Pensions includes the following Javascript powered tools:-

• Pensions Audit - find out what sort of pension you are on course for, and the impact of any extra contributions that you may make. A MUST USE
• Single and Monthly Premium Calculator - simple projector for given premiums.
• State Pension Projector
• Defined Benefit Scheme Calculator - shows how much your company scheme will give you
• Maximum Benefits Calculator - for those who write their own pay cheques and control their company EPP or SSAS.
• PPP Maximum Contribution Calculator - calculates max contributions for age and income.
• Retirement Annuity Calculator.
• Free Standing AVC Maximum Premium Calculator.

• State Pension schemes
• Occupations with special early retirement ages
• Employer Funded Schemes
  • Defined Benefit Schemes. These are the most common sort of pension provided by large employers with long established schemes. Your eventual pension depends upon how long you were with them, and your final salary.
    • Free Standing Additional Voluntary Contributions. A private route for increasing the benefits from a Defined Benefit Scheme.
  • Frozen Pensions. Benefits accrued with ex employers. A misnomer, but it applies get a review. You may need to move to a Buy Out, a Personal Pension Plan, or stay put - it all depends upon the math.
  • Group Personal Pension Plans. Often used by employers who have either a small ( sub 250 people) workforce, or who have set up their pension within the last few years. Basically the same as a Personal Pension Plan but with an employers contribution and frequently good value for money charges ( due to scale).
  • Executive Pension Plans. Normally only established for managerial staff in small companies.
  • Small Self Administered Schemes. Ideal for those who are shareholder directors as they come with many highly effective tax planning bells and whistles. If you run your own company you must read this.
  • Funded Unapproved Benefit Schemes. Used by employers to supply benefits to very highly paid staff over and above that which are allowed by normal,pensions law.
• Individual Personal Schemes
  • Personal Pension Plans. The vast majority of employees and self employed people who need to make their own pension arrangements will use these.
    • Self Invested Personal Pensions. A subset of PPP but because the fund is large offers valuable investment options. Normally used by professionals, esp partnerships of doctors, solicitors etc.
  • Buy-out contracts (Section 32 annuities). A method of transferring benefits from a Frozen Pension.
  • Retirement Annuities ( aka 226 policies). The predecessor to Personal Pension Plans. Only available up to July 1988, but offer valuable benefits to those who have them, esp high earners.
• Non pension retirement planning. Other vehicles for tax efficient long term savings.

Note that the actual terminology is rather more complex than I use, and the fact that you cannot find reference to COMPs, CIMPS, COSRS, GMP and other details here does not mean that an adviser who talks about these wrt your situation is trying to confuse you. ( Indeed they being very diligent in trying to explain a very messy area, which I will only go into when I can think of a clear way of phrasing it as web pages. In fact there, depending how you count them, about 25 different kinds of pension scheme, most of which are, fortunately, either discountinued or very rare).

That said this section will I hope provide you with the best idea about your pension status that you can find anywhere short of a full personal professional review.