Penfold Pension Review: How Does It Compare To Traditional Pension Providers?

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In this guide, we review Penfold and look at what it offers. We also compare its pension to products offered by competitors such as PensionBee, Nutmeg, and Hargreaves Lansdown.

Penfold Customer Reviews

4.8
4.8 out of 5 stars (based on 360 reviews)
Excellent87%
Very good8%
Average3%
Poor1%
Terrible1%

Polite, knowledgeable, helpful

22nd June 2024

Polite, knowledgeable, helpful

Michael Innes

Polite, knowledgeable, helpful

22nd June 2024

Polite, knowledgeable, helpful

Michael Innes

Better UX and targeted at…

20th June 2024

Better UX and targeted at young people

Mariyana ZHou

It’s actually made looking at…

19th June 2024

It’s actually made looking at my pension exciting

Andrew Eustace

Everything is made easy compared…

19th June 2024

Everything is made easy compared to other pension providers. I like how transparent they are with money matters.

Sarah Louise Wright

Amazing! Thanks

19th June 2024

Amazing! Thanks

Josh Brown

Clear information, easy to use…

19th June 2024

Clear information, easy to use website, good customer service

Heather Barnes

Simple, easy to use platform…

19th June 2024

Simple, easy to use platform from Penfold. App is simple to use and email content spot on and easy to follow. My pension pot is increasing nicely with low fees.

Wayne Shaw

Decent

18th June 2024

Decent

Ash santini

Easy to set up pension…

18th June 2024

Easy to set up pension fund and to monitor how my pension is operating.

Michael Joannou

I like how easy it…

18th June 2024

I like how easy it is to manage my pension and see how it’s performing.

David Bunker

The app is easy to…

18th June 2024

The app is easy to use. Straightforward

Steven Duffield

I have had an excellent…

18th June 2024

I have had an excellent experience with Penfold since joining in 2022. Monthly tax bonus is great and I feel my pension is safe with Penfold.

Debra Lewis

Fantastic Fin tech company

18th June 2024

Fantastic Fin tech company

Brian

Very easy and straightforward.

18th June 2024

Very easy and straightforward.

Adrian Beesley

Very good company

18th June 2024

Very good company

Andrew seekings

Very easy to understand and…

18th June 2024

Very easy to understand and interact with, without losing more advanced options.

Craig Essam

5/5

18th June 2024
Sara Clegg

Simple and straightforward, but fees…

18th June 2024

Simple and straightforward, but fees are a little high.

Steven Litchfield

Its been a very positive…

18th June 2024

Its been a very positive experience since opening an pension with them

Emmet O’Donnell

Their apps is easy to…

18th June 2024

Their apps is easy to use and your can always track how much you have paid into the pension scheme. It’s also very flexible regarding the payment and support is fast and competent in their responses

Nina Frohme

Explains pensions and long-term savings…

18th June 2024

Explains pensions and long-term savings so well – I had to pick one of four providers to consolidate pensions into and Penfold was the obvious choice

Gemma King

Good customer support

14th June 2024

Good customer support

Sarah Major

New pension provider, not much…

6th June 2024

New pension provider, not much exposure, simple funds but high fees compared.

Brad Tillett

Test

20th May 2024

Test

Frankie Dewar

4/5

22nd February 2023

Cons:

have a folder with more precise information

GMG Awards Voter: [118250574784]

5/5

22nd February 2023
GMG Awards Voter: [118249767711]

5/5

18th February 2023
GMG Awards Voter: [118247313173]

5/5

17th February 2023

Pros:

Easy to navigate webpage. Solid and trustworthy and researched information

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [118246948611]

5/5

17th February 2023

Pros:

Helpful and reasonable fees

Cons:

Nothing yet

GMG Awards Voter: [118246933167]

5/5

17th February 2023

Pros:

Simple to Handle and the customer service is great: very friendly and helpful

Cons:

Nothing I can think off

GMG Awards Voter: [118246898092]

1/5

17th February 2023

Pros:

Social media engagement

GMG Awards Voter: [118246889569]

5/5

17th February 2023

Pros:

Amazing app and customer service

GMG Awards Voter: [118246885538]

4/5

17th February 2023
GMG Awards Voter: [118246877762]

3/5

15th February 2023

Pros:

n/a

GMG Awards Voter: [118244540972]

5/5

15th February 2023

Pros:

Simplicity

GMG Awards Voter: [118244489808]

5/5

14th February 2023
GMG Awards Voter: [118243690448]

2/5

14th February 2023
GMG Awards Voter: [118243689137]

4/5

9th February 2023
GMG Awards Voter: [118240125422]

5/5

1st February 2023

Pros:

Everything was so straight forward

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [118234020022]

5/5

22nd January 2023

Pros:

Easy to use- great for self employes

GMG Awards Voter: [118225196006]

5/5

22nd January 2023

Pros:

The people behind the platform

Cons:

Keep doing what your doing

GMG Awards Voter: [118225019799]

5/5

20th January 2023

Pros:

Very easy to understand

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [118224280497]

5/5

20th January 2023

Pros:

I can see how my investments are doing, pause contributions and change amount easily. The calculator of final pot is useful also.

