DANGER 
When I left UK to become an expat - living and working in USA - I hardly ever thought about the frozen work-pension I was entitled to back home - and which was just left there - restricted from growth and stagnating.
It was not until I heard that 90% of all the final-salary pension schemes in UK are currently in deficit - and over 2,000 of them are already in wind-up - that I realized the danger. My work-pension could be threatened unless I did something about it.
A friend of mine told me that he received really sound advice from a chap who works for Kestrel International which is the leading UK pension adviser in North America.
They helped him move his share of the old UK final Salary pension scheme, to which he belonged, to a much safer place where he could control it all - and even retire early from it - without penalty -if he wished.
Click here for more information
SALVATION
So I logged on to the web site and filled out the form with details of my work history. I signed an authority so that they could approach my pension provider for information and they produced a complete review of my pension benefits (no charge) and how they could be increased substantially.
By transferring my pension I found that as soon I reached the minimum retirement age of 55 I could draw my benefits - but if I didn't need the income immediately I could take a tax-free lump sum of up to 25% of my fund instead - and defer the income from the remainder until later.
I became a member of a British Self Invested Pension Plan which allows me to invest the pension fund in securities of my own choice giving me complete control and many flexible options. What's more, if I die before I retire my wife gets the whole lot - the whole fund - tax free. If I start drawing an income from it before I die she can take over the whole of my income - not just a measley widow's pension - all of it ! Imagine that ! I'd better watch out for banana-skins on the stairs .
TAKE CASH OUT
Here's another thing I discovered. Did you know that you can now export your pension - not to USA though - the IRS won't allow that - but to some other country even if you don't live there ? An EEC country is better - but it means you can escape from the UK pension rules and taxation completely once you have been an expat for 5 years. Then you can get your hands on up to 30% of the money as early as age 50 if you really need it badly.
John Braithwaite
P.S. Make a note of:- www.ukpensiontransfer.com