Testimonials

Mr G Hunt

Mr G Hunt, age 55, smokes 15 cigarettes a day. Simply Retirement Ltd. used this information to obtain a ‘smoker annuity rate’ which he was extremely pleased with as it beat his existing quote quite considerably.

“Each person I spoke to was polite, efficient and knew all details about me and my policies – unlike some organisations where you repeat the same details each time you call. All-in-all a refreshing change!”

Mr B Peters

Mr B Peters, age 63, was offered £1,535.16 from his Prudential policy (£29,263.51). He enquired with Simply Retirement Ltd. to see if we could secure him a higher income. After researching the whole of the market, we were able to provide him with an income of £1,709.76 from Aviva.

“First class service.”

Mrs F Evans

Mrs F Evans, age 60, had two policies with The Co-operative and a policy with Royal London. Simply Retirement Ltd. combined these policies and researched the whole of the market to provide her with an improved income of over £200 more than if she had taken the policies direct.

“Thank you for making it so simple.”

Mr P Ison

Mr P Ison, age 65, had a pension policy with Threadneedle (£46,898.12). By providing details of his cancer, Simply Retirement Ltd. were able to obtain an ‘enhanced’ annuity rate with MGM Advantage and increased his income by more than £500. Mr Ison’s comment about Simply Retirement:

“I would like particularly to thank Gabrielle Woodbury. Not only very efficient but proactive as well. Brilliant. Also Nicola deserves a mention.”

Mr M Nunn

Mr M Nunn, aged 67 and healthy, had a pension policy with Scottish Widows. He was aware that he could exercise ‘the open market option’ and look for a better paying pension income from another company. With assistance from Simply Retirement Ltd, he received over 10% more annuity income, which will be paid for the rest of his life. Simply Retirement Ltd researched the market for him and he selected Canada Life to provide his income. Simply Retirement were able to get a better deal from Canada Life than he could of obtained himself by contacting them directly.

‘Thought the service was absolutely first class – well done!’

Mr M Rand

Mr M Rand, aged 65 from West Sussex, is in good health and a non-smoker. We arranged an annuity for his old company pension with Aviva. We researched the entire market place and Aviva offered an annuity based on his postcode information. We were able to obtain a better annuity rate that if he had done it himself and helped him through the process, completing the paperwork for him. Mr Rand stated:-

‘I was very pleased with your company and the service and help. Thank you’

Mr White

Mr White, age 64 from Dorset, had two pension policies with Guardian Financial Services and the Co-Operative. He suffers from Angina and had a Heart Attack. By researching the whole market we were able to provide him with the best annuity rate from an enhanced provider, Partnership. We increased his retirement income by over 30%. There was no additional cost for him and we completed all the paperwork on his behalf. We are able to use annuity companies that clients do not have direct access to. Mr White stated:-

‘Particular comment should go to Gabrielle Woodbury who was always cheerful yet respectful and was helpful and efficient. She returns calls and emails, even if there was no further news, just to keep us updated and feeling valued at all times. Well done!’

Mr Milne

Mr Milne, age 64, had a policy with Aviva and Abbey Life. Having asked several simple questions about Mr Milnes health, we were able to find an enhanced annuity using Just Retirement. Mr Milne was slightly overweight and took an item of medication for high blood pressure. He will receive a higher annuity income for the rest of his life and Simply Retirement Ltd dealt with all the paperwork on his behalf. Mr Milne stated:-

‘You handled my retirement policy deadlines well, and made it easy for me. Thanks!’

Mr Cartledge

Mr Cartledge, age 63, wanted to take his retirement benefits early because his health was starting to suffer. He wanted to reduce his workload and thought that buying an annuity now was suitable for him. He expected annuity rates to fall in the future and didn’t want the uncertainty of leaving his pension funds invested. He took a tax free lump sum and Simply Retirement researched the open market option for an annuity. He used 2 plans with the Prudential and Phoenix to buy an annuity with Just Retirement. They offered an enhanced rate because of his health. He takes 1 tablet for high blood pressure and one for high cholesterol. He received Mr Cartledge stated:-

‘Getting my pension sorted went very smoothly thanks to you. Now I can relax!’

Mr Closhosy

Mr Closhosy, aged 64, was approaching his 65th birthday and due to retire. Instead of accepting the offer made by his current providers (Scottish Life, Scottish Widows and Friends Life) he made an enquiry with Simply Retirement Ltd to research the entire annuity market. We recommended Aviva for his annuity. We combined his 3 existing policies and increased his annuity income by a significant amount. We provided him with a number of options so he could select the right annuity for his circumstances. Mr Clohosy stated:-

‘I would recommend Simply Retirement without hesitation as the process was trouble free and took a lot off my mind when looking at the various options. Thank you to all of you.’

