company you’re employed by. Just make sure you know all of the risks of the investment before you confirm your interest.
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Private Sector Investments
A private sector investment can be high-risk, as you will need to look into the potential investments yourself and consider their risks. The private sector includes a wide range of industries that can be sponsored and return your investment at a higher price. This should increase your standard of living.
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Defined Benefit Transfers
You may decide to transfer your salary-defined pension in exchange for cash. This is what is known as a defined benefit transfer, aka. A final salary transfer. You must then invest this money into a defined contribution scheme, aka. A personal pension or a SIPP.
The three that you are most likely to invest in are SIPPS, SSAS and Defined Benefit Transfers. This is because the majority of them do come with less risk. You can find out the best schemes for you and your pension through a reliable financial advisor. But be warned, it is also useful for you to do your own research on the schemes that you have been recommend.
The Signs of a Mis-Sold Pension
When you are deciding on which pension scheme is right for you, it is essential that you get solid advice from a financial advisor that can steer you in the right direction. However, not all pensions are the perfect fit for everyone. Sometimes your advisor can tell you to invest in the wrong type of pension. This is where there is potential for you to make a mis-sold pension claim.
If you have been mis-sold a pension, you need to consider:
Was it sold to you due to bad financial advice?
If you did not understand the full risk of your pension investment, and therefore lost your funds due to it, this could mean that you are due some form of compensation. This is because you were not made fully aware of what sort of financial scheme you were getting yourself into. Instead, you lost out due to the negligence of someone else. This means you deserve to be compensated for your losses.
There are other ways that you could have been mis-sold a pension. Check out some of our examples below!
What really brings these types of claims together is the fact that you did not have any knowledge of them. You were promised a certain type of pension scheme and, instead, received something completely different. You are the victim of negligence, and your investment was used for selfish reasons. This may have put you in a notably worse financial position than when you first started. If you were really unlucky, you may have lost your entire pension fund altogether! That’s why, experienced mis-sold pension lawyers, like Gowing Law Solicitors in Manchester, are here to help you claim any compensation that is owed to you.
Don’t forget about mis-sold SIPP schemes!
As you can see from our infographic, there are quite a few pension schemes that have the potential to be mis-sold to you. Mis-Sold SIPP schemes work in a similar way, meaning that you will have to keep an eye out on the invested company and any advisors who recommend you the scheme in the first place.
Here at Gowing Law Solicitors, we want to make sure that you know exactly which bad SIPP schemes are out there. That way you can know precisely whether or not you have a compensation claim with them. This is why we have started creating a list of mis-sold SIPP schemes. This includes:
- The Dolphin Trust / The German Property Group
- Berkeley Burke
- Harlequin Properties
- Liberty SIPP
- Fast Pensions
- TailorMade Independent
- One Stop Financial Services
- Guinness Man & Trust
- Point York SIPP
Make sure to check out our Mis-Sold Pensions page for more information on SIPPs!
Gowing Law & Successful SIPP Claims
If you are considering working with a Gowing Law pension solicitor, we want you to know that you have an experienced claims lawyer on your side. Our team of mis-sold pension specialists have already won legal battles against problematic SIPP providers and financial advisors. This includes:
- Berkeley Burke
- Harlequin Properties
- The Dolphin Trust/ The German Property Group
It can feel intimidating going up against a large financial investment company on your own. But you don’t have to! With the help of a specialist mis-sold pension lawyer, we can help you get the compensation that you deserve and much more. No one deserves to have their retirement fund taken away from them due to false promises. That is why our expert pension claim advisors are here to assist you with your case.
What do I do now?
No matter how big or small your claim is, it is worth pursuing. You deserve compensation. After all, you invested your hard-earned money and expected something in return. If you have experienced a financial loss due to your pension investment, it’s time for you to get help. You can work on your compensation on your own, or perhaps visit the UK Government’s website for help, but having a solicitor on your side can simplify the process and increase your chances of a win.
The first thing you need to consider is the amount of information you have on your pension. No matter what you have been mis-sold, the more information you have on it the better!
The documents you have need to:
- Prove you were unaware of the risks of the investment
- Show that you were promised more than you received
- List the main clauses of the agreement and what was expected from the financial advisor
- The details of any parties that are involved
- Any signed documents or letters of communication
If you want more advice on what you need, make sure to contact the FCA or the Financial Ombudsman to see what legal powers you have. You can also make the company aware that you plan to launch a complaint against them. From there, contact Gowing Law Solicitors to help prepare your case. Our trained lawyers can help make things simple for you and get all of your information ready for any legal battles that may ensue.
How long will it take to make a case?
Most people try to leave their mis-sold pension case in order to see how things change in the future. However, we would recommend that you get in contact with Gowing Law as quickly as possible. You deserve compensation and we can get it to you in a timely manner.
Remember, how long it takes to get compensation depends on how big your case is. Some mis-sold pension claims are simpler than others. Therefore some may just take a few weeks, whilst others make take a few months. Please make sure to be patient with you pension claim solicitor. They will give you the best information possible and how you can move forward
How much could I claim?
Again, this depends on how much you have put into your pension investment. Each claim will depend on an individual’s circumstances. That’s why some claims are worth thousands of pounds. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can provide you 100% protection on a pension mis-selling claim for up to £50,000. Work with your solicitor to see how much you could be owed!
What do you want to read about next?
We want to make sure that you are up-to-date with the latest law blogs. That’s why we are always uploading new topics to our blog page. This includes topics on immigration visas, the basics of PPI tax claims and even information on Covid-19 & Wills!
If you’re interested in learning more about one of our specific services, please get in contact with Gowing Law Solicitors today through our email: info@gowinglaw.co.uk. We want to write about everything that you want to know.
Contact Gowing Law Solicitors today to learn more about mis-sold pension schemes
Mis-sold pensions are never fun to deal with on your own. That’s why Gowing Law Solicitor’s trained pension mis-selling specialists are ready to offer their help. We offer free consultation advice and work on a “no win- no fee” basis. That means you will not have to pay if we do not win your case. Any fees will be discussed with you upfront to ensure you understand what to expect when you work with us.
Contact Gowing Law Solicitors now by calling 08000418350 or emailing info@gowinglaw.co.uk. You can also use our direct chat on our contact page to message our staff about your enquiry.
From everyone here at Gowing Law, we wish you the best of luck with your mis-sold pensions claim and look forward to working with you soon.