Cons:

Continue the good work. Perhaps show what the total pension pot will be worth as well as yearly income from it in a more accessible place.

GMG Awards Voter: [118224027059]

5/5

20th January 2023

Pros:

Accessible

Cons:

Customer service

GMG Awards Voter: [118224007046]

5/5

20th January 2023

Pros:

Simplicity of use

GMG Awards Voter: [118224002723]

5/5

20th January 2023

Pros:

Easy to see pension projection for when I retire

Cons:

I canÔÇÖt think of anything

GMG Awards Voter: [118224001915]

5/5

19th January 2023

Pros:

education

GMG Awards Voter: [118223306019]

5/5

18th January 2023

Pros:

app

Cons:

nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [118222425327]

4/5

5th March 2022

Pros:

No fuss, straight forward and they seem to keep on top of things

Cons:

Unsure at the moment

GMG Awards Voter: [13376559157]

5/5

28th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13362465036]

2/5

19th February 2022

Pros:

Logging off

Cons:

Increase your customer support team. Gideon is great but he needs support

GMG Awards Voter: [13343569373]

5/5

18th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13341984915]

5/5

17th February 2022

Pros:

The bonuses they give customers plus great services provided

Cons:

No thought

GMG Awards Voter: [13337643586]

5/5

16th February 2022

Pros:

Accessibility

Cons:

Process money faster

GMG Awards Voter: [13335735173]

3/5

16th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13335096575]

4/5

16th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to monitor via app, easy to top up

Cons:

More visual on how things are going up and down, I find graphs easier to visualise that rather than just a chunk on what’s come in or gone out

GMG Awards Voter: [13334791869]

1/5

15th February 2022

Pros:

They are accessible and easy to understand and monitor

Cons:

tips and guidance on the latest investment trends

GMG Awards Voter: [13331758478]

5/5

15th February 2022

Pros:

Very easy to use, makes pensions easy to understand.

Cons:

I can’t think of anything

GMG Awards Voter: [13331647146]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Customer friendly, easy to understand

Cons:

I haven’t had any issues

GMG Awards Voter: [13330437714]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Very Easy to use

Cons:

Improve the Graphics of the Mobile APP

GMG Awards Voter: [13330272600]

4/5

14th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13329950476]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Na

Cons:

Na

GMG Awards Voter: [13329882168]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

How easy it was to set up

Cons:

I can’t say

GMG Awards Voter: [13329612887]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use and access

GMG Awards Voter: [13329591147]

5/5

14th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13329587109]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Really easy to set up, peace of mind for freelancers

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13328898995]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Advice and updates

Cons:

NA

GMG Awards Voter: [13328824032]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to manage

Cons:

Not sure at the moment all good so far

GMG Awards Voter: [13328811537]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

UI

Cons:

invest in crypto

GMG Awards Voter: [13328775054]

5/5

14th February 2022

Pros:

Very easy to see how much I have contributed, and to tweak upcoming contributions

Cons:

Explaining what the % growth means, and if that’s ever ‘realised’ into my account,

GMG Awards Voter: [13328739857]

5/5

14th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13328704529]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

Quick an easy to set up

Cons:

IÔÇÖm not sure

GMG Awards Voter: [13328013065]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

The dashboard shows me the progress I’m making investing in my pension

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13327990243]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use

Cons:

Reduce costs

GMG Awards Voter: [13327865358]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

They make a complicated process simple.

GMG Awards Voter: [13327856885]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

Very transparent

Cons:

N/A

GMG Awards Voter: [13327846358]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

ItÔÇÖs simplicity and ease of use. It does everything I need it to.