Mr Lyttle

Mr Lyttle, age 64, has a company pension plan through an employer. The company arranged for quotes to be issued to him. Having made contact with Simply Retirement he discovered that he could obtain a higher annuity rate by using the open market option and shopping around. Mr Lyttle wanted to provide a spouses benefit and didn’t want to ‘lock’ into the current annuity rates. He wanted a ‘temporary annuity’ provided by Liverpool Victoria (LV). This provided him with a tax free lump sum and then an income for the next 5 years. In 5 years time he has a guaranteed fund value, without investment risk, and he can decide about his annuity at that time. He may benefit from an enhanced annuity, annuity rates may have increased, or his circumstances might be different. Mr Lyttle stated:-

‘Your annuity adviser was particularly helpful in keeping me informed at all times.’

Brian Bell

Brian Bell, aged 65, had a pension policy with Halifax Financial Service. By researching the whole annuity market, we found a better annuity rate from Legal and General. He purchased a single life annuity with a 5 year guarantee period. He received over 15% more income by shopping around. We dealt with the transaction and all the paperwork for him and there was no additional cost to him. Legal and General paid our commission. Mr Bell Stated:-

‘After initial contact made on the internet, it was unclear after that who I needed to talk to. After one or two phone calls (as I prefer to deal with people and not merely use internet or post) I found Nicola to be excellent in her communication’

Mr Brown

Mr Brown, aged 58, wanted to take his retirement benefits (pension) plan immediately, even though he planned to continue working. Simply Retirement Ltd researched the open market option to find the best available annuity rate and placed his funds with Legal and General. He had a company pension scheme and a virgin stakeholder pension. He purchased a healthy, non-smoker annuity. However, he did get a better rate which was based on his postcode. Mr Andrew Brown Stated:-

‘I wish to thank Simply Retirement on their excellent service in setting up my two annuities. I wish to particularly compliment Nicola Badham for her excellent communications. She left me confident that matters were being with professionally and speedily. Many thanks.’

Mr Thomas

Mr Thomas, age 64, was nearing his normal retirement age of 65 and wanted to shop around for the best annuity deal on the open market. He had a pension plan with Zurich. Zurich only provided annuity quotes from one company (Legal and General). As an Independent Financial Adviser, Simply Retirement Ltd researched the annuity market and obtained a higher annuity rate from Partnership. Mr Thomas increased his pension income because he smoked cigarettes and a heart disorder; he had an irregular heart beat, an enlarged ventricle and had vascular disease. We also used his height, weight, alcohol consumption and occupation to make enquiries about the enhanced annuity rate. Mr Thomas stated:-

‘Although changing my contact at an early stage in the procedure, everything went smoothly. In particular I appreciated one personal contact at Simply Retirement. I have thanked Nicola Badham via email. Please pass on my sincere thanks for her assistance.’

Mr Hancock

Mr Hancock, a male age 60 who suffered from Prostate Cancer, had high blood pressure and had suffered from a heart attack wanted to research the open market using an Independent Annuity Adviser. Simply Retirement Ltd obtained a guaranteed joint life ‘enhanced annuity’ income for Mr Hayden, which will also provide an income for his wife in the event of his death. MGM Advantage Annuity offered the highest income. Mrs Hancock stated:-

‘Thank you for a friendly, clearly speaking service at a time that could have made such a difference to the rest of our lives. Your advice should be felt for hopefully many years to come. This is especially true in our case as my husband wanted nothing to do with paperwork.’

Mr Hayden

Mr Hayden, a healthy male aged 60, had a Local Government AVC Pension and a Prudential pension policy. Using Simply Retirement Ltd his options were explained to him and we combined his two (2) funds to obtain a higher lifetime annuity Using Aviva. He selected a single life guaranteed annuity, having considered the choices and comparing the costs of other types of annuity.

‘We found Nicola extremely helpful, very knowledgeable, we feel we can trust completely the information she gave us. Nothing was too much trouble, very impressed indeed, will certainly recommend.’

Mr C Terrington

Mr C Terrington, age 65 and in good health, had a Prudential pension policy. He contacted Simply Retirement Ltd Independent Advisers and we researched the top annuity providers. Mr Terrington selected a higher annuity rate being offered by Canada Life.

‘I would like to thank you all for the help you gave to me towards my pension. I was very happy with the services that you provided me and you were very helpful with any enquiries I had.’

Mr Hodgson

Mr Hodgson, age 57, was very pleased with both the increased annuity income that was obtained for him and also the service that was provided by Simply Retirement in arranging the paperwork on his behalf. He summarised the experience of dealing with Simply Retirement as ‘Excellent’ and has recommended us to a friend of his. He had 2 Legal and General Policies and we obtained an ‘enhanced rate’ with Aviva because his wife had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He had Arthritis and smoked. We increased his income by 5%. He received £80 extra each year with no additional cost to him and we handled all the paperwork.

