self administered pension funds

Hi there, could anybody please advise me on the following

a) what is the minimum fund required to justify setting up a self administered pension fund
b) and also where is the best place to go and look for advice on self administered pension funds
Thanks
James b

Hi James

• There is no miminum fund value - but they usually become decent value for money when someone is looking to contribute for example €30k or more a year
• This website is fairly good for advice on them, there are a number of companies that provide them, we do and so do a number of other authorised advisers

They are really only available to company directors - if you are self-employed, in a partnership, or an employee (non-director) of a company then you will usually not be eligible for a Self-Admin Pension.

Standard Life have just launched a new suite of pension products with the capacity to mix between "insured" funds (Managed Funds etc., from Standard Life and a range of several hundred funds from other fund managers) and self-directed investment in shares (on an execution-only or advisory basis), residential or commercial property (including gearing if required) or bank deposits (choose your own). They have lined up a team of third-party firms to support this, e.g. solicitors, stockbrokers, property managers etc.

Minimum contribution is €175 per month or €5,000 once-off or transfer in, but some of the self-investment options really only start to make sense at somewhat greater amounts. They will facilitate syndication (e.g. two or more people pooling their pension funds to purchase a property).

Liam D Ferguson
www.ferga.com

Has anyone set up one of these at a reasonable cost, as the prices I am being quoted seem excessive?

What prices have you been quoted and what would you consider reasonable? One man's reasonable is another man's rip-off.