Cons:

Nothing – really happy with the service

GMG Awards Voter: [13327817000]

5/5

13th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13327659568]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use and transparency of costs

GMG Awards Voter: [13327612381]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

very easy to use

GMG Awards Voter: [13327610047]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use, ability to add more money or pause

GMG Awards Voter: [13327405420]

4/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

Sharia

Cons:

Improve

GMG Awards Voter: [13327380343]

5/5

13th February 2022

Pros:

APP

Cons:

ItÔÇÖs Easy to use and straight forward no improvements needed

GMG Awards Voter: [13327263309]

5/5

13th February 2022

Cons:

N0thing

GMG Awards Voter: [13327187162]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Customer service and support

Cons:

N/A

GMG Awards Voter: [13326914839]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

The clear UI and UX design of their website and app, makes it all very easy to use and understand.

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13326815200]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Pause and restart contribution

Cons:

Offer other products

GMG Awards Voter: [13326644768]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

The app is very usable

Cons:

Try to get the money from HMRC quicker

GMG Awards Voter: [13326527058]

3/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

find details in opening a pension complicated but penfolds helped me in a calm step by step way I understood friendly and treats each person as an individual good one to one customer service never worried about any questions we have always helpful and finds relevant answers.

Cons:

maybe find some better trades with higher interest so can build better on my pension

GMG Awards Voter: [13326481014]

5/5

12th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13326471264]

3/5

12th February 2022

Cons:

It gave little me whoÔÇÖs not a big fish be able to invest

GMG Awards Voter: [13326452814]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use and I can see what my pension is doing at a touch of a button

Cons:

All ok at the moment

GMG Awards Voter: [13326398814]

2/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Nothing really just take their fees and watch your investment drop!!

Cons:

The fund invested in we are told by penfold is one of the top performing funds!! yet it is always down!!

GMG Awards Voter: [13326392182]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Perfect

Cons:

More communication

GMG Awards Voter: [13326387793]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

It just all works perfectly

Cons:

Honestly nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13326360911]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use and deposit money in when i want too also love the fact i can see all the money i have put in,transfered and what has been topped up its a great feature

Cons:

Nothing i actually love the way it works now

GMG Awards Voter: [13326276803]

5/5

12th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13326226777]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

It is Easy and reliable invest as now now

Cons:

No idea

GMG Awards Voter: [13326226945]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

i can bacs money to them, makes life easier

Cons:

make it all automated, so i dont have to tell them i am sending money

GMG Awards Voter: [13326210462]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

App easy to use

Cons:

N/A

GMG Awards Voter: [13326207429]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Simplicity

Cons:

Not sure

GMG Awards Voter: [13326182127]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Very easy to use very clear.

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13326175306]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Flexibility

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13326169421]

4/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

They are very easy to use with no hassle!

GMG Awards Voter: [13326142359]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Very easy to join them and good service

Cons:

Give customer clear guidance about the investment

GMG Awards Voter: [13326136788]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Easiness of use

Cons:

Do know

GMG Awards Voter: [13326126362]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

They are easy to join and have good explanations of how your pension is doing.

Cons:

I canÔÇÖt think of anything right now.

GMG Awards Voter: [13326113438]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Super Easy to navigate

GMG Awards Voter: [13326103938]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Flexible

GMG Awards Voter: [13326101743]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Flexibility

GMG Awards Voter: [13326101335]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use and understand

Cons:

I honestly can’t think of anything as I’m very happy!

GMG Awards Voter: [13326067362]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of access via app

GMG Awards Voter: [13326054010]

5/5

12th February 2022

Pros:

Can see my money grow and choose which type of investments

GMG Awards Voter: [13325697164]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Na

Cons:

Add more shariah compliant commodities

GMG Awards Voter: [13325668430]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to add money to your pot and easy to see progress.

Cons:

Some things are only possible to do on the app.

GMG Awards Voter: [13325628849]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

so easy to use and be able to just had funds to my pension is great

GMG Awards Voter: [13325616869]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

The ease of the whole thing – of being able to watch my money grow so quickly! Also the ease of joining and using the app.

Cons:

Tell as many freelance people as possible before theyÔÇÖre old like me!

GMG Awards Voter: [13325608376]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Everything

GMG Awards Voter: [13325607828]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

It is there saving scheme

Cons:

Protect there honesty and truthfulness

GMG Awards Voter: [13325562459]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of pension consolidation and plan choice

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13325501370]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

ease of investment

Cons:

stop updating apps.

GMG Awards Voter: [13325449669]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Customer service is top-notch, easy to use and innovative app

Cons:

Nothing!

GMG Awards Voter: [13325400355]

4/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13325393327]

2/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

After a year of investing my pension with penfold it is down down and still costs me for the privilege!!

