Fancy setting up a SIPP and building a big pot of wealth for your retirement? Or maybe you’ve started, and want to raise your game? That’s a good plan, in my view. It’s exactly what I’m doing.
Whether an investor is 30, 40, 50, or older, a Self-Invested Personal Pension is a brilliant way to build a pot of passive income for when they stop working. It complements a Stock and Shares ISA nicely, because the tax breaks come at the beginning, in the shape of upfront tax relief on contributions. With an ISA, they come at the end, as tax-free returns.
Brilliant pension tax breaks upfront
Each £100 that goes into a SIPP only costs a basic rate taxpayer £80 after tax relief, falling to just £60 for a higher rate taxpayer. Withdrawals in retirement are taxable, but 25% can be taken tax-free.
Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future. The content in this article is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended to be, neither does it constitute, any form of tax advice. Readers are responsible for carrying out their own due diligence and for obtaining professional advice before making any investment decisions.
Today, the new State Pension pays a maximum £12,547.60 a year. So what would a SIPP investor need to double that, and generate a second income of £25,095.20?
Let’s assume they invest in a spread of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 shares that pay generous dividends, and get a 5% yield from their SIPP. In that scenario, they’d need £501,904. If they took 7% of their portfolio as income instead, which might involve dipping into the capital, they’d get the same income from £358,500.
Building wealth like that takes time, but tax relief makes it easier. Either way, there’s no time to lose.
Today looks like a terrific time to buy FTSE 100 shares, with the market knocked back by volatility in the Middle East. Top stocks are now trading at notably lower valuations.
I think NatWest shares look fabulous value
NatWest (LSE: NWG) shares have fallen more than 14% in the last month. Despite that slip, they’re still up 165% over the last five years. That would’ve turned a £10,000 investment into £26,500. Or comfortably over £30,000 with dividends reinvested.
Like all the big banks, NatWest has been making bumper profits due to higher interest rates, which have boosted margins between what they pay savers and charge borrowers. In 2025, operating profit before tax jumped 24.4% to £7.7bn. That stellar number was reported on 13 February. Two weeks later, the Iran war kicked off. NatWest fell back but now looks stunning value, with a price-to-earnings ratio of just 8.85. I struggle to believe that such a profitable enterprise could offer that much value. Especially since it offers a bumper trailing yield of 5.65%. What’s going on here?
No stock is without risk. It’s a UK-focused bank, and our economy isn’t in the best of health. That could hit demand for mortgages and drive up bad loans. Even so, I think NatWest looks a compelling opportunity to consider.
If the Iran conflict drags on, the shares could get even cheaper but frankly, I think they look terrific value today. The only thing stopping me is that that my SIPP already holds a big position in rival FTSE 100 bank Lloyds, which has a similar UK focus. That’s not a problem, because I can see plenty more terrific bargains out there today.
