I have done an updated version of this video that assesses this strategy using historical stock market and mortgage data. Check it out: ua-cam.com/video/9MfCVkRvjQs/v-deo.html
Biggest lesson i learnt in 2023 in the stock market is that nobody knows what is going to happen next, so practice some humility and low a strategy with a long term edge.
As we witness the current economic landscape, it's becoming increasingly clear that we're entering a recession. Diversification can mitigate risk and increase the chance of success
When it comes to investment, diversification is key. That is why I have my interests set on key sectors based on performance and projected growth. They range from the EV sector, renewable energy, Tech and Health (AMD) alongside coins, and gold. I'm also working on an investment plan with my CFA that includes AI looking into Nvidia, MSFT, Alphabet stocks among others. I've been utilizing CATHERINE DIANE PELICAN advice for years and I've made over $1 000,000. I could leave you a lead if you need advice help...
I’ve been forced to find additional sources of income as I got retrenched. I barely have time to continue trading and watch my investments since I had my second daughter. Do you think I should take a break for a while from the market and focus on other things or return whenever I have free time or is it a continuous process? Thanks...
Quitting may not be the best approach if you ask me personally .When it comes to investment, diversification is key. That is why I have my interests set on key sectors based on performance and projected growth. They range from the EV sector, renewable energy, Tech and Health (AMD) alongside coins, and gold. I'm also working on an investment plan with my CFA that includes AI looking into Nvidia, MSFT, Alphabet stocks among others. I've been utilizing CATHERINE DIANE PELICAN advice for years and I've made over $1 000,000. I could leave you a lead if you need advice help...
Amazing Q, A friend of mine referred me to a financial adviser sometime ago and we got talking about investment and money. I started investing with $120k and in the first 2 months , my portfolio was reading $274,800. Crazy right!, I decided to reinvest my profit and gets more interesting. For over a year we have been working together making consistent profit just bought my second home 2 weeks ago and care for my family.
I prioritised my mortgage and am so glad I did! It is no good having a massive pension that you can't access until a certain age that keeps increasing, if you are in your 30s or 40s and something happens like you lose your job, health, spouse or encounter some other unforeseen hardship that leaves you unable to pay your mortgage. That did happen to me, and I'm glad I have an actual house rather than theoretical future money.
I wasn't financial free until my 40’s and I’m still in my 40’s, bought my second house already, earn on a monthly basis via my investment and got 5 out of 5 goals, just hope it encourages someone that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any of them right now, you can start TODAY regardless your age INVEST and change your future! Investing in the financial market is a grand choice I made. Great video! Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring! I love this.
I hope to own a home one day. not quite long I started investing. I'm very curious already and need help on how to enhance and increase my returns. Any good investment tips will be appreciated.
Generally, investing requires higher knowledge. For this reason, It's important to have a solid support structure (financial consultant) to guide you through especially in asset picking. I operate with (Alexandra Diana Jose) a consultant who partners with a licensed wealth management firm. For the record, the experience has been the best for my finance. She made me financially stable investing through her help, now I earn on a monthly basis through her passive income strategy... So I'd advise you do get a good investment advisor for yourself.
I appreciate your advice. It's hard to find someone that's reliable. When I see how much you've made investing, I could really use your investment advisor. That is, if you don't mind sharing her information.
Thanks for sharing, I just looked her up on the web and I would say she really has an impressive background in investing. I will write her an e-mail shortly.
Your videos are life changing for me. I realised I needed a financial advisor, fortunately I got a good one and am now heading to retirement at 60. Love your YT channel please keep them coming. School kids should be made to watch these as part of their curriculum.
I went mortgage free by downsizing, but I used a chunk of pension when I retired to sort another outgoing cost. I covered my roof in solar panels and got a powerwall. My house energy bills are now neutral throughout a year. I also bought an EV, and as I charge at home 90% of the time the equivalent of a tank of petrol is about £8. Yes it takes a while to get pay back on these things, but the cost living crisis hasn’t ruined my retirement…… yet.
Thanks, very interesting. I hate debt, but I had a lot of it, mortgage, and business loan, which was double my mortgage.. The day after the business was sold I walked into the branch office of the building society and asked how much to pay off the mortgage, I got my cheque book out and signed the cheque. The feeling of being debt free for the first time in my adult life was amazing, so for me being debt free was a real driving force. Retired soon after.
Not to mention that if you were really hard up, you could always borrow from your property in the future, which you wouldn't pay any tax on as it's a debt. Debt free is the way to go.
I chose option B...pay off mortgage by the time I'm 45 and work part time for 2 days a week for the next 20 years and enjoy my time while I'm younger. Seems better to me than trying to save up as much money as possible to theoretically enjoy.. when I'm too old to properly enjoy it. Once shelter, food and bills are covered....time is much more valuable than money in my opinion. I think too many people have this backwards. And you could of course factor in the chance of not even making it to old age! Big risk that no-one seems to take on board.
Yep, I used to be the same and was just focused on saving enough money for a decent retirement, then I met my partner who's dad was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's when he was 50 and had to give up work. It's completely changed my outlook now. I'm still making provisions for old age, but almost everyone I know my age (30's) have gone down the route of buying the biggest house they can possibly get with massive mortgages with the intention of downsizing when they're older and having a nice retirement. Instead we live in a small cheaper house that's perfectly adequate for our needs and have more disposable income to enjoy life with. You never know what is round the corner so enjoy life as much as you can before it's too late.
This. I’m grafting now (well, actually 4.5 days a week 🎉) at 42. Worked hard, put money into pensions (DB) and mortgages all my life. Spent relatively low %, on things I value only. Had some lovely holidays etc, and a biking hobby. I’m still finding fun! Zero credit debt aside from where tactical (0% credit stooze into 5% savers etc!) and no other debts. Good LTV, good rates (1.28% fixed) etc, helping no end. Long story…. 3rd home (sold 2 en route) to be paid off by 52 (give or take 2), then my 30 years service gives me enough pension per year from 60. I’ll either sacrifice up to 1/3 of it and claim from 50, or work 2 days a week to maintain a cash flow until 60. Aware life might deal me a bad one and if so I’ll replan, in the meanwhile I’m having enough fun and can see the winning line. Life May deal me inheritances or things like a downsize could also fund that 50-60 gap. Or I’ll indulge in 50k of debt knowing my state pension at 68-75 can pay that off later, if I get that far. The state cash is just a bonus. Daughter can have my house when the reaper comes. Whatever house that may be. Finally, I think about the value of my time like the OP. Eg I wont drop to 3 days now, as the extra 1.5 days a week gives good income to keep the plan on track. But I WONT go to 5 days for a bit more cash which after tax etc isn’t worth it. Little things like earning 2 days worth at 52, when daughter might be uni inclined, would exempt me from uni fees too. So earning now, not then, seems a better approach. I’m grateful for my DB pension and ability to know with sone confidence my income in retirement… and what that means if I get to 55, 75 or 105. I’m grateful my approach gives me time with the daughter before she’s grown up too. Lastly, I’ll never stop working. As in “putting in effort”. But all the effort will be things I enjoy doing, whatever that job may be. Might learn pottery! Be nice to never have to do work ‘for the money’.
Great reading these comments. Modest home here with mortgage paid off by age 44. I figure that will then give me options. How much do I need and what do I want to do with the time. The vast majority of people make it to 50 (hopefully I get there) healthy so that should bank me 6 healthy years of less work. I plan for everything over 50 as bonus time (but am still paying into a pension and LISA)!
Wow, this is a game-changer, maybe even life-changing! I have been loyally following the mortgage repayment route and it would never have occurred to me that this was a viable option. But since watching this video and crunching a few numbers this strategy would allow us to ramp up my wife's pension and give us better options in retirement. We have a bit of time to go on our fixed rate but when it comes time to re-mortgage, this will be the way to go. Your content is fantastic. As we enter the last decade (hopefully) before we retire your videos have given us a much better understanding of what we can achieve, how it can be done and a plan to get there. In a very uncertain world this is a significant comfort. Thank you!
@@JamesShack Hi, any chance you've created an online calculator since this video? Would be amazing! Also, with very uncertain times ahead, and the chances of a stock market crash looking likely, pensions invested in such could actually lose, not gain. That'd be a HUGE issue.
@@carlos777uk Just as the video suggests, the pattern is that after a crash the economy comes back. These corpos now are so big that they're more than just national companies really, so it will take them a while to pivot but rest assured they have the money to adapt to whatever happens. So TL;DR, if a crash happens, just ride it out. Might take 5 years but your money will be back to where it was or go up. And if it doesn't... well, take solace in knowing that everyone else is screwed too and so a mass solution would have to be found and it will include you somehow too. It's not like there'll be anything you can do pre-emptively about it anyway unless you want to just sleep on a cash mattress out of fear.
yes but two issues to consider: Divorce ( hopefully won't happen but women change a LOT in their 50s) and if either of you are out of work for a long period, your debt will be higher as you stopped paying off the capital. I have been mortgage free since my 30s now in my early 50s and divorced. Despite that due to the amount I was able to save ( she saved 00) I had to pay her off but still mortgage free.
Well they've held at 5.25% interest so it's still £80k better off. With the BoE saying they will cut next year if things go to plan then that is going to be back to 120k. The LTA could change year to year within the UK now as the tories or labour flip flop endlessly.
This is exactly my strategy, I max out pension contributions to save tax, have an interest only mortgage, and pay myself first into my ISA attempting to max that out each year where possible. My goal is to have the finances to retire at 52 if I want (48 now), currently on track. Friends think mine is a risky strategy and yet are happy to pay next to nothing into their pensions, have a mortgage into their retirement years and hoping to downsize to pay off their house. I prefer the financial independence model, be free from the grind and have the option to say F*@k you to my boss whenever I want. 47 Months and counting.
I retired at 52. If you are a higher rate income tax payer you should certainly put all of your income above the higher rate into your pension. You'll save the higher rate and likely only pay the lower rate when you collect if from your pension (and 25% of it will be tax free)
Great video James. Hunt didn't freeze the LTA as you feared but has abolished it! Big risk with your strategy is any meddling with the 25% tax free cash- be great to see how that plays out in you stress tests !
@@rocketpig1914 couldn't agree more. Contract law seems to apply in every aspect of life except for when you sign up for a pension on the basis of drawdown at 50 then after you've committed to the deal the government changes the terms with zero rights for you to pull out
Great video as always James. Thank you. I think even though the logical path is to pay into your pension, a lot of people want to be free of debt, and see that as their route to financial independence. Paying off that final payment and owning your home outright is such a massive goal for most people. A very emotional goal as well. And sometimes, all the logic in the world won’t overcome the wonderful feeling you get from that. And I understand that. It’s a huge weight off your shoulders, of course it is. But I’m with you, I got 5 years left on my mortgage and could clear it now really if I wanted. But that money is going into my pension. I put another £10k in this month, and before I could say “tax relief” it had been topped up to £12.5k. And through my self assessment the govt is sending me a cheque for another £2.5k in tax relief. So, in effect, I put £7.5k in and I get £12.5k added to my pension. It’s crazy good! And that’s before we even talk about investment growth. Max that pension everyone, the tax relief is mental! It is literally free money!
Though I agree, don’t think for a minute that the government couldn’t find ways to tax you for owning a house if they needed to. I could easily see variations of the council tax being produced if things start to get really bad in the economy over the next few years.
You’ve got this pension thing wrong… it’s not tax-free. It’s tax deferral. Excepting the small portion which can be extracted tax-free, you’ll pay full tax on income derived from your pension. Only later in life.
@@gregmcgarry1 Ok so you're only half right. You will pay tax when you take the income but you get to 1 invest the whole amount including the tax meaning that you get the interest on those funds in addition as income. Second your pensionable income is generally lower than your income during your working life meaning if you're a higher rate tax payer now you will pay that income tax at a lower rate when you take it later. Additionally a lot of companies will match your pension contributions meaning you can effectively increase your income tax free.
@@ThePirateParrot Higher rate of tax kicks in at €40k in my country. State pension is €12k. That means one only requires private retirement funding of 28k to be taxed at higher rate meaning the tax, as I said, is only deferred. Outliers relating to some people’s situations including matched-funding by companies are just that, outliers, and cannot be applied across the board. So, not relevant for generic commentary on a complex subject matter such as pensions. My point holds though, the client’s stated objectives were being debt-free and s/he was already taking risk with their investment exposure. Placing their home in interest-only is diametrically opposed to their stated objective by putting the capital on ice and adding further risk by gambling whether they’ll generate the funds to paydown the mortgage later. This is a so-called ‘Endowment Mortgage’ supercharged, Vegas-style. Very high risk. And that client’s losing at the moment given sky-high interest rates in Brexit UK.
I did this. It’s saved us over £100,000 in interest alone over the next 10 years. Also it’s removed so much stress and pressure in an unknowable climate it totally made sense. So instead of trying to find £1400 a month before the mortgage rates went up, more like £1850 a month now for 11 years I now know I can stay in bed….. I have gone back to college, no more overdrafts, no more credit card balances and no more juggling finances and arguments at home. It is totally worth doing if you can. It’s a wonderful feeling. I combined all my ensign pots into a single SIPP then took the max tax free lump sum etc etc and just paid it all off. Bliss.
Absolutely brilliantly presented James!! Loved this one... I'm in a very similar position but at 55... £136k outstanding.... Now I really have to think! Oh you've made my head ache lol
The Jeremy Hunt comment killed me! The fun police are truly out in force! Love your channel, James! Aiming for FI by 38, using a lot of strategies you discuss. Keep it up, mate!
I love videos like these which look at different strategies! - A couple of things to keep in mind: Taking the income part of the pensions triggers the Money Purchase Annual Allowance, which will limit future pension contribution tax reliefs if the person works beyond the age of paying the mortgage. Therefore the person should already have a substantial pot of money already saved up in a pension (or other sources) or is banking on higher returns to meet retirement expenditure. The other thing is the tax savings of keeping the Tax free cash portion in place is extremely beneficial as this is ultimately growing along with the pension. Once you incorporate the drawdown of the pension for each situation, the picture could look different.
I wish I could show this video to 25 year old me. I've reached 40, planned retirement at 65 but like everyone would love to retire 55-60. I consolidated old pensions into one, started a life time ISA although I only plan to contribute £200 a year at the moment but still unsure how to be financially independent. This is certainly some food for thought though which I'll look to explore in more depth 👍🤞
Some challenges to consider: 1) What happens if you die prior to paying off. Leaving partner with an unpaid mortgage. 2) What happens if you loose your job or downsize your job at 55 when you had intended to have paid off - You then cannot afford to put as much in pension. Also be great to share the model sheet for others to play around with, I love this concept too.
If you die before the age of 75 your spouse, or whoever you chose, inherits your pension as a tax free lump sum. So they would be in a better position then had you paid off the mortgage. A loss of income at any points affects each scenario in the same way. After 55 both scenarios would simply have less going into the pension. If you experienced a loss of income prior to 55 you are arguably in a better position with the pension because you can stop contributing whenever you want. But with a mortgage you can’t stop paying it.
Had this in 1990, then in 2010 the govt changed NMPA retirement date of personal pensions in uk from 50 to 55, so had five years extra to pay before accessing lump sum.
My 2p worth. I paid into my mortgage before putting into pension. I had offset mortgage ( dont think they do them anymore), any savings were offset against mortgage. Every spare penny went on mortgage. Mortgage finished at 40, then i put every single penny i could afford into pension . Worked 2 days a week for the last 3 years . Plan to retire at end of year at 56. Not a huge pension, but enough so i can tick over and not work with 2 nice holidays a year. Did i do the best thing financially, who knows, but its worked for me.
I really like your approach to money and how you educate people. Regarding pensions, I checked my annual statements for last year and I lost more money than actual earned (my pension pot was reduced), plus the pension charges a % fee, so even less money. I really don’t like pensions because of this. Plus their fees are way higher than investing. I started investing on an ISA (cash as I’ll need the cash to pay the mortgage in 3 years) and a few K on an index fund just to text how it works. I’ll review my pensions performance as I also want to take advantage of the tax benefits.
I AM using my pension to pay off my mortgage, literally ! I retired when I reached state pension age in uk. I still had a mortgage because life circumstances... Now, with kids grown up and no work expenses I am overpaying down the mortgage. I have to restrain myself from unecesary spending on other things, but hope to be finished by end of 2025 !
@@PaulB-q3d I had an endowment mortgage back in the 1980's. Basically the monthly payment is only paying the interest on the mortgage. The bank also set up a " life insurance" which pays the house off, if you die( so the bank gets its money back !) The idea with that kind of insurance policy was that it is supposed to build up money for you by investment, to eventually enable you to pay off the mortgage. By the late nineties it was evident that this was not going to happen. The balance ( return on investment) did not raise the sums they projected it to do ( probably lack of stock market performance but it might have been due to high bank of England interest rates, I'm not sure the full details) I realised what was happening and was able to arrange a switch to a repayment mortgage just in time but many lost their house because they only realised that the policy had not yielded enough to pay off the mortgage when it was actually due to be paid off. By all means invest, but also pay down the mortgage capital, not just the interest, and max your pension cause its tax free. i.e. every pound off your wage for pension, means £1.20 into your pension. That's 20p you have deprived the tax man of !!!! For every pound. So save into your work pension and make sure all state pension years of national insurance are fully paid up, if you had gaps. It is cheap to do and has made big improvement to my state pension amount. Maxing both pensions made the difference between surviving and comfortable now I am retired. I think Martin Lewis has advice on how to check NI contribution years on his website.