Cons:

The fund invested in appears to be doing well according to an penfold correspondence yet that does not reflect in the the growth of pension??!!

GMG Awards Voter: [13325391138]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13325359116]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use

GMG Awards Voter: [13325356745]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use with plenty of options for risk management

Cons:

Lower fee costs

GMG Awards Voter: [13325352145]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

NO NONSENSE LANGUAGE

Cons:

MORE BLOGS

GMG Awards Voter: [13325348893]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Friendly

Cons:

Doing great

GMG Awards Voter: [13325267234]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use

GMG Awards Voter: [13325258969]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13325210685]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to set up

Cons:

Better communication

GMG Awards Voter: [13325171657]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

very easy to use and voting on invested companies reports

GMG Awards Voter: [13325129918]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use and visibility

GMG Awards Voter: [13325124020]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Openness Transparency

GMG Awards Voter: [13325093540]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Simplicity and control, easy to invest.

Cons:

Earn me more on my investment

GMG Awards Voter: [13325058158]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Keeping in touch with customers

Cons:

Can’t think of anything

GMG Awards Voter: [13325033920]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Extremely user friendly

Cons:

Help with commercial properties

GMG Awards Voter: [13325032810]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Can see total with a click of a button

Cons:

More money

GMG Awards Voter: [13325031016]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

How easy to use

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13325008603]

3/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324996118]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

You can see everything

GMG Awards Voter: [13324978238]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

It is very transparent

Cons:

Nothing right now, Happy with the service

GMG Awards Voter: [13324968440]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use

Cons:

Forecasting tools, more support on using your pension (e.g. annuities)

GMG Awards Voter: [13324959404]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Straight forward, transparent and easy to understand and manage (especially being a Sole Trader)

Cons:

Minor tweaks with the app and website, but they work very well already.

GMG Awards Voter: [13324958860]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use.

Cons:

Make it easier to change the monthly payment amount.

GMG Awards Voter: [13324954778]

4/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of set up

Cons:

Performance graphs

GMG Awards Voter: [13324947665]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

ease of dealing with and adding to

Cons:

pay in tax relief quicker

GMG Awards Voter: [13324931638]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use

GMG Awards Voter: [13324905275]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use

Cons:

Mobile app could work a bit better

GMG Awards Voter: [13324903147]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324892313]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324861979]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Quick, simple, informative, engaged

Cons:

Link to bank accounts and provide an offering for employers

GMG Awards Voter: [13324854044]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Very good pension, app is great and easy to use

Cons:

Not a lot, seems all great so far

GMG Awards Voter: [13324844001]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Well thought out app

GMG Awards Voter: [13324834045]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy

Cons:

Make more money

GMG Awards Voter: [13324825666]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

easy to use

GMG Awards Voter: [13324805122]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Simple

GMG Awards Voter: [13324777864]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to manage

Cons:

Live projected pots

GMG Awards Voter: [13324773098]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324760502]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Great App, efficient communication

Cons:

Nothing in my opinion

GMG Awards Voter: [13324756454]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

So easy to set up and track

Cons:

Perfect for me

GMG Awards Voter: [13324743360]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to understand tax relief

GMG Awards Voter: [13324741891]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Customer services and low fees

Cons:

All brilliant

GMG Awards Voter: [13324729839]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324724576]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Very speedy help, support and advice

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13324721113]

4/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324709461]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use

GMG Awards Voter: [13324708418]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use

Cons:

Give prizes sometimes to clients

GMG Awards Voter: [13324707421]

4/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to set up and access

Cons:

Make it easier to reach a person

GMG Awards Voter: [13324697594]

4/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324696741]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Very accessible platform with good personal back up support.

GMG Awards Voter: [13324689434]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Simple to set up/use and easy to track my investment

Cons:

I don’t have any suggestions at present

GMG Awards Voter: [13324675213]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use, easy to set up, superb customer service.

Cons:

Nothing!

GMG Awards Voter: [13324671850]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use in general and the app

Cons:

No thoughts

GMG Awards Voter: [13324671831]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Everything

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13324666159]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Flexibility

GMG Awards Voter: [13324665263]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to set up and I like their environmental/green investment

Cons:

No issues at present

GMG Awards Voter: [13324656862]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Very easy to use

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13324655023]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

I can see on the app how my investment is doing and change the risk level

GMG Awards Voter: [13324654736]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy and simple

Cons:

Educate me more

GMG Awards Voter: [13324643570]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use

Cons:

Set up very quickly

GMG Awards Voter: [13324638389]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of access

GMG Awards Voter: [13324619111]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Helps me understand my pension without feeling stupid

Cons:

Ease of use

GMG Awards Voter: [13324618840]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324609300]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

It was very easy to consolidate my 3 pension accounts

Cons:

GMG Awards Voter: [13324597169]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

App is extremely easy to use

Cons:

Nothing comes to mind

GMG Awards Voter: [13324593337]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use

GMG Awards Voter: [13324591571]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

accessible, easy to use, straightforward. Specifically designed for freelancers like me.

