It has been ten years since Pension Freedoms granted people far greater flexibility in how they could drawdown their defined contribution pension pots. With clients no longer restricted to purchasing annuities, the market for retirement investments has grown in importance. This was further highlighted by the FCA’s Retirement Income and Advice Review last year, forcing financial advisers to consider their approach to retirement advice and the risks specific to clients in drawdown. This all points to a need for flexible solutions that will support advisers and their clients through the decumulation journey. We chose flexibility as the theme of this report, hence the imagery on the cover.

Product providers are responding with new products to meet client needs for sustainable income in retirement. This report:

• Profiles and compares the investment solutions launched specifically for clients in retirement or decumulation.
• Offers evidenced based insights into how advisers are combining investments for clients in retirement.
• Identifies tools used by advisers to research product recommendations and adviser expectations for income generating products.

Who is this report is for?

This market report is intended for people in strategy, proposition, distribution and marketing roles in asset management firms, platforms and DFMs. The report quantifies assets in retirement investment solutions and compares propositions from leading providers. It is for anyone who wishes to better understand the UK retirement investments market, including for strategic planning, market assessments, board reports and broader general research purposes. The report can be used by:

DFM and asset managers looking to launch their own solution or to benchmark their proposition against the competition, including pricing, platform availability and assets.

Platforms to prioritise products to add to their platform, develop functionality to support innovative retirement investment solutions and to better understand the emerging market for retirement investments.

Financial advice businesses to understand the propositions and differentiators in the market for retirement investment solutions and to aid their own ongoing assessment of their retirement investment proposition.

Methodology:

The results presented in this report are based on data and insights from retirement investment solution providers, financial advice professionals and investment decision-makers at financial advice businesses, including:

• Interviews with ten investment decision-makers at financial advice businesses.
• Data requests and interviews completed by 15 investment providers of retirement investment solutions. Data is as at 30 June 2025.
• A survey of 200 financial advisers in June 2025.

To download a copy of the sample, complete the form on the right.