@@JamesShack Presumably paying every bit of spare money I have into a pension (the company doesn't offer salary sacrifice) while letting the repayment mortgage tick down (I doubt I could get an interest only one), would be the most ruthlessly efficient way for me to retire at (likely legal minimum) of 57/58? Seems to me the 20% tax relief on the main plus some at 40%, allowed to grow in the pot for the next 14 years is the best way to grow my net worth? Saving into an ISA is ok, and I'll have some funds there for emergencies, but the pension wins? I'll be stuck in this house for the next decade which is unfortunate, but at 57 I can downsize into a yacht and off I go!
This is a great explanation of how to use your pension to your advantage. The one thing you didn't mention is the annual allowance. That may limit the contributions some people are able to make to their pension without losing the tax advantages. That's especially the case for your suggestion to move money from an ISA to a pension just before you retire - if it is a significant amount of money then you'll need to spread it out over several years. You also need to consider the money purchase annual allowance. If you take money from your pension to pay off your mortgage before you retire then you will be limiting the contributions you are able to make after that quite severely.
Great video, I initially had this strategy (31y/o, 20% salary sacrifice), but ultimately decided it was too early for me to adopt. I'm thinking I wouldn't be able to access this cash until at least 60y/o, and wouldn't be surprised if the 25% tax free lump sum and other benefits were scaled back too by the time I get there, and I would likely hit the £1.07M mark way too early. Financial independence for me in the short term was knocking down some of my mortgage, and having ISA cash available as a fallback and ability to move around when needed. But always good to be ready to switch to this approach when I feel the time is right.
Yes that might be right. It’s often better to do a bit of both, and have investments spread across different tax wrappers, especially if your a long way off retirement and tax rules could change.
I’ve recently stopped overpaying my mortgage and instead now do salary sacrifice with work pension so this video is welcome news! I also max out a S&S LISA every year and invest whatever I have left into a S&S ISA. I’ve even opened a savings account for the first time in years as the rates on it are the same as overpaying my mortgage was, so using that to build up some liquidity/emergency fund as that’s the area I’m lacking in at the moment. Not quite convinced enough yet to switch to interest only mortgage but I’m now giving it some thought
Its sounds like you have a lot of diversity which is no bad thing. Within a few years you may be financial secure enough to be confident not needing to repay the mortgage. When you know you could pay it off, via other means, if really needed.
I paid my mortgage off when I was 33. Best thing I ever did. You cannot beat that security of knowing you will always have a roof over your head that no one can take away, whatever happens .
Exactly. People in general are dumb nowadays saying stupid stuff like 'cash is trash' and that renting is better than buying. Also people are too greedy. Instead of hoping for a cash tree to magically appear they could just spend less or earn more. It blows my mind how gullible the population is falling for scam after scam. I hate using this statement but some people are literal cattle
@@williamlyons3947 Being smart is foolish? The bank can't force him out as its now fully paid off. He can live minimally and doesn't need excess cash to show off to people he doesn't like while you are in the rat race indulging in debt until the bubble bursts
@@williamlyons3947 There's no such thing as a free meal. By having a mortgage you are a slave to the government. You can't just quit your job anytime you want and forever in debt to another man. That ain't freedom. Instead of living a life full of debt paying off a mortgage means that person can live off less and even focus on minimalism. The everyday sucker spends so much on garbage that maybe if you didn't spend so much on trash you wouldn't need a high paying job to be happy. I value my time so with a paid off mortgage means I have time to do what I want when I want. Being debt free is priceless
I suggest the answer to your client’s Q “why don’t more people do this?” is that the Endowment Mortgage scandal put a lot of individuals & lenders off this sort of strategy. Nothing fundamentally wrong with Endowment Mortgages; but they were miss-sold to people who didn’t understand the risks.
This has the same objective as an Endowment mortgage, but is executed entirely differently. Total control, transparency and the benefits of tax relief.
This strategy uses your home as collateral (a mortgage is a form of an asset-backed loan) to arbitrate the difference between the interest-only interest rate (e.g. 4%) vs market index returns (e.g. 6-8%) inside a pension tax wrapper (utilising the 25% lump sum). Fine in theory, just a problem when your loan term comes to an end and the market crashes (e.g. if it ended during the 50%+ crash during 2020). This is similar to the BTL strategy, where rental yields of 6-8% is similar to the above - on one hand it's possibly taxable, but on the other hand you can sell and move virtually at any time instead of waiting to 57+.
Hey James. New viewer here. Going through your back catalogue of videos and learning so much. Thank you for your balanced, unbias expertise. I, like a sizable priportion in the UK, pay into the NHS Pension scheme. Have you ever done a video on this pension scheme? Does it differ to other schemes? My understanding is that if you draw out any funds before retirement age, currently 67, you incur significant penalties and so would not be a valid strategy here. Any information is greatly appreciated :)
The NHS pension scheme is a complicated one and split into two main parts. I'm not an expert on these schemes, but i believe you can get the option of a tax free lump sum but it may reduce the ongoing income you receive. So you need to do a calculation to work out if it's worth the cost.
Hi James, really enjoyed this alternative view and insight. Probably not one for me as the lifetime allowance is a blocker. Biggest challenge with this approach is being comfortable with the debt as often a mortgage is a millstone around our necks. Would be interested to know approaches for people that will exceed the lifetime allowance - think this will become a problem more people will experience given the high rates of inflation.
Hybrid approach: Reduce pension contributions if getting close to LTA and then split between ISA and repayment mortgage. Don't get too worried about the LTA though, and certainly don't start the hybrid pivot until you really are close, like within 100k close.
This is probably the wierdest comment ever, but I could have sworn I was in that kitchen in one of my dreams a few months ago, before I found this channel. And I can't help but think I know the room plan everytime I watch one of your videos 😂. Great videos though, you come up in my analytics a lot.
This is an absolutely genius strategy. As a 30 y/o who does earn >£100k but saddled with a 30 year mortgage, this completely transforms my thinking on my mortgage - especially with the changes in the LTA. However I’m generally quite risk averse and thus appreciate the cash flow, so may look to slightly overpay on an interest-only mortgage , not quite the perfect hybrid approach… Great work!!
Hopefully I'll get to speak to you. I filled out the videoask form. I've only just found your channel but I subbed straight away. I'm 43 and currently as of July this year managed to pay off all my unsecured personal debt. I've got a workplace pension which is currently paying around 8% a month total into with Aviva using their standard pension investment fund. We're just about to remortgage in March 2023 and have
Great video thanks. You just appeared recommended. I’m starting a new job, crazy pension cont from them. I have 2 precious pensions (but my main one took a hit the last 3 years and has come back to 100k ish now) I max out a Lisa every year the thinking being I can take that as cash lump sum instead of taking that out of pension and drawing the bigger mi they payment from the pension. (I’ll have a 10y Lisa fund) I never thought about using pension to pay mortgage. I’m set at a specific contribution but that works out to take my from a higher rate to lower rate tax payer as I’m on the border and it’s salary sacrificed so I’m taxed 20% (plus NI) on the cash after my pension investment. Unless I was going to earn way more I think that’s the better thing to do (more money for me, less money for the tax man) I’m the same age as this guy but never actively thought about pension until recently with the new one I’m getting. It’s just so frustrating that any additional income will be taxed at 40% which hardly makes it worth it, unless it’s exponentially over I guess. Anyway great video. Thanks
So I've worked for three different UK-based companies from medium to very large, the defined contribution pension I've had with then over the first 15 years of my career has grown at LESS THAN 1% (that accounts for money I've invested each month and looks at the underlying increase in value of the shares / assets) Stocks and shares in the open market might be 7%+ but I've not seen anything like that. So that's the only area that I can fault your analysis, the rest of it hangs together very well.
The client has two stand-out atteibutes: 1. Desire to be financially independent, debt-free with the roof over his head secure. 2. Already takes risk in his life through more risk-prone investing. I would not advise this client to leverage the risk further by taking this interest-only gamble (which is already failing). It imperils his stated desire to own his home and, quite frankly, his pension is under-funded as it is. If he’s unable to adequately fund his pension then he should at least have the certainty of owning his home and stick with the repayment mortgage. This guy is substantially exposed to a scenario where he actually loses his home or has practically zero pension.
Problem with this especially if you have a newer mortgage is you risk negative equity or not as many options for a better loan to value mortgage. As repayment mortgage you are actually getting the mortgage down and interest only mortgage you are not!
