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Retirement: Sipps

INVESTMENT GUIDE: Where once savers were limited to a choice of whichever funds their pension provider deemed relevant, they are now able to choose from a far wider range of assets.
May 30, 2008

Pension planning has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, not least due to the development of self invested personal pensions (Sipp). Where once savers were limited to a choice of whichever funds their pension provider deemed relevant, they are now able to choose from a far wider range of assets. These days Sipp investors can put their money into, among other things, shares, funds, investment trusts, commercial property and traded endowment policies.

Our guide to Sipps starts with a basic introduction to the rules of Sipps, as well as to the pros and cons of using them. We then take a closer look at which assets you can put into a Sipp. The third article looks at putting property into a Sipp – a controversial area following a change of policy by the government.

The next two articles look at Sipp providers. There's a bewildering array on offer and, as with any other provider of financial services, it’s important to look at the small print before deciding who to choose.

The final section of the guide looks at the strategies that you can use when investing in a Sipp. We start with a few general pointers, and then move onto our monthly Sipp diary in which a Sipp investor, David Stevenson, describes the ups and downs of choosing investments to put into his pension.

Click on the links below for detailed guides on Sipps: