The Abundance Pension (SIPP)

The Abundance SIPP was a portfolio option previously available to Abundance customers but was closed to new customers in 2021. This page is therefore only relevant to existing Abundance customers who have previously opened a SIPP through Abundance.

The Abundance Pension allows you to make investments on Abundance and hold those investments in a tax efficient self-invested personal pension (SIPP), allowing you to diversify and complement your existing pension holdings. With the Abundance Pension you make your own investment decisions and choose the investments you want to make on Abundance.

As a pension, you can make contributions to your pension and receive tax relief on those contributions (subject to your personal circumstances and HMRC pension regulations, which may change) and transfer money to or from an existing pension you may have. The returns on your investments held within your Abundance Pension will be tax free.

The Abundance Pension restricts you to making investments on Abundance only so you will not be able to hold any other investments such as those available in the wider financial market. The Abundance Pension alone will therefore not provide all

your retirement planning needs and you should consider additional investment products or pension plans to meet your overall needs.

The Abundance Pension has been developed by Abundance in conjunction with Gaudi Regulated Services Limited (Gaudi)*.

The Abundance Pension is a type of pension called a self-invested personal pension (SIPP). A SIPP is a DIY pension that lets you save for your retirement and also receive additional benefits in the form of tax incentives.

Because a SIPP is a self-invested pension it means you are in control of the investments you choose to make within your pension and, as with all investments, this carries risk. If you are in any doubt as to whether a SIPP is right for you, please seek independent financial advice.

A SIPP enables you to hold either a single asset or mixed assets (depending on the provider) within a single wrapper, which also carries tax benefits, as you pay the money in before income tax is taken off.

In practical terms, this means that contributions you make into your SIPP will have an instant tax relief of 20% applied at source, meaning your capital that is available for investment will be increased by 20%. Higher rate taxpayers can claim an additional tax relief of up to 20% retrospectively via their tax return. If you make a transfer from another pension plan you will not receive any tax relief as you will have already received the tax relief previously.

A SIPP operates in two primary phases. In the initial phase you make contributions or transfer existing pension funds to invest within your SIPP. During this period all investment income (and, in the case of our investments, capital repayments) are kept within the SIPP wrapper for reinvestment.

At age 55 you can choose to enter the drawdown phase and start to withdraw money from your pension (called taking benefits), although you can continue to reinvest your investment income if you choose. It is at the point of withdrawal that you pay tax on your income, at your marginal rate (subject to HMRC's prevailing tax regulations at the time).

It is also worth noting that, under current pension regulations, you are permitted to withdraw up to 25% of your total pension pot as a tax free lump sum at age 55, though you should consider carefully (and take investment advice where appropriate) as to whether this would be the right decision for you and your retirement plans.

Unlike a Standard or IF ISA portfolio on Abundance, there are fees to open and hold an Abundance Pension as with all personal pensions. These fees are charged by our pension provider, Gaudi.

In addition to an initial set up fee, there is an annual management fee taken at the start of every year, as well as a transfer fee if you transfer additional funds into your Abundance Pension from another pension provider (see full details below). These fees are charged by Gaudi Regulated Services Limited (Gaudi) for the management of your SIPP, but Abundance will collect these fees on behalf of Gaudi from your SIPP portfolio.

For full details of all the fees that apply to the Abundance Pension — including while benefits are being drawn — please download the Abundance Pension Charging Schedule

Key documents for your Abundance SIPP

If you're an existing Abundance Pension customer you'll find the key documents related to your SIPP within your Abundance account and also through your online account with Gaudi. These include:

If you are unsure about whether an Abundance Pension is right for you, please seek financial advice.

Yes, you can hold multiple SIPP and pension accounts, which means you can set up an Abundance Pension to run alongside your existing SIPP holdings with other providers.

As the Abundance Pension is a single asset SIPP, and restricts you to only investing in the investments we have available on Abundance, you should carefully consider whether an Abundance Pension can meet all your retirement needs. If you are in any doubt as to whether the Abundance Pension is right for you, please seek independent financial advice.

Abundance is not a direct pension provider, and doesn’t provide pension advice. We are authorised to arrange pensions, which is why we work with Gaudi Regulated Services Limited (Gaudi) to provide the Abundance Pension.

What you do with your pension is an important decision. There are new options and new flexibilities available at retirement — but also more risks. It is vital to understand your options, and take appropriate guidance or personal advice if you are not sure.

The Government’s new Pension Wise service offers free, impartial guidance to help you understand your options at retirement. You can access the guidance online here, over the telephone on 030 0330 1001 or face-to-face. It is not personal advice.

Gaudi provide the Abundance Pension. Gaudi are a Trustee and SIPP Administrator and provide branded pension products for investment providers like Abundance. They currently manage around 4,000 open SIPPS. Gaudi will provide support to Abundance Pension holders on some technical matters relating to their pensions, but in the first instance Abundance Pension holders should contact us for support.

Why do I have to invest a minimum of £5,000 in an Abundance Pension?

Although you can invest in any project on Abundance from £5, we have had to place a minimum investment of £5,000 for the Abundance Pension. This is because fees and charges apply on the Abundance Pension, and if you have invested funds of less than £5,000 these fees will have a significant impact on your returns and so will reduce the benefits of using the Abundance Pension.

The Abundance Pension is a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) provided by Gaudi Regulated Services Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the FCA (488015). Setting up an Abundance Pension involves entering into a SIPP contract with Gaudi to hold Abundance investments. Abundance is not a direct pension provider and cannot give pension advice. Please note that tax relief levels on pension contributions depend on your individual circumstances and are subject to change by HMRC.