This is a long term strategy. You pay a deposit say 10% which in the worst likely scenario you could be in negative equity for perhaps a year. After then, it’s almost certain the value of the property goes up. Unless you want to sell in the first couple of years, then there’s not much issue.
Hi @James Shack - I live overseas with no relevant UK earnings, and so I would get no tax relief on pension contributions. How does your analysis look for a similar strategy using a general S&S account? I guess it is much more marginal so overpaying a mortgage looks a better option. Interested in your views, I love your clear analysis!
Ive had many discussions with colleagues about why pay off mortgage earlier with money that could be getting 40% tax relief plus growth. Many are very cautious though despite me pointing out that grabbing 40% tax relief could be regarded as the cautious approach. I woke up to this later than i shoudl but it did pay off for me.
Interest video, is there any chance of doing one on last weeks autumn statement to give some tips to limit tax on savings and capital gains or how best to navigate them. Very relevant for probably most of your followers. Thanks
I currently salary sacrifice 8%, with a 11% employer match. Also got a very short term mortgage so home on track to be paid off by the time I'm 42. Waiting until I'm 58, if not higher to pay off my house is too long for me.
I guess one thing to consider is in pension strategy one would exhaust the 25% lump sum in paying the mortgage. The best strategy I would say would be repayment with a longer mortgage term and let the surplus go into pension.
The interest needing to be paid is higher if not paying off the capital too. On a 150k loan, over 30 years interest only would cost over £70k more compared to repayment over that term. When I calculated putting in that extra £221 (which is excl. any tax relief) into a pension at 5% over 30 years, the final value is £208k so doesn't this work out as being worse than just paying the capital off as well?
Awesome video James - do you have much knowledge of the Australian market and whether this strategy is directly translatable to superannuation contributions?
What does it cost to discuss the same situation as your friend with a financial consultant? Also are there any ramifications for the consultant if the advise goes Pete tong
Really interesting video. I think the number of assumptions on these calculations should make people extremely cautious, but hey, it already assumed the test case was comfortable with high risk investments. I've always been dismissive of interest only mortgages, but this made me think of them in a new way.
Hi James, thanks for this video. This is what we've been doing. Our mortgage is due when we retire so hoping it all works out as planned...I saw you said you can pay cash into the pension. I wasn't aware you could pay into cash as opposed to investing the funds, is this applicable to a work pension? This would be ideal for us to do closer to the time the mortgage is due and then take out the cash part only and leave the rest to grow. We have other savings/investments to live on until state pension starts.
I was mortgage free by the age of 37 then bought a bigger place that needed work and took on a debt of 100k. Fast forward 10 years I am now 47 and going to be mortgage free again in 4 months time I cannot wait. I could have been mortage free 2 years ago but I decide not to pay of the remaining balance because I was getting more in interest from the bank against my 60k savings than I was paying in interest against my mortgage, it made no sense at all to pay it off so I didn't. Moving forwards I am going to increase the amount of salary I sacrifice to my pension fund from 22% to 35% as well as continuing to sacrafice my my annual bonus to build my pot which is currently paying nearly 12% per year. This will ensure that I dont pay 40% tax on my wages moving forwards and will enable me to build my pot for the next 10-15 years.
interesting video! I have a pension contribution plan and also a 100 percent global fund ISA and can hopefully pay my mortgage off within a year👌hopefully it serves me well at retirement!
Option C. Interest only mortgage with offset account and an overpayment each month of 25% of the mortgage initial monthly payment, but fixed for the term of the morgage. E.g. Mortgage repayment = £100, so you pay a fixed amount of £125. Add the balance of what would have been the repayment mortgage monthly repayment into the offset account each month increase the amount of offset and Prime pay back. It would be interesting to see the number crunch on that scenario.
Pension Mortgages were all the rage in the 90s. Went the same way as endowments as the contributions were never enough to achieve the goal and were comparable in monthly cost to a repayment mortgage.
Love the channel and thanks for sharing! I have a question. I am an expat that lives in Denmark and I have a 0.5% 15 year fixed mortgage and 17 years left to pay it off. Do you think that this strategy would still be valid with such a low interest rate? If I refinance the mortgage and move to an interest only mortgage I can fix it at 5% for 30 years. I am 45… would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks again for all the great tips!
Good vid . In hindsight I wish I'd done this but for some it is always a worry that there is some unforeseen pension industry debacle and / or a future gov. will change things (again) so I would say Repayment mort over as long as poss for main house plus salary sacrifice for max pension contributions is a good balance but as you say everyone a bit different
Did you stress test the returns? For example how do you model a 20% sell off and then average returns after that? Great video by the way! Keep up the good work!
Stress testing at the worst times is the right way to go - ask how they would react and feel even it is feels unlikely or bad luck now. Even 20% sell off can be conservative depending on where the assets are invested. Other downsides: - you’ve said it already but in a slightly different way - with the LTA you will have less to save in your pension for your actual retirement needs. - this strategy will also need to be reviewed and ensure that the client does not get a false sense of security for their retirement. They still need to save for it!
@@cubeh8331 I meant delay paying off the mortgage, you would not necessarily have to delay retirement so long as you have saved independently for that - which is what this plan suggests.
I have done an updated version of this video that assesses this strategy using historical stock market and mortgage data. Check it out: ua-cam.com/video/9MfCVkRvjQs/v-deo.html
Does that exclude the LTA that was removed, other than for TFLS?
Biggest lesson i learnt in 2023 in the stock market is that nobody knows what is going to happen next, so practice some humility and low a strategy with a long term edge.
Could you kindly elaborate on the advisor's background and qualifications?
Just ran an online search on her name and came across her websiite; pretty well educated. thank you for sharing.
As we witness the current economic landscape, it's becoming increasingly clear that we're entering a recession. Diversification can mitigate risk and increase the chance of success
I try to consider a mix of bonds and fixed-income securities to provide stability to my portfolio but i need solid advise.
When it comes to investment, diversification is key. That is why I have my interests set on key sectors based on performance and projected growth. They range from the EV sector, renewable energy, Tech and Health (AMD) alongside coins, and gold. I'm also working on an investment plan with my CFA that includes AI looking into Nvidia, MSFT, Alphabet stocks among others. I've been utilizing CATHERINE DIANE PELICAN advice for years and I've made over $1 000,000. I could leave you a lead if you need advice help...
I’ve been forced to find additional sources of income as I got retrenched. I barely have time to continue trading and watch my investments since I had my second daughter. Do you think I should take a break for a while from the market and focus on other things or return whenever I have free time or is it a continuous process? Thanks...
Quitting may not be the best approach if you ask me personally .When it comes to investment, diversification is key. That is why I have my interests set on key sectors based on performance and projected growth. They range from the EV sector, renewable energy, Tech and Health (AMD) alongside coins, and gold. I'm also working on an investment plan with my CFA that includes AI looking into Nvidia, MSFT, Alphabet stocks among others. I've been utilizing CATHERINE DIANE PELICAN advice for years and I've made over $1 000,000. I could leave you a lead if you need advice help...
Amazing Q, A friend of mine referred me to a financial adviser sometime ago and we got talking about investment and money. I started investing with $120k and in the first 2 months , my portfolio was reading $274,800. Crazy right!, I decided to reinvest my profit and gets more interesting. For over a year we have been working together making consistent profit just bought my second home 2 weeks ago and care for my family.
I prioritised my mortgage and am so glad I did! It is no good having a massive pension that you can't access until a certain age that keeps increasing, if you are in your 30s or 40s and something happens like you lose your job, health, spouse or encounter some other unforeseen hardship that leaves you unable to pay your mortgage. That did happen to me, and I'm glad I have an actual house rather than theoretical future money.
I wasn't financial free until my 40’s and I’m still in my 40’s, bought my second house already, earn on a monthly basis via my investment and got 5 out of 5 goals, just hope it encourages someone that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any of them right now, you can start TODAY regardless your age INVEST and change your future! Investing in the financial market is a grand choice I made. Great video! Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring! I love this.
I hope to own a home one day. not quite long I started investing. I'm very curious already and need help on how to enhance and increase my returns. Any good investment tips will be appreciated.
Generally, investing requires higher knowledge. For this reason, It's important to have a solid support structure (financial consultant) to guide you through especially in asset picking. I operate with (Alexandra Diana Jose) a consultant who partners with a licensed wealth management firm. For the record, the experience has been the best for my finance. She made me financially stable investing through her help, now I earn on a monthly basis through her passive income strategy... So I'd advise you do get a good investment advisor for yourself.
I appreciate your advice. It's hard to find someone that's reliable. When I see how much you've made investing, I could really use your investment advisor. That is, if you don't mind sharing her information.
