Excelergy Blog
UK pension planning, explained without the jargon.
Plain-English explainers that pair with the calculator. Posts cover the tax rules, drawdown mechanics, and modelling choices that the planner uses - so the numbers it produces aren't a black box. New posts when there's something genuinely useful to write, not on a schedule.
Excelergy publishes educational explainers about UK pension and retirement rules - not personal financial advice. Always speak to a regulated adviser before acting on anything you read here. Full disclaimer →
UK pensions and ISAs in 2026/27: what's new (and what's coming)
State Pension up 4.8% to £241.30/wk. Allowances frozen for the third year. Three confirmed changes bearing down for 2027 and 2028: pension IHT inclusion, Cash ISA cap, and pension access age rising to 57. What's changed in the planner.
Read post →Pension crystallisation explained: the 25% tax-free and what happens to the rest
Crystallisation sounds technical but it's just the moment your pension becomes live for drawdown. Where the tax-free 25% can go, what happens to the taxable 75%, and why people delay or crystallise early.
Read post →Pension first or ISA first? The drawdown-order decision
When you retire with both a pension and an ISA, which one do you draw from first? Tax, inheritance treatment, and the wrapper's long-term growth all pull in different directions. Plus the often-overlooked third option.
Read post →The 4% rule applied to a UK pension: does it still work?
The 4% rule is the most-cited retirement planning shorthand - but it was designed for a US 60/40 portfolio in the 1990s. Why the UK case is meaningfully different and how to test the rule against your own numbers.
Read post →UFPLS vs flexi-access drawdown: what's the difference?
Two technical-sounding ways to take money from a UK pension. The difference comes down to a single question: when does the 25% tax-free cash actually leave the pension - up front, or alongside every withdrawal?
Read post →What is the UK Lump Sum Allowance? The £268,275 cap explained
Where the £268,275 figure comes from, what happens when you hit it, and the common misunderstandings about how the cap actually works in practice.
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