‘Thanks once again for a first class service’

Mrs R Thomas

Mrs R Thomas, aged 70, had suffered from a stroke (TIA), had Atrial Fibrillation and had surgery for a Heart Valve replacement. She also took medication for high blood pressure and her husband had raised cholesterol. She had multiple policies with Legal and General and Aviva. We assisted her to amalgamate her pension plans and arranged an enhanced annuity using Liverpool Victoria (LV). This resulted in her obtaining an increased annuity rate.

‘Your staff were very helpful and efficient. Thank you especially to Hayley and Sadie. You were always polite, clear and prompt.’

Mrs R Gill

Mrs R Gill, a retired Teacher, aged 60 and in good health with a Prudential (AVC) Additional Voluntary Contribution Pension policy. We researched the ‘open-market’ and provided her with a Legal and General annuity. This increased her annuity income by 10%. Mrs Gill incurred no additional cost and we completed all the paperwork on her behalf.

‘Your service was good – the attention to customer detail, speed of response and content of information were at a good professional level.’

Mr Osbourne

Mr Osbourne commented:-

‘I felt your company gave excellent service for a very small amount of cash involved. I would certainly recommend you.’

Mrs Hayden

Mrs Hayden commented:-

‘I have found Nicola a great help. She has always kept to her word and always kept me informed. I really could not ask for more. She is now looking into my husband’s pension. I will definitely be recommending your company – Fantastic Service. Thank you.’

Mr Hunter

Mr Hunter, age 65, reached his normal retirement date with multiple policies. He had five plans with Canada Life, Abbey Life, Prudential, Barclays and Scottish Widows. We amalgamated his plans and added the funds together to obtain him a better rate. Mr Hunter also suffered from Diabetes (type 2) and high blood pressure. Both he and his wife also smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day. We sourced an enhanced annuity from Liverpool Victoria (LV) with a spouse’s pension (widow’s benefit) in the event of his death. Mr Hunter commented:-

‘I am very pleased with the results. You were very helpful with the important decisions I needed to make. To everyone at Simply Retirement, thank you very much.’

Mr Clarke

Mr Clarke, aged 71, had a Skandia Pension Fund of £21,764. Using LV (Liverpool Victoria) we provided a tax free lump sum and a higher pension income. We assisted and co-ordinated all the paperwork for him and ‘held his hand’ through the stressful decision making process. Mr Clarke commented:-

‘I found the experience of arranging my pension annuity with you a very simple and not at all stressful, as I was previously lead to believe. Thank your staff for being so polite and helpful.’

Mr F Gallagher

Mr F Gallagher, aged 57 had high cholesterol and we were able to get him over 16% more income. He had a pension fund (£96,000) with Guardian Financial Services and we arranged an ill health annuity with LV (Liverpool Victoria). Just a few simple ‘Lifestyle Factors’ can make a big difference to the annuity income offered.

Mrs C Sherry

Mrs C Sherry, aged 60, had a fund with Scottish Widows. We arranged a higher annuity payment from Canada Life having researched the whole market for the best annuity provider. Mrs Sherry commented:-

‘Excellent service from everyone I dealt with. They made it easy for me and explained every process in detail. It all went through without any stress for me. It was the best contact I could have made. Thank your staff for such excellent service.’

Mr J Fisken

Mr J Fisken wanted an inflation linked annuity (RPI escalation), which wasn’t available using his fund of £33,000 with Royal Scottish Assurance. We arranged an index linked (inflation) annuity using Partnership Assurance, an enhanced annuity provider. All Mr Fisken had to do to obtain this enhanced payment was fill in the pre-completed paperwork we sent to him. He incurred no extra costs.

Mr P Davey

Mr P Davey, age 60, has High Blood Pressure (hypertension), High Cholesterol and Diabetes (type 2). Simply Retirement Ltd used his fund of £65,715.25 from Standard Life and obtained an offer of £4,116.12 from Just Retirement. This was £774.12 per year more than Standard Life offered.

Mrs I Williams

Mrs I Williams, aged 59, arranged her annuity just before her 60th Birthday. She had a Standard Life fund of £40,773. We were able to get her over 10 % more at no extra cost or effort. This higher conventional annuity income was provided by Aviva, having researched the open market because we are independent advisers. She was in good health and a non-smoker. Mrs Williams comment about our service was:-

‘Thank you for your prompt and helpful service.’

Mr J Bentley

Mr J Bentley, age 63, took his benefits two years early. This provided him with two years of additional income. If he had waited until age 65 his pension fund could have dropped and annuity rates may have fallen further, resulting in lost income. Mr Bentley had an Aegon pension with a value of £50,876 and Simply Retirement Ltd provided him with an enhanced annuity rate using MGM Assurance of 31.8%. He obtained an enhanced annuity because he suffered with Cancer and Stomach problems. There was no additional cost incurred by Mr Bentley for arranging the annuity and Simply Retirement dealt with all the paperwork. Mr Bentleys comment about Simply Retirement Ltd was:-

‘A speedy and hassle free service. Thank you.’