Google Diana Casteel Lynch and do your own research. She has portfolio management down to a science
Thanks for sharing, I just looked her up on the web and I would say she really has an impressive background in investing. I will write her an e-mail shortly.
Your videos are life changing for me. I realised I needed a financial advisor, fortunately I got a good one and am now heading to retirement at 60. Love your YT channel please keep them coming. School kids should be made to watch these as part of their curriculum.
That's great to hear Scott. I'm glad you're confident in your plan.
I went mortgage free by downsizing, but I used a chunk of pension when I retired to sort another outgoing cost. I covered my roof in solar panels and got a powerwall. My house energy bills are now neutral throughout a year. I also bought an EV, and as I charge at home 90% of the time the equivalent of a tank of petrol is about £8. Yes it takes a while to get pay back on these things, but the cost living crisis hasn’t ruined my retirement…… yet.
Thanks, very interesting. I hate debt, but I had a lot of it, mortgage, and business loan, which was double my mortgage.. The day after the business was sold I walked into the branch office of the building society and asked how much to pay off the mortgage, I got my cheque book out and signed the cheque. The feeling of being debt free for the first time in my adult life was amazing, so for me being debt free was a real driving force. Retired soon after.
Not to mention that if you were really hard up, you could always borrow from your property in the future, which you wouldn't pay any tax on as it's a debt. Debt free is the way to go.
I chose option B...pay off mortgage by the time I'm 45 and work part time for 2 days a week for the next 20 years and enjoy my time while I'm younger. Seems better to me than trying to save up as much money as possible to theoretically enjoy.. when I'm too old to properly enjoy it. Once shelter, food and bills are covered....time is much more valuable than money in my opinion. I think too many people have this backwards. And you could of course factor in the chance of not even making it to old age! Big risk that no-one seems to take on board.
Yep, I used to be the same and was just focused on saving enough money for a decent retirement, then I met my partner who's dad was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's when he was 50 and had to give up work. It's completely changed my outlook now. I'm still making provisions for old age, but almost everyone I know my age (30's) have gone down the route of buying the biggest house they can possibly get with massive mortgages with the intention of downsizing when they're older and having a nice retirement. Instead we live in a small cheaper house that's perfectly adequate for our needs and have more disposable income to enjoy life with. You never know what is round the corner so enjoy life as much as you can before it's too late.
This. I’m grafting now (well, actually 4.5 days a week 🎉) at 42.
Worked hard, put money into pensions (DB) and mortgages all my life. Spent relatively low %, on things I value only. Had some lovely holidays etc, and a biking hobby. I’m still finding fun!
Zero credit debt aside from where tactical (0% credit stooze into 5% savers etc!) and no other debts. Good LTV, good rates (1.28% fixed) etc, helping no end.
Long story…. 3rd home (sold 2 en route) to be paid off by 52 (give or take 2), then my 30 years service gives me enough pension per year from 60. I’ll either sacrifice up to 1/3 of it and claim from 50, or work 2 days a week to maintain a cash flow until 60.
Aware life might deal me a bad one and if so I’ll replan, in the meanwhile I’m having enough fun and can see the winning line.
Life May deal me inheritances or things like a downsize could also fund that 50-60 gap. Or I’ll indulge in 50k of debt knowing my state pension at 68-75 can pay that off later, if I get that far. The state cash is just a bonus.
Daughter can have my house when the reaper comes. Whatever house that may be.
Finally, I think about the value of my time like the OP. Eg I wont drop to 3 days now, as the extra 1.5 days a week gives good income to keep the plan on track. But I WONT go to 5 days for a bit more cash which after tax etc isn’t worth it. Little things like earning 2 days worth at 52, when daughter might be uni inclined, would exempt me from uni fees too. So earning now, not then, seems a better approach.
I’m grateful for my DB pension and ability to know with sone confidence my income in retirement… and what that means if I get to 55, 75 or 105.
I’m grateful my approach gives me time with the daughter before she’s grown up too.
Lastly, I’ll never stop working. As in “putting in effort”. But all the effort will be things I enjoy doing, whatever that job may be. Might learn pottery! Be nice to never have to do work ‘for the money’.
@@MrTaffynoel Sounds like a life without regrets to me! GL!
This is the way
Great reading these comments. Modest home here with mortgage paid off by age 44. I figure that will then give me options. How much do I need and what do I want to do with the time. The vast majority of people make it to 50 (hopefully I get there) healthy so that should bank me 6 healthy years of less work. I plan for everything over 50 as bonus time (but am still paying into a pension and LISA)!
Wow, this is a game-changer, maybe even life-changing! I have been loyally following the mortgage repayment route and it would never have occurred to me that this was a viable option. But since watching this video and crunching a few numbers this strategy would allow us to ramp up my wife's pension and give us better options in retirement. We have a bit of time to go on our fixed rate but when it comes time to re-mortgage, this will be the way to go. Your content is fantastic. As we enter the last decade (hopefully) before we retire your videos have given us a much better understanding of what we can achieve, how it can be done and a plan to get there. In a very uncertain world this is a significant comfort. Thank you!
You’re welcome, best of luck with it.
@@JamesShack Hi, any chance you've created an online calculator since this video? Would be amazing!
Also, with very uncertain times ahead, and the chances of a stock market crash looking likely, pensions invested in such could actually lose, not gain. That'd be a HUGE issue.
@@carlos777uk Just as the video suggests, the pattern is that after a crash the economy comes back. These corpos now are so big that they're more than just national companies really, so it will take them a while to pivot but rest assured they have the money to adapt to whatever happens. So TL;DR, if a crash happens, just ride it out. Might take 5 years but your money will be back to where it was or go up. And if it doesn't... well, take solace in knowing that everyone else is screwed too and so a mass solution would have to be found and it will include you somehow too. It's not like there'll be anything you can do pre-emptively about it anyway unless you want to just sleep on a cash mattress out of fear.
yes but two issues to consider: Divorce ( hopefully won't happen but women change a LOT in their 50s) and if either of you are out of work for a long period, your debt will be higher as you stopped paying off the capital. I have been mortgage free since my 30s now in my early 50s and divorced. Despite that due to the amount I was able to save ( she saved 00) I had to pay her off but still mortgage free.
It would be great to revisit this topic with spiraling interest rates and the removal of the LTA
Yup, this has NOT aged well and if people did follow this advice, may find themselves in a very poor position indeed.
I was thinking the same thing but it might be a good idea to use this as a base and see what else can be done. @@Madmas27
Well they've held at 5.25% interest so it's still £80k better off. With the BoE saying they will cut next year if things go to plan then that is going to be back to 120k. The LTA could change year to year within the UK now as the tories or labour flip flop endlessly.
@@ivermektin6874 Agreed - spiraling interest rates are good for pensions too.
@@Madmas27are you able to briefly summarise why? I might be being dim
Thanks
Garrie! Thank you so much for the donation, you're only the second person to have ever done that! Thank you!
That is probably the best piece of financial advice I have ever heard! Yet you're dishing it out completely free.
Thank you James😁👌
You're welcome. (ps it's not advice, just a demonstration of what worked for someone else!)
This is exactly my strategy, I max out pension contributions to save tax, have an interest only mortgage, and pay myself first into my ISA attempting to max that out each year where possible. My goal is to have the finances to retire at 52 if I want (48 now), currently on track. Friends think mine is a risky strategy and yet are happy to pay next to nothing into their pensions, have a mortgage into their retirement years and hoping to downsize to pay off their house. I prefer the financial independence model, be free from the grind and have the option to say F*@k you to my boss whenever I want. 47 Months and counting.
👍🏻
Good luck pal, good stuff
Labour will be in charge soon and tax pensions and stop the 25 per cent to fund the public wastrels
Your mortgage is interest only. What will you do about housing when you retire?
I retired at 52. If you are a higher rate income tax payer you should certainly put all of your income above the higher rate into your pension. You'll save the higher rate and likely only pay the lower rate when you collect if from your pension (and 25% of it will be tax free)
Great video James. Hunt didn't freeze the LTA as you feared but has abolished it! Big risk with your strategy is any meddling with the 25% tax free cash- be great to see how that plays out in you stress tests !
Yes government cannot be trusted. Tax rates and rules should be contractually guaranteed.
@@rocketpig1914 couldn't agree more. Contract law seems to apply in every aspect of life except for when you sign up for a pension on the basis of drawdown at 50 then after you've committed to the deal the government changes the terms with zero rights for you to pull out
Rumour has it that TFLS will change from 25% to 10% in the October budget.
Get out now!
@@lonpfrb they had better bloody not!
Fantastic video. I really appreciate how you explain these, going into the numbers, details and different scenarios. Honestly, really really helpful!
