and their retirement prospects.

The research data from abrdn¹ found that a third of investors now wanted to take less risk with their investments, having had a change in their investment or financial priorities, as well as feeling they couldn’t absorb as much loss as they felt they could pre-pandemic.

The research from Aviva² looked at individuals’ retirement plans and found that many people had pushed back their intended retirement dates due to the uncertainty created by the period of lockdown; also, people were feeling less secure that they could live comfortably in retirement.

Aviva said its research had shown a trend towards people re-evaluating their priorities in the wake of the pandemic with nearly three in five people feeling the pandemic has made them question what’s important in life.

Many felt they had less control over those priorities than they did before, in particular coping with unforeseen events, with anxiety about the future still weighing heavily on their minds.

While juggling their personal priorities against a backdrop of uncertainty, people were looking also for steps that could help them take control of their circumstances as best they could.

Lowes Consultant Chris Milsom says:

Seismic events such as the pandemic will undoubtedly cause fear and uncertainty, particularly amongst savers and investors trying to make decisions about their financial future on their own.

Encouragingly, the research also showed how invaluable financial advice has been during the recent turbulent financial period. The abrdn research, for example, found that those with financial advisers were the most confident about sustaining or taking on more risk, saying their level of confidence in their finances was because of the advice they were receiving.

Having in place a carefully thought-through investment strategy that looks long term, not at the short-term state of the markets and the media hype, is fundamental to a structured financial plan and will help investors stay calm and focussed on their goals.

Every financial plan that we put together for our clients is based on their individual financial circumstances, what they want to achieve and the level of risk they are willing to accept. Sometimes a higher level of risk is necessary to achieve certain goals, other times we can reduce the level of risk below what clients think they need and still meet their goals.

What’s important to remember is that markets and circumstances do change and regularly reviewing a strategy will help keep a financial plan on track.

Lowes Consultants have many years of experience and a great support team to help our clients build and maintain their wealth over the years and give the peace of mind that comes with finances being dealt with by professionals. Whether you are an existing client with a query, or if you are just starting to consider your financial future- please, get in touch today. Call us on 0191 281 8811, email us at Hello@Lowes.co.uk or visit www.Lowes.co.uk/Hello.

¹ abrdn, 2021, A third of clients more risk averse post-pandemic, <https://www.abrdn.com/corporate/media-centre/media-centre-news-article/a-third-of-clients-more-risk-averse-post-pandemic>

² Aviva, 2021, More than half of UK adults say pandemic has impacted retirement plans, <https://www.aviva.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/11/more-than-half-of-UK-adults-say-pandemic-has-impacted-retirement-plans/>