February 10, 2026
John Symonds is a Talis IFA who helps his clients achieve clarity about how to fund their life goals – whether that’s buying their first home or giving them confidence that their retirement funds will support their lifestyle.
A recent recurring theme for many of his clients is the need to understand in detail what income they can expect from their retirement funds, and how this might be affected by their circumstances, or market volatility in an uncertain world.
Understanding your retirement funds: when the numbers matter
At Talis IFA, we often talk about our ‘life first, money second’ approach to finding financial freedom. We focus first on gaining a thorough understanding of how you want to live your life – your lifestyle goals, how you want to support those close to you during your life, and the legacy you want to leave behind. Once we understand that, we guide you through your options and help you to make more confident decisions.
If what you really need is a thorough understanding of the numbers, we’ll talk you through how they work, and help you understand how your decisions – or events in the wider world – might impact on your numbers.
One of the ways John helps his clients to understand the numbers is through cashflow modelling; detailed simulations showing how a range of decisions or external events change your financial picture.
Taking the guesswork out of retirement
John says, “I recently helped a couple in their 60s to gain the confidence to retire, by showing them that they had amassed enough assets to support their lifestyle, no matter what the markets did.
“We looked together at all their assets, including pension funds, other investments and their home, and I talked them through simulations of a range of future market conditions. This showed them that, while there was over a 50% chance of their assets dropping in value due to external factors like market volatility caused by world events, there remained a 0% chance that they would run out of money based on their projected income needs. So even in the worst-case scenario, they could afford to fund a comfortable retirement.”
How much is enough?
This is a question that John gets asked frequently. As he says. “the short answer is, it depends on your needs.”
The amount of pension fund that is sufficient to fund your lifestyle goals will vary according to factors including the level of income you want in retirement, the age that you want to start taking it, and your projected life expectancy.
John continues, “traditional final salary pensions, whilst inflexible, made it simple for people to understand what their retirement income would be. Now, many people have more choices to make. When should they start to draw down their pension funds? How much lump sum should they take, and when? If they have other investments, should they access those first, before drawing down their pension?
“There are several factors that interplay – including how long you need your funds to last, how tax-efficient different options will be for you, and whether you wish to minimise future Inheritance Tax (IHT) liabilities.”
“A common rule of thumb is to draw around 4% of your fund each year, so that the capital sum isn’t depleted and potentially continues to grow. But if you want to retire at 55 you might need to take a lower percentage compared to someone who waits until age 65 or 70. But this also depends on your life expectancy. Our job as IFAs is to advise you on the right approach for your circumstances, and sometimes that comes down to ‘spend more of it now, while you can enjoy it.’”
Base your financial future on clarity, not guesswork.
Whether you want to understand your retirement funds, work out how to fund your next life stage, or make more confident decisions about how to manage an inheritance, your Talis IFA can give you clarity about your financial position now, and your options.
John says, “my clients often tell me they find it really reassuring to learn that it’s a journey. They don’t have to make one big decision now, but can make small adjustments as they go along, and their circumstances change. The flip-side is that there’s more to think about, so a big part of my role is to guide people through the financial world, and increase their confidence in their own decision-making.”
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