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you find it useful!
Great video as always James. Thank you.
I think even though the logical path is to pay into your pension, a lot of people want to be free of debt, and see that as their route to financial independence. Paying off that final payment and owning your home outright is such a massive goal for most people. A very emotional goal as well. And sometimes, all the logic in the world won’t overcome the wonderful feeling you get from that.
And I understand that. It’s a huge weight off your shoulders, of course it is. But I’m with you, I got 5 years left on my mortgage and could clear it now really if I wanted. But that money is going into my pension.
I put another £10k in this month, and before I could say “tax relief” it had been topped up to £12.5k. And through my self assessment the govt is sending me a cheque for another £2.5k in tax relief. So, in effect, I put £7.5k in and I get £12.5k added to my pension. It’s crazy good! And that’s before we even talk about investment growth.
Max that pension everyone, the tax relief is mental! It is literally free money!
Not to be underestimated a property is yours!
A pension is under the control of trustees and government meddling!
Though I agree, don’t think for a minute that the government couldn’t find ways to tax you for owning a house if they needed to. I could easily see variations of the council tax being produced if things start to get really bad in the economy over the next few years.
You’ve got this pension thing wrong… it’s not tax-free.
It’s tax deferral.
Excepting the small portion which can be extracted tax-free, you’ll pay full tax on income derived from your pension. Only later in life.
@@gregmcgarry1 Ok so you're only half right. You will pay tax when you take the income but you get to 1 invest the whole amount including the tax meaning that you get the interest on those funds in addition as income. Second your pensionable income is generally lower than your income during your working life meaning if you're a higher rate tax payer now you will pay that income tax at a lower rate when you take it later. Additionally a lot of companies will match your pension contributions meaning you can effectively increase your income tax free.
@@ThePirateParrot Higher rate of tax kicks in at €40k in my country. State pension is €12k. That means one only requires private retirement funding of 28k to be taxed at higher rate meaning the tax, as I said, is only deferred.
Outliers relating to some people’s situations including matched-funding by companies are just that, outliers, and cannot be applied across the board. So, not relevant for generic commentary on a complex subject matter such as pensions.
My point holds though, the client’s stated objectives were being debt-free and s/he was already taking risk with their investment exposure.
Placing their home in interest-only is diametrically opposed to their stated objective by putting the capital on ice and adding further risk by gambling whether they’ll generate the funds to paydown the mortgage later. This is a so-called ‘Endowment Mortgage’ supercharged, Vegas-style. Very high risk. And that client’s losing at the moment given sky-high interest rates in Brexit UK.
I did this. It’s saved us over £100,000 in interest alone over the next 10 years. Also it’s removed so much stress and pressure in an unknowable climate it totally made sense. So instead of trying to find £1400 a month before the mortgage rates went up, more like £1850 a month now for 11 years I now know I can stay in bed….. I have gone back to college, no more overdrafts, no more credit card balances and no more juggling finances and arguments at home. It is totally worth doing if you can. It’s a wonderful feeling. I combined all my ensign pots into a single SIPP then took the max tax free lump sum etc etc and just paid it all off. Bliss.
Well done
Absolutely brilliantly presented James!! Loved this one... I'm in a very similar position but at 55... £136k outstanding.... Now I really have to think! Oh you've made my head ache lol
There is a link in the description of the video 👍🏻
The Jeremy Hunt comment killed me! The fun police are truly out in force!
Love your channel, James! Aiming for FI by 38, using a lot of strategies you discuss. Keep it up, mate!
Nice Andrew, 38 would be mega!
I love videos like these which look at different strategies! - A couple of things to keep in mind: Taking the income part of the pensions triggers the Money Purchase Annual Allowance, which will limit future pension contribution tax reliefs if the person works beyond the age of paying the mortgage.
Therefore the person should already have a substantial pot of money already saved up in a pension (or other sources) or is banking on higher returns to meet retirement expenditure.
The other thing is the tax savings of keeping the Tax free cash portion in place is extremely beneficial as this is ultimately growing along with the pension. Once you incorporate the drawdown of the pension for each situation, the picture could look different.
Great points Zach. Reasons why it may be best to hold onto the mortgage for longer or find other means to pay it off like downsizing.
This is one of the most interesting videos in money I’ve watched on UA-cam so far. Thanks!
This is the basic strategy that we (my wife and I) adopted 25 years ago. It works. I retired at age 48.
Would have been better off keeping the interest free mortgage
Retire at 48! So what are you doing for the next 40 years?
@@polomint46 having a life?
How did you use this strategy when you can't claim a pension before 55 years old?
@@Huwberts_Emporium I had savings too. I didn't say it was easy but it is possible.
A very clear and balanced presentation thank you.
I wish I could show this video to 25 year old me. I've reached 40, planned retirement at 65 but like everyone would love to retire 55-60. I consolidated old pensions into one, started a life time ISA although I only plan to contribute £200 a year at the moment but still unsure how to be financially independent. This is certainly some food for thought though which I'll look to explore in more depth 👍🤞
Some challenges to consider:
1) What happens if you die prior to paying off. Leaving partner with an unpaid mortgage.
2) What happens if you loose your job or downsize your job at 55 when you had intended to have paid off - You then cannot afford to put as much in pension.
Also be great to share the model sheet for others to play around with, I love this concept too.
If you die before the age of 75 your spouse, or whoever you chose, inherits your pension as a tax free lump sum. So they would be in a better position then had you paid off the mortgage.
A loss of income at any points affects each scenario in the same way. After 55 both scenarios would simply have less going into the pension. If you experienced a loss of income prior to 55 you are arguably in a better position with the pension because you can stop contributing whenever you want. But with a mortgage you can’t stop paying it.
I was thinking of making a sheet but modifying it from one that I understand to one that anyone could understand was going to take longer than I had!
Yes, assumes good health and employment at least at the same levels. Shit happens.
If you die, take out mortgage life insurance
Had this in 1990, then in 2010 the govt changed NMPA retirement date of personal pensions in uk from 50 to 55, so had five years extra to pay before accessing lump sum.
My 2p worth.
I paid into my mortgage before putting into pension. I had offset mortgage ( dont think they do them anymore), any savings were offset against mortgage. Every spare penny went on mortgage.
Mortgage finished at 40, then i put every single penny i could afford into pension .
Worked 2 days a week for the last 3 years .
Plan to retire at end of year at 56.
Not a huge pension, but enough so i can tick over and not work with 2 nice holidays a year.
Did i do the best thing financially, who knows, but its worked for me.
Great to seeing British content! Great video and great advice 👏🏼
I really like your approach to money and how you educate people.
Regarding pensions, I checked my annual statements for last year and I lost more money than actual earned (my pension pot was reduced), plus the pension charges a % fee, so even less money. I really don’t like pensions because of this. Plus their fees are way higher than investing.
I started investing on an ISA (cash as I’ll need the cash to pay the mortgage in 3 years) and a few K on an index fund just to text how it works.
I’ll review my pensions performance as I also want to take advantage of the tax benefits.
Great viewing James thank you. It’s always extremely thought provoking 👏🏻
Glad you found it useful, Neil!
I’ve asked this question to so many advisors and never been satisfied with the answer, and so continued to overpay my mortgage each month. Thank you 🍺
I AM using my pension to pay off my mortgage, literally ! I retired when I reached state pension age in uk. I still had a mortgage because life circumstances... Now, with kids grown up and no work expenses I am overpaying down the mortgage. I have to restrain myself from unecesary spending on other things, but hope to be finished by end of 2025 !
This must be one of the most valuable videos in the whole of UA-cam .....
What about that one where the cat sees a cucumber and jumps three foot in the air?
This system is essentially an endowment mortgage. Which had catastrophic effect on so many peoples lives. Definitely an idea to steer clear of
Not really, your claim implies pensions are worthless in which case we're all screwed...
@@PaulB-q3d I had an endowment mortgage back in the 1980's. Basically the monthly payment is only paying the interest on the mortgage. The bank also set up a " life insurance" which pays the house off, if you die( so the bank gets its money back !) The idea with that kind of insurance policy was that it is supposed to build up money for you by investment, to eventually enable you to pay off the mortgage. By the late nineties it was evident that this was not going to happen. The balance ( return on investment) did not raise the sums they projected it to do ( probably lack of stock market performance but it might have been due to high bank of England interest rates, I'm not sure the full details) I realised what was happening and was able to arrange a switch to a repayment mortgage just in time but many lost their house because they only realised that the policy had not yielded enough to pay off the mortgage when it was actually due to be paid off. By all means invest, but also pay down the mortgage capital, not just the interest, and max your pension cause its tax free. i.e. every pound off your wage for pension, means £1.20 into your pension. That's 20p you have deprived the tax man of !!!! For every pound.
