Gardner Financial Management

30/05/2026

Lovely afternoon in Birmingham celebrating Gracie’s up and coming birthday x

24/05/2026

So proud to sponsor this team.
An amazing group of players and managers.
Well done on reaching the Sunday Youth Cup Final today & wishing you all lots of luck.

14/05/2026

I sat with a client today who knew pensions were probably going to be caught by inheritance tax from 2027.

What he didn't know was exactly how it works.

And he had absolutely no idea about the second tax charge sitting underneath it.

From 6 April 2027, your unspent pension sits inside your estate for inheritance tax calculations.

40% tax on everything above your threshold. That's the headline most people are slightly aware of.

Here's what most people aren't aware of.

If you die after 75, your beneficiaries also pay income tax when they draw the inherited pension. At their marginal rate. On top of the inheritance tax the estate has already paid.

Same pot. Two taxes. In sequence.

I worked through the numbers with my client today.

In a worst case scenario — large estate, pension holder over 75, children who are higher rate taxpayers — HMRC takes 64 pence in every pound of the pension before the family sees it.

64% ............

I've written a full article explaining exactly how this works, with a clear worked example so you can see the maths for yourself.

Link in the comments.

If you have a pension, a property, and people you want to leave something to — please read it.

And if you're worried about your own position, speak to a regulated independent financial adviser. The planning window is open right now. Don't leave it until the rules change.

This post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute personal financial advice. Always seek regulated independent financial advice before making pension or estate planning decisions.

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Gardner Financial Management – Financial Advisers in Solihull, offering Pension advice, Investment advice and Mortgage advice throughout Solihull and Warwickshire

09/05/2026

Sir David Attenborough turns 100 this week 🎂

And it raises the question I ask in almost every retirement planning conversation I have.

What if you live that long?

Right now there are over 16,600 centenarians in the UK. That number has doubled in just 20 years.

👨🏼‍🦳Projections suggest it could reach nearly 150,000 by 2040.

And yet the most common thing I see in retirement planning isn’t people taking too much risk with their investments.
It’s people quietly assuming they won’t live that long.

Nobody says it out loud.

But it shapes everything.

🔸How much they’re saving.
🔸How long they think their money needs to last.
🔸How they plan to draw an income. # #

And if that assumption is wrong — and the data says it very well might be — that is an incredibly expensive mistake to make.

Running out of money at 80 or 85 doesn’t just affect your finances.

It removes your choices at exactly the point in life when you want them most.

A retirement that lasts 30, 35 or even 40 years needs a plan that is actually built for that.

Most people don’t have one.
So before you scroll.

❓Do you know what income your pension will actually produce?
Comment below — yes or no.

08/05/2026

Workplace pension or personal pension — do you actually know the difference?

🔺Workplace = you contribute, your employer contributes on top, government adds tax relief.

Three parties in every time you’re paid. Ask about salary sacrifice too — it can boost your pension even further.

🔺Personal = just you and the government. But you choose the provider, you pick the funds, and you get far more investment choice.

The catch with workplace pensions — most people were auto-enrolled into a default fund and never changed it.

That fund wasn’t built for you specifically.

Start with your workplace pension. Then build from there.

Follow for more pension clarity 👇🔔​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

07/05/2026

06/05/2026

Not going to lie — I was glued to the telly last night. 👀

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know two things.

🔹I bloody love pensions.
🔹And I absolutely love Martin Lewis.

So a Martin Lewis pension special? Big night in the Gardner household.

This week I’m breaking down every topic he covered.

➡️Everything you need to know. ➡️Everything you need to do.

🔸Private vs workplace pensions
🔸Where to get a pension
🔸The 3 pension superpowers
🔸How to avoid a big tax bill
🔸Pension consolidation
🔸The 2027 inheritance tax changes
🔸How to trace lost pensions

Martin opens the door. I’ll walk you through it.

👉 Hit follow if you’re not already

🔔 Tap the bell — I’m posting every day this week and you won’t want to miss it

📲 Share this with someone who needs to sort their pension out

04/05/2026

URGENT SECURITY WARNING ⚠️

It has come to my attention that fake accounts are STILL currently impersonating me and my business.

Please be aware:
🚫 Do NOT follow, accept requests from, or interact with any account claiming to be me other than this one
🚫 Do NOT join any WhatsApp groups claiming to be from me
🚫 Do NOT send any money or personal details to anyone claiming to be me
🚫 Do NOT click any links sent from these fake accounts

I will NEVER ask you to join a WhatsApp group without prior notice, and I will NEVER ask for payments or personal details via social media.

If you have received a message or invitation claiming to be from me, please:
✅ Ignore and delete it
✅ Report the fake account
✅ Contact me directly on this account

I DO NOT USE leethepensionsguy on FACEBOOK. THIS IS MY HANDLE ON INSTAGRAM.

I am sorry for any confusion this has caused. Please share this post so we can warn as many people as possible.

Lee Gardner

Call now to connect with business.

25/04/2026

Same £600 a month. 20 years. 8% growth. Two very different outcomes. 👇
🔹Person A — £600 into an ISA. £540,000 after 20 years.

🔹Person B — higher rate taxpayer. £600 effective cost. £1,000 into their pension after tax relief.

💥£900,000 after 20 years.

That’s a £360,000 gap. From the same outlay.

Then 25% of that pension comes out completely tax free.

On £900,000 that’s £225,000 you’ll never pay tax on.

If you’re a higher rate taxpayer — your pension is your most powerful wealth building tool.

⛔️ Full stop.

Next video — what if you’re not a higher rate taxpayer? Does the ISA win? Follow to find out.

24/04/2026

Pension or ISA — two of the most used savings tools in the UK.

❓But how many people actually know how they differ?

In this video I break it down simply.

Three key differences — tax, access, and contribution limits — and what they actually mean for your money.

No jargon. No fluff. Just the facts.

Because understanding how these two products work is the foundation of any smart retirement plan.

🧩And most people are missing at least one piece of the puzzle.

👀Watch it, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and let me know in the comments — are you currently using one, or both?

👇 And if you’re a higher rate taxpayer — my next video is specifically for you. I’m going to show you what the numbers look like when you run a pension against an ISA over 20 years at 8% growth.

The gap might genuinely surprise you.
Follow so you don’t miss it.