Financial Advisers in Stevenage

If you work for a large employer in or around Stevenage, you may have a benefits package worth far more than you realise: a workplace pension, life cover, perhaps income protection or a share scheme. This page is about making sense of all that. Our office is in Roydon, across the county on the Essex border, so most Stevenage clients work with us remotely, over Google Meet or the phone.

Britain’s first new town

Stevenage was the first new town designated under the New Towns Act 1946, built around an older settlement whose High Street survives as the Old Town. It is run by Stevenage Borough Council, and Stevenage station on the East Coast Main Line has direct trains to London. The A1(M) runs along the western side of the town, and Knebworth House lies just to the south.

There is no Stevenage branch. Instead, you can book a free online meeting with either adviser in a couple of minutes, and anyone who prefers to sit down face to face can come to Roydon: ring 0333 011 5550 and we will find a time.

Reading your benefits statement

Benefits statements are often long, full of jargon and easy to file away unread. These are the parts we usually look at first.

Your workplace pension

Check what you pay in, what your employer pays in, and whether your employer will pay more if you do. Some schemes match higher contributions up to a limit, and not taking that up can mean leaving money on the table. We also look at how your pension is invested, because the default fund may or may not suit your plans. Our guide to automatic enrolment for employees covers the basics.

Salary sacrifice

Many employers let you give up part of your salary in return for a larger pension contribution. This can save National Insurance as well as income tax, but it lowers your contractual salary, which can affect things like mortgage applications and some state benefits. It is worth understanding both sides before you change it. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and may change.

Death in service

Life cover through work is valuable, but it usually stops when you leave the job. It is also worth checking who it would be paid to and whether your nomination form is up to date.

Sick pay and income protection

Find out how long your employer would pay you if you were off sick, and whether there is a group income protection scheme. Once you know where workplace cover ends, you can decide whether you need your own protection to fill the gap.

Share schemes

If you hold shares in your employer, a lot of your wealth may depend on one company that also pays your salary. We can talk about how that fits with the rest of your investments and your attitude to risk.

Changing jobs

Moving employer is a good moment for a check-up. Your old pension stays where it is unless you move it, your death in service cover usually ends, and the new package may be quite different. We can help you compare, and look at whether bringing old pensions together makes sense. Consolidating is not right for everyone, so we check charges and any valuable guarantees first. See our pensions page.

Seeing where it all leads

Once your benefits are in order, cash flow planning can show how your pension, savings and spending might play out over the years ahead, and whether your target retirement age looks realistic. Our guide to the value of retirement planning explains why it is worth doing early.

Buying a home

If you are buying or remortgaging, Kealy Ball can look across a wide range of lenders. If you use salary sacrifice, mention it early, because lenders may look at your salary after the sacrifice. See our mortgages page.

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Frequently asked questions

Important: This page is general information about the areas we serve and the services we offer. It is not personal financial advice. For advice on your specific circumstances, please get in touch.