So save into your work pension and make sure all state pension years of national insurance are fully paid up, if you had gaps. It is cheap to do and has made big improvement to my state pension amount. Maxing both pensions made the difference between surviving and comfortable now I am retired.
I think Martin Lewis has advice on how to check NI contribution years on his website.
This is the approach I’ve been taking. One issue people may have is access to interest only mortgages. Common for an income of £75k needed
Indeed, they're only available for < 60% LTV and higher incomes. Not for everyone.
@@JamesShack Presumably paying every bit of spare money I have into a pension (the company doesn't offer salary sacrifice) while letting the repayment mortgage tick down (I doubt I could get an interest only one), would be the most ruthlessly efficient way for me to retire at (likely legal minimum) of 57/58?
Seems to me the 20% tax relief on the main plus some at 40%, allowed to grow in the pot for the next 14 years is the best way to grow my net worth?
Saving into an ISA is ok, and I'll have some funds there for emergencies, but the pension wins?
I'll be stuck in this house for the next decade which is unfortunate, but at 57 I can downsize into a yacht and off I go!
@@JamesShackyet another tax for poor people
Great video thank you James. Happy that your advice is exactly how I was thinking and aligning my plans. Atb.
This is a great explanation of how to use your pension to your advantage. The one thing you didn't mention is the annual allowance. That may limit the contributions some people are able to make to their pension without losing the tax advantages. That's especially the case for your suggestion to move money from an ISA to a pension just before you retire - if it is a significant amount of money then you'll need to spread it out over several years.
You also need to consider the money purchase annual allowance. If you take money from your pension to pay off your mortgage before you retire then you will be limiting the contributions you are able to make after that quite severely.
Indeed. Good points to consider also.
Great content James..... Real food for thought!
Great video, I initially had this strategy (31y/o, 20% salary sacrifice), but ultimately decided it was too early for me to adopt. I'm thinking I wouldn't be able to access this cash until at least 60y/o, and wouldn't be surprised if the 25% tax free lump sum and other benefits were scaled back too by the time I get there, and I would likely hit the £1.07M mark way too early.
Financial independence for me in the short term was knocking down some of my mortgage, and having ISA cash available as a fallback and ability to move around when needed. But always good to be ready to switch to this approach when I feel the time is right.
Yes that might be right. It’s often better to do a bit of both, and have investments spread across different tax wrappers, especially if your a long way off retirement and tax rules could change.
I’ve recently stopped overpaying my mortgage and instead now do salary sacrifice with work pension so this video is welcome news! I also max out a S&S LISA every year and invest whatever I have left into a S&S ISA. I’ve even opened a savings account for the first time in years as the rates on it are the same as overpaying my mortgage was, so using that to build up some liquidity/emergency fund as that’s the area I’m lacking in at the moment. Not quite convinced enough yet to switch to interest only mortgage but I’m now giving it some thought
Its sounds like you have a lot of diversity which is no bad thing. Within a few years you may be financial secure enough to be confident not needing to repay the mortgage. When you know you could pay it off, via other means, if really needed.
Best content creator when comes to financial planner. I am glad I have found your channel. Thanks
I paid my mortgage off when I was 33. Best thing I ever did. You cannot beat that security of knowing you will always have a roof over your head that no one can take away, whatever happens .
@@williamlyons3947 Why ??
@@williamlyons3947 Have you ever thought of taking up creative accountancy ? A right load of bubbling nonsense !!
Exactly. People in general are dumb nowadays saying stupid stuff like 'cash is trash' and that renting is better than buying.
Also people are too greedy. Instead of hoping for a cash tree to magically appear they could just spend less or earn more. It blows my mind how gullible the population is falling for scam after scam. I hate using this statement but some people are literal cattle
@@williamlyons3947 Being smart is foolish? The bank can't force him out as its now fully paid off. He can live minimally and doesn't need excess cash to show off to people he doesn't like while you are in the rat race indulging in debt until the bubble bursts
@@williamlyons3947 There's no such thing as a free meal. By having a mortgage you are a slave to the government. You can't just quit your job anytime you want and forever in debt to another man. That ain't freedom.
Instead of living a life full of debt paying off a mortgage means that person can live off less and even focus on minimalism.
The everyday sucker spends so much on garbage that maybe if you didn't spend so much on trash you wouldn't need a high paying job to be happy. I value my time so with a paid off mortgage means I have time to do what I want when I want. Being debt free is priceless
I suggest the answer to your client’s Q “why don’t more people do this?” is that the Endowment Mortgage scandal put a lot of individuals & lenders off this sort of strategy. Nothing fundamentally wrong with Endowment Mortgages; but they were miss-sold to people who didn’t understand the risks.
This has the same objective as an Endowment mortgage, but is executed entirely differently. Total control, transparency and the benefits of tax relief.
This strategy uses your home as collateral (a mortgage is a form of an asset-backed loan) to arbitrate the difference between the interest-only interest rate (e.g. 4%) vs market index returns (e.g. 6-8%) inside a pension tax wrapper (utilising the 25% lump sum). Fine in theory, just a problem when your loan term comes to an end and the market crashes (e.g. if it ended during the 50%+ crash during 2020).
This is similar to the BTL strategy, where rental yields of 6-8% is similar to the above - on one hand it's possibly taxable, but on the other hand you can sell and move virtually at any time instead of waiting to 57+.
The endowment mortgage boom in the 1990s didn't end well, with a misselling issue caused by investments falling short.
thanks for the advice . really insightful
Hey James. New viewer here. Going through your back catalogue of videos and learning so much. Thank you for your balanced, unbias expertise.
I, like a sizable priportion in the UK, pay into the NHS Pension scheme. Have you ever done a video on this pension scheme? Does it differ to other schemes? My understanding is that if you draw out any funds before retirement age, currently 67, you incur significant penalties and so would not be a valid strategy here. Any information is greatly appreciated :)
The NHS pension scheme is a complicated one and split into two main parts. I'm not an expert on these schemes, but i believe you can get the option of a tax free lump sum but it may reduce the ongoing income you receive.
So you need to do a calculation to work out if it's worth the cost.
@@JamesShack Thanks for the response mate.
Great video. Liked and subscribed!
I didn't know that you could pay interest only during so long. I thought there was a cap on 4 years or so...
I live in Australia, and so does my mum. My mum just finished paying off her mortgage after 44 years at the age of 70.
Hi James, really enjoyed this alternative view and insight. Probably not one for me as the lifetime allowance is a blocker. Biggest challenge with this approach is being comfortable with the debt as often a mortgage is a millstone around our necks. Would be interested to know approaches for people that will exceed the lifetime allowance - think this will become a problem more people will experience given the high rates of inflation.
I did a video on it here. Hopefully it's useful : ua-cam.com/video/hqfsfpK8WZU/v-deo.html
@@JamesShack top man, thanks
Hybrid approach: Reduce pension contributions if getting close to LTA and then split between ISA and repayment mortgage.
Don't get too worried about the LTA though, and certainly don't start the hybrid pivot until you really are close, like within 100k close.
There is no need to worry about the LTA limit as now as good as abolished.
Thank you for your generous knowledge sharing
This is probably the wierdest comment ever, but I could have sworn I was in that kitchen in one of my dreams a few months ago, before I found this channel. And I can't help but think I know the room plan everytime I watch one of your videos 😂. Great videos though, you come up in my analytics a lot.
Good clear graphics 😀.
Good insight...thank you
Awesome strategy and video, thank you 🤙
Amazing video👏👏👏
This is an absolutely genius strategy. As a 30 y/o who does earn >£100k but saddled with a 30 year mortgage, this completely transforms my thinking on my mortgage - especially with the changes in the LTA.
However I’m generally quite risk averse and thus appreciate the cash flow, so may look to slightly overpay on an interest-only mortgage , not quite the perfect hybrid approach…
Great work!!
There's a risk the cash lump sum won't exist when you retire.
This video was brilliant. A follow up with latest figures would be interesting
Hopefully I'll get to speak to you. I filled out the videoask form.
I've only just found your channel but I subbed straight away. I'm 43 and currently as of July this year managed to pay off all my unsecured personal debt.
I've got a workplace pension which is currently paying around 8% a month total into with Aviva using their standard pension investment fund.
We're just about to remortgage in March 2023 and have
Great video James.
Thanks Mark!
As a fellow adviser I wanted to rip this video apart but I’m pleased to say I can’t. ❤ pensions. Great strategy for some people.
