If I could show you a simple and guaranteed way of securing your pension within just 10 years? You’d be interested wouldn’t you?

Well there is a way… But before I get onto it let’s deal with one big issue – I cannot guarantee it by any stretch and the sooner you realise that the only person who will ever be able to guarantee anything is you. Run for the hills when people make financial guarantees for the future. In my experience most of these type of people and companies are bust long before their false guarantees would have paid.

Now before I talk about the simple 10 year plan to secure your pension and retirement, let’s look at the way most people have been conned into.

Most people contribute into a pension fund their whole working lives with the expectation that it will provide for them in retirement. They totally believe that it will provide because this is what the big pension companies and governments have told them (or forced them) to believe.

In truth the big companies and governments make millions out of the pensions funds and in the case of big companies they always take their commission out as your money enters the fund, then again on an annual basis and then again when you take it out, transfer to another investment and finally if there is anything left they will take a performance bonus.

Let me put that in numbers… These numbers are fresh off a Panorama special that was done on ‘Why is my pension not working’

For every £100 into your pension fund what really that ends up being invested is £60-£70. So what this actually means is that this lower amount needs to grow above the £100 before you will make any money at all. At 10% a year growth that could take 7 years. This is just to return to what you put in let alone giving you a return that will fund you in retirement.

Its no wonder this simply isn’t working, the first thing is that consistent returns of 10% well they just aren’t achieving this and then finally when you do retire the govenment force you to buy an annuity which will pay you 6% (I am being generous) a year on your money. If you’re a girl it will be even less because you tend to live longer.

So I think you are starting to get a picture… Pensions whilst being an admirable strategy just aren’t providing what they set out too.

So what’s this 10 year simple plan to secure your retirement.

Well err…. A Residential Property Portfolio…

You see when I see people who choose to buy property I see a totally different result, I see people who after say 2 to 5 years have money not only in retirement but for everyday lifestyle, their kids go to good schools, they drive round in safe cars (they’re the ones that aren’t so old you have to wonder if it will start each morning).

A property portfolio actively built up over a period of 10 years, bought well using simple and time proven strategies will provide a handsome sum each and every month in retirement, what’s more is you don’t have to sell the asset to retire, you can pass it on through your estate, in property both the value and the rent keep up with inflation so your income won’t wither away no matter how long you both life.

Above all of this building a property portfolio just sits well with me as you are in control, you make decisions when to buy, sell, remortgage.

Best of all, and this will keep the FSA happy, you can do this as part of a diversified strategy. So you can do your pension fund AND build your property portfolio. In 10 years once the portfolio is built you can compare the two and see which truly was the best strategy.

I am sure you’ll be delighted with the results.

If you’d like to get started on your portfolio then give the team a call on 0207 812 1255 or directly on their mobiles.

Live with passion,

Brett Alegre-Wood

In most cases people will work out the initial acquisition costs and as long as they have to the funds required to purchase this they will dive head first into purchasing.

Funnily enough, even though some of these people will consider the monthly mortgage they will neglect things like service charges & ground rent. Whilst this is a problem by far the biggest problem lays in the fluctuations in interest rates.

Capital growth will make you money but not having capital growth is nothing more than a frustration. The real major issue is a lack of cash flow to pay the mortgage and interest rates are the thing that most affects your ability to pay your mortgage.

I have never heard of a house being repossessed due to negative equity but l know 100s that have been due to not paying the mortgage (lack of cash flow).

Now this whole issue is negated if you buy when interest rates are at their highest but you never know this for sure (except in hindsight).

I have a client who every time that interest rates go up 0.25% he has to find an extra £4500 each month. You can imagine how much that would hurt if he hadn’t made allowances.

OK, so l think we both realise how essential it is to consider the cash flow of each property. So now lets consider the mechanics of working it out to ensure you both take full advantage of your capital and don’t take any unmanageable risks.

To read the rest of this article, click thru to my blog: The 2 year cashflow rule that will build your buy to let property portfolio…

That’s why as part of my two laws of property I also say that the property must be able to attract a tenant.

For me this means looking at the mass market in each area and buying houses they would live in. I call this the “everyperson” house. Obviously the everyperson house will change between areas – London city centre would be a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment valued between x & y and Newcastle would be a 3 bed terraced house outside the centre worth between x & y.

What I am saying is this buy a house that will have the biggest demand for the area. Stay away from huge mansions or low valued properties.

Always think – I’ll buy this, but who will rent it?

I have over 200 property investment articles, videos and podcasts available for free on my blog!

The market cycles. Lending criteria change. Rates change and legislation changes. The whole market evolves and unless we evolve with it we potentially risk using structures that are now frowned upon, or in the worst case, are now illegal.

The UK property market is maturing a lot faster than the Australian market that I was watching carefully in the 90′s. Frankly, I’m impressed at the rate of change and I think it’s a positive step each time we remove the various loopholes that exist which put investors at risk either because of their own level of education or because they feel that it’s OK to bend the rules.

I always say that the spectrum of structures when purchasing a property runs from the white through the grey and definitely into the black.

Click to read the whole article at my site: The black, the white and the grey of purchasing new build property…

I have only two laws when purchasing buy to let property the rest are simply principles that I generally adhere to because they work for me.

So let’s jump straight into the first.

1st law – Always buy below value.

Let me start by contradicting this law. Investing in property is a long term job so it really doesn’t matter if you pay over the odds for a property. Given enough time you will make money. BUT%u2026 (and I love that word) but why would you pay full price if you can pay below market. Buying below market also means that you have greater flexibility and a quicker return.

Working with a property club will give you access to property below value. Even if its initial value may be over the odds the net result will be below value.

Click through to the rest of the article for the second and more important of the laws of buy to let property: The two laws of purchasing buy to let property…

Over the coming months we’ll look at all the important areas of buy-to-let investing:

- It is too late to jump on the buy-to-let bandwagon?
- How to use buy to let property to retire rich
- Why investing in new homes could be disastrous
- Buy-to-let traps to avoid in a tight market
- Three booming foreign property hotspots
- Has the buy-to-let bubble burst?
- Why cheap flights push up house prices

and many more… so stay tuned!