“As a UK Expat I found dealing with my previous pension providers a nightmare! All my dealings with MyExpatSIPP have been simple and straight-forward. They are always quick to respond when contacted and very helpful and knowledgeable. They also provided a lot of assistance during the pension transfer process.”
“I had already moved abroad before I chose to transfer to a SIPP and was pleased to find MyExpatSIPP were willing and able to offer me a SIPP. The platform is easy to use and I can access a wide range of products to invest in. I have had issues with trading volatile and high volume stocks, however.”
“As I am no longer resident in the UK, MyExpatSIPP provided a way to access a UK-based pension pot that otherwise offered no flexibility in how it could be accessed. The personnel at MyExpatSIPP were helpful, with information to help me through the complicated application for relief from double taxation. I was glad to be able to transfer 25% of the pot, free of UK tax, to the US and invest the rest in relatively conservative funds via MyExpatSIPP.”
“Very reasonable fees, straightforward service tailored for people who don’t live in the UK. Responsive and reliable customer service. My only small desire would be to have a better user interface, but all the fundamentals are there.”
Hi, thanks for the positive review and feedback! We have recently launched our new platform with a brand new interface and other features. If you want to purchase mutual funds and ETFs, you can do so via the new platform. If you'd like to move to our new platform, please let us know. Yours sincerely, MyExpatSIPP
“I wish I’d found MyExpatSIPP (MES) sooner, but when I first opened a SIPP I don’t think they were around so I ended up with a very expensive institution and an “advisor” who didn’t provide any value.
When I decided I’d had enough I looked around and MES offered what I wanted - lower fees and self management (like I do with the rest of my retirement accounts in my resident country).
The transfer process was painful and took over 3 months and my money was in limbo. To be fair it turned out the problem was with the sending institution not MES, but it would be helpful if the MES web portal was more descriptive. It just showed my account status as “Proposed” which could mean anything. Something like “Account opened - awaiting sending institution” and “Transfer in progress” would be much better. Also I think that if it’s taking >4 weeks, then it should flag it on the MES side for escalation. Just a proactive email to say “Hey, things look good on our side and we’ve followed up with the sender several times but they aren’t responding to us” would have helped me pinpoint the issue. MES support were always responsive when I prodded but the message was usually “We’ll contact the sender and get back to you” and then no follow up.
Once I eventually got my funds and made my initial trades then things have been smooth sailing. I think the MES website could have much better clarity on the “Investment Options” page. It says there are a wide range of options, and also touts their ready made portfolios (which I think would be attractive to many people) but once you have your web portal set up there is no easy way to buy those portfolios. It turns out you need to email support and ask them to do it for you which seems a little hokey. I did eventually find a page that lists the different ETFs and investment funds you can trade yourself from the portal, but it was very well hidden (fortunately I bookmarked it for direct access). I think having a table of the types of investments and what to do would help I.e. “These are the ready made portfolios - to buy them do this…”, “These funds can be traded directly - link to the options”, “Other equities on different exchanges - contact support”.
The fees are much lower than other options (in part since you aren’t forced to pay for a useless advisor) but still a lot more than the equivalent type of account here in Canada - but I guess that might be a UK regulation thing.
So overall I’m pretty happy now that the initial transfer/setup frustration is behind me.”
Hi, thanks for the positive review and feedback! We'll look at working your ideas into our portal. We have also recently launched our new platform that incorporates some of the features you mentioned. If you want to purchase mutual funds and ETFs, you can do so via the new platform. If you'd like to move to our new platform, please let us know. We have also re-evaluated our transfer chasing process to help make transferring your pension more transparent and efficient. Yours sincerely, MyExpatSIPP
“I transferred from another SIPP administrator to MyExpatSIPP. The transfer process was managed professionally and efficiently and with appropriate support as well as customer-centric follow up. To-date, my funds have been well-managed and reported in a timely manner.”
“Straight forward and fast responses - an excellent overall experience. Expat finances are often a tricky area to navigate so very happy to have found this company.”
“I found MyExpatSIPP online when i was looking for options to release pension monies abroad i've found them to very experiecned and helpful in advising and arranging a way for me to accomplish my needs.
The process with MyExpatSIPP is very straightforward but dealing with the relevant government authorities takes time which is a pain but the team at MyExpatSIPP were there to advise. I'd highly recommend using MyEXpatSIPP.”
“They were very easy to deal with both before transfer (answering my endless questions!) and during / after our transfer. We weren't happy with our previous advisors so the ability to self manage, albeit with pre-built portfolios if we desired, was very attractive to us.”
“Finding out that the major private pension providers in the UK have effectivly abandon their overseas clients I was forced to look elsewhere. Discovering that many of international SIPP providers want as much as 3% of my pension pot just to setup a SIPP and then 1.5% per annum to manage it I found MyExpatSIPP. So far I have moved one of UK pension to them and sucessfuly drawn down the 25% that I could take tax free. To date I'm very happy with the service they have provided.”
“After much internet research, I picked this group. No advisor required, reasonable fees, clear web interface. Transfer was very fast, within the week I think. Since then, very helpful and efficient helpdesk, have called me overseas to explain my queries. Transferred as cash and am reinvesting the money via their website - also clear & efficient. Overall, suprisingly pain-free for what could have been a complicated task. Recommended.”
“Very pleased with MyExpatSIPP. Response was always fast and helpful. Tanjil, in particular was excellent. The website is well designed and easy to use. As an expat, one can find UK pensions very bureaucratic - with governement regualtions that do little but complicate the process. MyExpatSIPP help you navigate all that with ease.”
“I had a nightmare getting my Pension provider, of over 25 years, to release my two policy proceeds to my SIPP. On the other hand MyExpatSipp were efficient and prompt with all requirements my old provider needed. Also throughout the process they kept me informed throughout. The icing of the cake was the prompt hassle free release of my tax free withdrawal. Long may this excellent customer service continue.”
“I could not possibly be more pleased with the service I received from Tanjil at My Expat Sipp!
Passing the age threshold for taking cash from an old pension fund that had been sitting in the Uk I was informed by my provider that I could not do that as I was not a UK resident.
I spoke to Tanjil who assessed my situation and advised that it would be possible with a transfer to MES. No upfront fees, charges coming only from the transferred funds, lots of help with completing the transfer forms...checked them and spotted mistakes before I sent to my provider... informing me as so soon as transfer was complete acne carefully guiding me through the withdrawal process. The whole thing was completed in around 3 weeks start to finish and at every stage I was offered the support I needed from MES and also offered all of the government Pension Wise options.
Calm, pragmatic, clear advice and everything taken care of just as proscribed. Highly recommended! Thanks again Tanjil”
“At first, I was nervous about setting up my account and transfering a bunch of other personal pensions into my SIPP. However, over time and following my first withdrawal, I now see all is good. Service is great with prompt responses. All is good, so far and I am pleased with being able to manage my investments and see the actual charges being applied.”
“So far, so good! Ex-pat Brit now dual citizenship in Canada. MES made it very easy to open up an account, and manage my SIPP assets in the UK. I've only had cause to call them on a few occasions, and the phone is always answered by a human being, who has proven helpful and efficient.”
