When you reach retirement it is vital to get help with your pension options. For some people, this decision is very important as the pension fund might be large and many decisions that are subsequently made are irrevocable and so care and planning are paramount.

Many websites urge you to get the best annuity rate and provide comparative shopping sites. Whilst obtaining a competitive rate is important (annuitants can improve their income by up to 18% by shopping around) - you should also remember that there are a lot of other considerations to bear in mind. Recent newspaper articles have revealed that the majority of annuities are single life annuities - and this might reveal that insufficient thought is given to the remaining spouse on death. There are also many options and features which need to be considered and also your attitude to risk may point to your need for more than just a conventional annuity.

Smokers and those with lifestyle or health issues may enjoy better rates from specialist annuity providers. Many people should consider the benefits of draw-down or ASP as these products could be more suitable. By failing to consider these options you are effectively missing out on a range of options which could be highly beneficial.

Our service is advisory and therefore we consider your, personal and fianancial situation as well as your plans for the future. This then gives us insight into which would be the most useful products for your individual needs. We think this is more important that just being a comparative annuity rate shopping site; and as mentioned above you owe it to yourself to have advice about one of the most important financial decisions that you'll ever make.