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Elsa TLC said:Would it be a good time to chuck money at a pension, considering how the market are behaving?
Would it be a good time to chuck money at a pension, considering how the market are behaving?

If you wait until the markets are up again, you will make the classic amateur error.

Granted:If you wait until the markets are up again, you will make the classic amateur error.
You will not know when the market has stopped dropping, until some time afterwards and it has gone up again.
For your pension, you would do well, to pay in x% of earnings a month, every month.
The best time to contribute to a pension is 30 years ago
The second best time is today
The worst time is, some day when I get round to it.
My question was is it worth putting a lump sum into my pension now?

Why do you have a lump burning a hole in your pocket this week? How big a lump is it?
With prices bumping up and down every day, you might send it on a low day, and it be invested on a high day. If a large sum, I feel more relaxed splitting in into several slices, to avoid sudden peaks and troughs. I don't know if you mean 1% of your total fund value, or 10%, or 50%
I used to make a decision towards the end of each tax year, but that can't be the reason, as we've just passed one. I used to use carry-forward and carry-back sometimes, but I don't know what rules apply to you.
I've inherited a small amount.
Let's say I have £30,000
Would £10,,000 at a time be the way to go?


I just want something simple by adding g to my pension. I don't want to tangle myself up with what I don't understand.As said elsewhere, if it goes into a pension it'll get upped by HMG, giving you more to play with.
You pay the tax back when you take it out, depending what you have etc etc. (first 25k fee of tax, I think)
Or you could put it in 2 isas - you + wife? where it's equally free of tax but you have less to "use" for growth until you take it out.
WHile it's in, if you want low fees and good access, I'd suggest AJBell or Interactive Investor
We have some smallish SIPPS, in various places, for historical reasons,
A couple are in eg AJ Bell , Interactive Investor QuIck to access and change+
One each in Hargreaves Lansdown That's OK too
AJ Bell has subtle advantages
They've previously been in other paces, such as pension holders (eg Standard Life) before. And a big bank. Those are awful/
Even if you don't want access, The two I cited are low fees, efficient, etc.
(Different fee structures but they'll come out close)
Butfor me the most m portant thing s what yu do with it.
I quite recently switched to these two funds at AJBell
View attachment 378735
COmpare with normal/building society rates. The Defence stocks one (mix of military stuff, anti hack companies etc) was higher, it wil probably go up again once Europe has dealt with Trump
3.97% isn't bad for a cople of weeks or whatever.It dropper 0.22% today
The othe one is up 77% and rose 13% today, that's not been there long at all.
. 10 days maybe.
If you don't "use" the money and leave it as cash it earns a bit, so you can wait for an opportunity if you want..
SOmething to ponder for you!
So your 30 could have become about 50.
I just want something simple by adding g to my pension. I don't want to tangle myself up with what I don't understand.
The money I inherited is less than 30 grand
Would I pay tax on that.
I get that the government add 20 %
A retired fella i met the other week told me that him paying into his pension was tax deductible.
That didn't sound right