Welcome to Clarke Robinson
Pension Specialist Independent Financial Adviser
based in Portishead, Bristol.
Most of our work is translating pensions into plain English. Pensions can be one of the largest assets you have, alongside your home, and you may agree with us that it is important to consider them as part of your long-term financial planning.
As independent advisers, we consider other important aspects of planning, but most people come to us because they have a pension issue that no one else has been able to help them with.
If you like the approach we take, please don't hesitate to call to see if we can assist you. You will find that our goal is to find people we can help, and we will not pass your details on to anyone else or contact you without your say-so.
This website is a simple explanation of the approach we take with pension planning from a common-sense point of view.
How Can I Help
Making Pensions Simple for You. I've learned that most people don't need complicated jargon or confusing technical explanations. What you need is someone who can translate the complex world of pensions into plain English and help you make informed decisions about your financial future.
Pension Troubleshooting and Problem Solving
Some people come to see me after spending hours trying to understand their pension options. Research is good because it will help you understand. Unless you are absolutely certain you have understood it may be worth getting a second opinion before you make a decision that can’t be reversed.
Fixed Fee Consultations
My fixed fee consultation service gives you exactly that. For £150, you get a full hour of my time to discuss any aspect of pensions. This might involve reviewing your existing arrangements, helping you understand complex forms, comparing your options when making important decisions, or simply getting clarity on something that's been keeping you awake at night.
Comprehensive Financial Planning
A pension fund will be an important part of your financial future when you have finished work. You will probably need to see how it will work with the rest of your savings, investments and other pensions when you need to rely on it. We use Cashflow Planning tools to analyse and present in simple terms how everything fits together.
Ongoing Support and Peace of Mind
Some people prefer to stay hands-on with their pension planning, while others would rather delegate the worry and paperwork to someone they trust. If you fall into the latter category, our ongoing support service might be exactly what you need.
Who I Work With
The People Behind the Pensions. Over my whole career in the pensions business I've had the privilege of working with so many people I can’t possibly count up. Everyone has their own unique circumstances, and even people with an identical financial position will have different ideas of what they want from life when they have finished working for income.
Being able to bring clarity to help you see what is possible is the work I really enjoy. Sometimes the answers are simple and sometimes complex but always worth the effort.
Approaching retirement
The Entrepreneurial Challenge
If you ran your own business you are used to making important decisions, often under pressure. The challenge is you no longer have 40 years of experience under your belt to deal with the technical aspects of retirement pensions or investments. You won’t know the personal lifestyle effects of what you decide, never mind the tax consequences This cab be be very unsettling.
Company Directors, Senior Executives and Managers
As a key person you are used to the moving targets of all the variables you faced every day, that is until you start to look at your pension options and the jargon and complexity that accompany them.
I am happy to help demystify this and stick to my simple tagline of Pensions in Plain English.
Professional Practices
Doctors, dentists, solicitors, accountants, and other professionals often operate through partnerships or personal service companies that create specific pension planning opportunities and challenges. Professional practices frequently have irregular income patterns, partnership changes, and succession planning considerations that affect pension strategy. When you retire the decisions will be your own. It helps to have a new advice partner.
Multiple Pensions
Many people have several pension pots gathered over the last 40 years often losing track of what type of pension they have and what they can do with it. While this might seem like a simple administrative challenge, the reality is often much more complex. Different schemes have different benefits, charges, and restrictions that need to be carefully considered before making any decisions. Many decisions are irriversible so it will pay you to avoid making mistakes.