GMG Awards Voter: [13324565763]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Usability.

GMG Awards Voter: [13324554360]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Ease of use.

Cons:

Not sure

GMG Awards Voter: [13324542849]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Clear and easy to navigate

GMG Awards Voter: [13324540790]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

The app info

Cons:

Nithing

GMG Awards Voter: [13324527371]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Their customer services and the way they update their customers on any relevant matter.

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13324516061]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Easy to use

Cons:

Nothing

GMG Awards Voter: [13324500392]

5/5

11th February 2022
GMG Awards Voter: [13324497157]

1/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Nothing

Cons:

Stop making stupid mistakes

GMG Awards Voter: [13324490737]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

being able to see the investment status easily

Cons:

dont know

GMG Awards Voter: [13324488651]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Good to pension pot grow

Cons:

Not only be rewarded for switching pensions and referral .. should reward loyal customers also invest in crypto 

GMG Awards Voter: [13324480908]

5/5

11th February 2022

Pros:

Everything

Cons:

Update all the time.

GMG Awards Voter: [13324473071]

Leave a review

  • Tell us what you think of this company and help others make more informed financial decisions.

Penfold Pension Expert Review

In this review we:

  • Give our ratings based on their nearest peers
  • Tell you what we think of Penfold after testing them with real money 
  • Highlight the key costs, facts and figures of the Penfold accounts

Penfold Pension Review
Penfold Pensions

Name: Penfold

Description: Penfold is an online provider of pensions. A digital alternative to traditional pension companies, it enables users to quickly set up a pension, and manage it online or with its app. A relatively new player in the UK pensions space, Penfold was set up in May 2018, and became regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in May 2019. The company was founded by three technology experts who previously worked at Deloitte and Funding Circle an since then Penfold has grown significantly since then, now serving over 100,000 users.

Is Penfold a good pension?

Yes, Penfold, is one of the new breed of pension providers that combines tech with personal service. Via the app you can start a pension in less than 10 minutes and also talk to an expert advisor on the phone if you need help.

  • Investments: Managed funds
  • Minimum investment: £1
  • Pension charges: 0.4% to 0.88%

Fees: Penfold charge a single fee for their service which includes account and investment management fees. The fee is 0.75% for savings up to £100k, and 0.4% on any amount over £100k. The Sharia plan fee is 0.88% for savings up to £100k, and 0.53% on any amount over £100k

Pros

  • Easy-to-use app and web interface
  • Projected retirement income
  • Ability to set savings goal
  • Detailed insights into investments

Cons

  • Relatively new company
  • Slightly more expensive than robo-advisors
  • Pricing
    (4)
  • Market Access
    (4)
  • Online Platform
    (4)
  • Customer Service
    (5)
  • Research & Analysis
    (3.5)
Overall
4.1

Penfold is a UK pension provider that offers a flexible, easy-to-use pension designed for private savers and those who run limited companies. It allows customers to set up a pension online with zero paperwork. Penfold also offer a modern auto enrolment workplace pension for businesses.

Penfold’s goal is to make pensions easy, so it has designed a product that can be set up in less than 10 minutes. To open an account, you simply enter your personal details, verify your identity, and make a contribution. You can open a Penfold pension from as little as a £1 one off deposit or by transferring an existing pension.

The Penfold pension is like any other UK pension scheme in that your contributions are eligible for tax relief. Tax relief can be thought of as a reward from the government for saving for retirement – when you make a contribution into your pension, the government adds money for you too. Basic-rate taxpayers are entitled to tax relief of 20% on their contributions while higher-rate and additional rate-taxpayers can potentially reclaim another 20% and 25% respectively.

What Can You Invest In With Penfold?

