As money and pensions can be complicated, there are a few ways you can get help and support with your options and decisions.

You can choose to use one of these or combine them. For example:

• use financial guidance to understand how investments work and sign up to a provider
• consider the provider’s product suggestions from targeted support
• pay a financial adviser to understand your situation, define your financial goals and match you to a product or solution to meet your needs.

You could also choose to use different types at different stages of your life. For example, free guidance to understand how to start a pension. Then, once you’ve built up a pot of money, financial advice on the best ways to invest and grow it.

Financial guidance explains the different options you might have, how they work and what to consider. But you’ll need to decide what’s right for you.

For example, guidance can help you to understand how investing works and the options available – such as a Stocks and Shares ISA or self-invested personal pension. But it cannot tell you which is best for you or recommend specific products and actions you should take.

Guidance can help you:

• understand the pros and cons of different options
• get the information you need to make your own decisions – if you’re comfortable doing your own research
• prepare the right questions to ask a financial adviser – if you choose to get advice.

Guidance will not:

• recommend what’s best for you
• tell you which product you should buy.

You can get financial guidance from many different places, including:

• here on MoneyHelper – we are a government-backed service offering free and impartial guidance
• your financial service provider, like your bank or pension provider
• charities, such as Citizens Advice or Age UK.

You can contact us for free and impartial guidance online or over the phone. This includes:

• Pension Wise appointments to learn how you can take a defined contribution pension
• Pensions and divorce or dissolution appointments to understand the options for splitting pensions.

If you use financial guidance to make a decision and it later turns out to be unsuitable, you cannot complain to the guidance provider.

This is because you’re responsible for any decision you make. If you’re not sure what to do after using financial guidance, consider getting targeted support or financial advice.

Your provider might be able to help you decide what to do about your pensions or investments by giving you suggested actions. This is a new service called targeted support that launched in April 2026.

The aim of targeted support is to help you make more confident financial choices. It’s regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and usually free, but you’ll normally pay charges if you invest.

For example, your provider might be able to suggest:

• products if you want to start taking an income from your pension
• where to invest your money if you’re holding spare cash.

Your provider will use the information they hold about you – such as your age – to match you to a suggestion. They might also ask you for more information to help make sure the suggestion is right for you.

Targeted support suggestions are based on what’s likely to be right for a group of similar people.

For example, if you’re looking to take your pension, you might get the same suggestion as someone else who:

• is a similar age
• has similar circumstances to you. 

This means it does not consider all of your individual financial needs, goals or other circumstances. You’ll still need to decide if the suggestion is right for you.

Your provider might give you targeted support and send suggestions without you asking. You can also ask your provider for targeted support, just be aware:

• not all providers offer targeted support
• the targeted support they offer might not cover the situation you’re looking for help with.

Providers can only offer targeted support about defined contribution pensions and investments. They must also have permission from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), so always make sure they’re listed on the FCA Firm CheckerOpens in a new window

Typical places that might offer targeted support include:

• pension providers
• investment providers
• banks and building societies. 

Your provider will make it clear that they’re providing a targeted support suggestion.

If you’re unhappy with the service you receive, you can complain to your provider.

If you do not think your provider’s final response is fair, or if eight weeks have passed, you can take your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)Opens in a new window

For more help, see our guide How to complain to your bank, lender or card provider.

A regulated financial adviser can give you an opinion or recommendation based on your personal circumstances. For example, they can:

• tell you what’s best for you and your money
• help you define and meet your financial needs and goals. 

This might include advice about a product you already have or recommendations for new products to take out.

An adviser must be regulated to provide advice, so always make sure:

• their firm is listed on the FCA Firm CheckerOpens in a new window and/or
• the adviser appears on the FCA’s Financial Services RegisterOpens in a new window

A financial adviser will find out about your situation and check if financial advice could improve your circumstances.

For example, an adviser might recommend you:

• use tax allowances to reduce your tax bill
• change your plans if the financial market shifts. 

They can also estimate:

• your future income, spending, tax and savings to see if you’re on track to meet your goals – such as retiring from work or paying off your mortgage
• what returns you could get if you made their recommended changes, such as increasing your pension contributions or where you invest your money.

Find out more in our guide Do I need a financial adviser?

Advice does not always need to be a full review of your finances and personal situation.

For example, if you have simpler advice needs, a financial adviser might not consider your full circumstances before giving you recommendations.

If you get simpler financial advice, you should be told how the advice is limited and the information it’s based on.

There’s almost always a cost for getting financial advice, but you might not have to pay an upfront fee in all cases.

For example:

• you might pay a low (or no) fee if an adviser gets paid commission from a provider for selling you a certain product – such as a mortgage or insurance
• the cost of advice might be added to any monthly payments of a product. 

An adviser must tell you how the cost of advice is charged and paid. If you pay fees, you’ll normally either pay:

• A fixed fee for all the advice. 
• An hourly rate – often between £100 to £350 an hour. 
• A fee based on a percentage of the money you’re investing – typically 1-3% initially and 0.5%-1% for ongoing advice. If you were investing £100,000, this means you'd pay between £1,000 to £3,000 initially and £500 to £1,000 for ongoing advice.

Simpler financial advice might cost less than a full review, as it only considers certain information. But always make sure the advice is right for you.

Find out more in our guide How much does a financial adviser cost?

Many financial advisers are qualified to give general advice on all areas of financial planning, while others might specialise in a certain area. Our guides can help you find a regulated adviser.

Using a regulated financial adviser means you can complain and ask for compensation if the advice you were given turns out to be unsuitable. 

For example, if you were told wrong or misleading information or your agreed recommendations were not carried out – or later than promised.

For step-by-step help, see How to complain about unsuitable financial advice.