We arrived with four pension envelopes and no idea which still charged a flat admin fee. Daniel’s consolidation note showed one scheme worth leaving alone because of a guaranteed annuity rate. That single “do nothing” recommendation saved us from a transfer we nearly rushed.
Evidence
Client stories from the advice room
These notes come from households who completed a consultation with us. They mention specific constraints and outcomes — not star ratings or marketplace widgets.
The pre-retirement map was denser than I expected — good denser. Seeing March tax-year actions listed separately from the five-year plan stopped me from draining the ISA too early.
Megan asked about our grocery bill before she asked about our SIPP. It felt odd until the cashflow sheet showed why our “spare” £400 never survived until payday. We still disagree with one fund suggestion she made; we kept our ethical equity sleeve anyway, and she documented that choice without fuss.
Our inheritance conversation did not invent a clever trust structure on the spot. It gave my brother and me a shared list of questions for the solicitor, which was what we actually needed.
Longer notes
Two engagements in more detail
Three jobs, three pensions, one clearer picture
A nurse who had moved between NHS and private employers held three deferred pots and an active scheme. The consolidation review found exit charges on the oldest personal pension that outweighed any gain from moving it. We left that pot in place, transferred the two smaller workplace schemes into her current arrangement, and updated expression-of-wish forms that still named a former partner.
Downsizing before the inheritance argument
A couple preparing to sell a larger home wanted to gift deposit money to two children without creating unevenness later. The inheritance conversation mapped nil-rate band headroom, noted the seven-year clock on gifts, and highlighted that one child’s existing home ownership changed how “fair” might look. They left with a draft gift schedule for their solicitor — not a product sale.