Great video thanks. You just appeared recommended. I’m starting a new job, crazy pension cont from them. I have 2 precious pensions (but my main one took a hit the last 3 years and has come back to 100k ish now)
I max out a Lisa every year the thinking being I can take that as cash lump sum instead of taking that out of pension and drawing the bigger mi they payment from the pension. (I’ll have a 10y Lisa fund) I never thought about using pension to pay mortgage. I’m set at a specific contribution but that works out to take my from a higher rate to lower rate tax payer as I’m on the border and it’s salary sacrificed so I’m taxed 20% (plus NI) on the cash after my pension investment. Unless I was going to earn way more I think that’s the better thing to do (more money for me, less money for the tax man)
I’m the same age as this guy but never actively thought about pension until recently with the new one I’m getting. It’s just so frustrating that any additional income will be taxed at 40% which hardly makes it worth it, unless it’s exponentially over I guess. Anyway great video. Thanks
Hey James, Great videos. Just wondering if you have any plans to do a video on pensions for those who are Self-Employed? Thank you
The greatest wealth creator is compounding-dont mess with pension
So I've worked for three different UK-based companies from medium to very large, the defined contribution pension I've had with then over the first 15 years of my career has grown at LESS THAN 1% (that accounts for money I've invested each month and looks at the underlying increase in value of the shares / assets)
Stocks and shares in the open market might be 7%+ but I've not seen anything like that. So that's the only area that I can fault your analysis, the rest of it hangs together very well.
Very nice. As a mortgage broker (only mortgages) the only issue I can see is the eligibility for the interest only mortgage
Buy renovate rent in a Ltd company, all profits go onto the mortgage and retire in 15 years with several rental properties
Had to smile when you said that Chancellor Hunt might freeze the LTA for one hundred years! As you know, he raised it to infinity!
I've never earned as much money as i did while in debt, steady watching these videos, they're designed to keep you trapped in the system...
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing
The client has two stand-out atteibutes:
1. Desire to be financially independent, debt-free with the roof over his head secure.
2. Already takes risk in his life through more risk-prone investing.
I would not advise this client to leverage the risk further by taking this interest-only gamble (which is already failing). It imperils his stated desire to own his home and, quite frankly, his pension is under-funded as it is.
If he’s unable to adequately fund his pension then he should at least have the certainty of owning his home and stick with the repayment mortgage.
This guy is substantially exposed to a scenario where he actually loses his home or has practically zero pension.
I did something similar with an investment property here in Ireland. Interest only, profits into pension thus reducing capital gains
Did putting the rental profits into your pension mean you didn’t pay tax on the rental profits?
@@anthonymclaren1332 no
Problem with this especially if you have a newer mortgage is you risk negative equity or not as many options for a better loan to value mortgage. As repayment mortgage you are actually getting the mortgage down and interest only mortgage you are not!
@James Shack don’t be shy. No response…
This is a long term strategy. You pay a deposit say 10% which in the worst likely scenario you could be in negative equity for perhaps a year. After then, it’s almost certain the value of the property goes up. Unless you want to sell in the first couple of years, then there’s not much issue.
Hi @James Shack - I live overseas with no relevant UK earnings, and so I would get no tax relief on pension contributions. How does your analysis look for a similar strategy using a general S&S account? I guess it is much more marginal so overpaying a mortgage looks a better option. Interested in your views, I love your clear analysis!
Ive had many discussions with colleagues about why pay off mortgage earlier with money that could be getting 40% tax relief plus growth. Many are very cautious though despite me pointing out that grabbing 40% tax relief could be regarded as the cautious approach. I woke up to this later than i shoudl but it did pay off for me.
Interest video, is there any chance of doing one on last weeks autumn statement to give some tips to limit tax on savings and capital gains or how best to navigate them. Very relevant for probably most of your followers. Thanks
I currently salary sacrifice 8%, with a 11% employer match. Also got a very short term mortgage so home on track to be paid off by the time I'm 42. Waiting until I'm 58, if not higher to pay off my house is too long for me.
I remember pension mortgages being promoted in the late 1980s. Very different beasts.
I’m in a similar situation to your client, both mortgage and having three different “unloved” pensions. Enquiry on your way 👍
I guess one thing to consider is in pension strategy one would exhaust the 25% lump sum in paying the mortgage. The best strategy I would say would be repayment with a longer mortgage term and let the surplus go into pension.
Very interesting
The interest needing to be paid is higher if not paying off the capital too. On a 150k loan, over 30 years interest only would cost over £70k more compared to repayment over that term. When I calculated putting in that extra £221 (which is excl. any tax relief) into a pension at 5% over 30 years, the final value is £208k so doesn't this work out as being worse than just paying the capital off as well?
Are you not also at risk of the government changing the rules around pension withdrawal tax rates before you get to the paying off age
Awesome video James - do you have much knowledge of the Australian market and whether this strategy is directly translatable to superannuation contributions?
I don't, unfortunately!
What does it cost to discuss the same situation as your friend with a financial consultant? Also are there any ramifications for the consultant if the advise goes Pete tong
Really interesting video. I think the number of assumptions on these calculations should make people extremely cautious, but hey, it already assumed the test case was comfortable with high risk investments.
I've always been dismissive of interest only mortgages, but this made me think of them in a new way.
This sounds great but are there any interest only mortgages out there ?
I think this has changed my life 😮
Exactly what i did 👍 retired and mortgage free now 😊
Hi James, thanks for this video. This is what we've been doing. Our mortgage is due when we retire so hoping it all works out as planned...I saw you said you can pay cash into the pension. I wasn't aware you could pay into cash as opposed to investing the funds, is this applicable to a work pension? This would be ideal for us to do closer to the time the mortgage is due and then take out the cash part only and leave the rest to grow. We have other savings/investments to live on until state pension starts.
This is amazing, indidnt even consider this as an approach. At what stage would it be wise to seek out an IFA?
I was mortgage free by the age of 37 then bought a bigger place that needed work and took on a debt of 100k. Fast forward 10 years I am now 47 and going to be mortgage free again in 4 months time I cannot wait. I could have been mortage free 2 years ago but I decide not to pay of the remaining balance because I was getting more in interest from the bank against my 60k savings than I was paying in interest against my mortgage, it made no sense at all to pay it off so I didn't. Moving forwards I am going to increase the amount of salary I sacrifice to my pension fund from 22% to 35% as well as continuing to sacrafice my my annual bonus to build my pot which is currently paying nearly 12% per year. This will ensure that I dont pay 40% tax on my wages moving forwards and will enable me to build my pot for the next 10-15 years.
interesting video! I have a pension contribution plan and also a 100 percent global fund ISA and can hopefully pay my mortgage off within a year👌hopefully it serves me well at retirement!
Option C.
Interest only mortgage with offset account and an overpayment each month of 25% of the mortgage initial monthly payment, but fixed for the term of the morgage. E.g. Mortgage repayment = £100, so you pay a fixed amount of £125.
Add the balance of what would have been the repayment mortgage monthly repayment into the offset account each month increase the amount of offset and Prime pay back.
It would be interesting to see the number crunch on that scenario.
Pension Mortgages were all the rage in the 90s. Went the same way as endowments as the contributions were never enough to achieve the goal and were comparable in monthly cost to a repayment mortgage.
Hi james have you a spreadsheet example i could digest ☺️
Love the channel and thanks for sharing! I have a question. I am an expat that lives in Denmark and I have a 0.5% 15 year fixed mortgage and 17 years left to pay it off. Do you think that this strategy would still be valid with such a low interest rate? If I refinance the mortgage and move to an interest only mortgage I can fix it at 5% for 30 years. I am 45… would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks again for all the great tips!
Fantastic advice, does the same theory apply to someone who is self employed with a private pension only?
Good vid . In hindsight I wish I'd done this but for some it is always a worry that there is some unforeseen pension industry debacle and / or a future gov. will change things (again) so I would say Repayment mort over as long as poss for main house plus salary sacrifice for max pension contributions is a good balance but as you say everyone a bit different
Did you stress test the returns? For example how do you model a 20% sell off and then average returns after that? Great video by the way! Keep up the good work!
That won't affect it much, unless the 20% crash is right before retirement but you could always delay.
@@JamesShack Oh yeah, just the minor detail of delaying your long awaited retirement and all the implications this has. Great idea.
Stress testing at the worst times is the right way to go - ask how they would react and feel even it is feels unlikely or bad luck now. Even 20% sell off can be conservative depending on where the assets are invested.
Other downsides:
- you’ve said it already but in a slightly different way - with the LTA you will have less to save in your pension for your actual retirement needs.
- this strategy will also need to be reviewed and ensure that the client does not get a false sense of security for their retirement. They still need to save for it!
@@cubeh8331 I meant delay paying off the mortgage, you would not necessarily have to delay retirement so long as you have saved independently for that - which is what this plan suggests.