 With Penfold, there are five main investment options:

  1. Lifetime. The Lifetime Penfold plan spreads your money across many different assets and automatically adjusts your investment risk levels as you approach retirement. The aim is to grow your savings more early on, before gradually shifting your money into safer investments as you get older
  2. Standard. With Penfold’s Standard plan, your money is invested across a wide range of investments and industries. There are four different risk levels you can choose here, depending on your risk tolerance
  3. Sustainable. The Penfold Sustainable plan is designed for those who want to invest on a socially responsible basis. This fund invests in companies with the highest ESG ratings relative to their peers within each sector
  4. Sharia. Penfolds Sharia plan is designed for those seeking Sharia-compliant investments. This plan excludes investments in industries such as alcohol, tobacco, pork, weapons, and adult entertainment
  5. Sustainable Lifetime. The Sustainable Lifetime plan from Penfold is designed for those who want to invest on a socially responsible basis and have their investment risk level change automatically to safer investments when approaching retirement.

It’s worth pointing out that the Lifetime, Standard, and Sustainable plans are all managed by BlackRock – the largest asset manager in the world – which uses advanced technology to spread capital over a wide range of investments. The Sharia plan is managed by HSBC Global Asset Management, which invests users’ savings across a wide range of different companies that operate in a Sharia-compliant way.

Penfold Pension Fees & Costs

Penfold charges one transparent annual fee for managing your pension that covers everything within its pension service. This annual fee is between 0.75% and 0.88%, depending on the plan you choose. Penfold automatically deducts a portion of your annual fee from your pension in 12 monthly instalments.

If your pension is larger than £100,000, the annual fee is reduced to either 0.40% or 0.53% (depending on the plan you choose) on the portion of your savings over this amount.

Advantages of Penfold:

  • It’s easy to set up. You can set up a pension in just five to 10 minutes
  • Several investment options. There’s a range of investment options to choose from, depending on your requirements and risk tolerance
  • You can adjust and pause your contributions if you need to
  • Investment and saving insights. The ‘Explore Your Pension’ feature gives you visibility into your investments, including a breakdown of the companies you have a stake in. You can also track how much you have saved, and the projected future value of your Penfold pension
  • Pension consolidation options. You can transfer and combine multiple old pensions into your Penfold account
  • Tax relief. As with other UK pension products, contributions come with tax relief.

Disadvantages of Penfold:

  • Limited investment options. Compared to a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension), Penfold does not offer many investment options
  • High fees. Fees may be higher than those of competitors’ products, depending on the size of your account and the investments you select.

How Does Penfold Compare To Other Pension Providers?

Comparing Penfold to other managed pension providers such as PensionBee and Nutmeg, there isn’t much difference between their products. All three companies offer pensions that are easy to set up and allow you to choose between several different investment plans.

The three platforms do have different fee structures, however. When comparing Penfold to PensionBee, the annual fee is between 0.50% and 0.95% depending on the plan you choose, and fees are halved on the portion of your savings over £100,000.
With Nutmeg, fees range between 0.72% and 1.14% depending on your investment plan, with lower fees for savings over £100,000. So, Penfold may be more expensive than PensionBee and Nutmeg.

Comparing Penfold to traditional pension providers such as Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, and Interactive Investor – which all offer SIPPs – the main advantage of Penfold is its user-friendly nature. With Penfold, you can set up a pension plan in a few minutes. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about managing your own investments.

On the downside, you have far less investment options with Penfold. With Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, and Interactive Investor, you can invest in UK shares, international shares, funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investment trusts, and bonds. However, with Penfold, you only have a few investment plans to choose from. 

Penfold’s fees can also be higher than SIPP fees. Hargreaves Lansdown’s annual SIPP fee, for example, is 0.45% which is significantly lower than Penfold’s annual fee of between 0.75% and 0.88%.

Penfold Alternative Pension Providers

Private Pension ProviderPension Account ChargesSIPP or ManagedMinimum InvestmentGMG RatingMore Info
AJ Bell Private Pension0.25% – 0.1%SIPP£500
(4.4)
See Pension
Capital at risk
 Private Pension0.45% – 0.25%SIPP£1
(4.3)
See Pension
Capital at risk
Interactive Investor Private Pension£5.99 a monthSIPP£1
(4.2)
See Pension
Capital at risk
Weathify General Investing Account0.6% – 0.3%Managed£50
(4.2)
See Pension
Capital at risk
Dodl by AJ Bell0.15%SIPP£1
(4.1)
See Pension
Capital at risk
Bestinvest Private Pension0.4% – 0.2%SIPP£1
(4)
See Pension
Capital at risk
Nutmeg Private Pension0.75% -0.35%Managed£500
(4)
See Pension
Capital at risk
Moneyfarm Private Pension0.75% – 0.35%Managed£500
(3.8)
See Pension
Capital at risk

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