Pension fees on a £100,000 pot — the six-figure threshold.

£100,000 is a psychological milestone — your first six-figure pension pot. It's also the point at which fees stop being abstract and start being a meaningful line item in your retirement planning. At this scale a 1% annual fee costs you £1,000 a year, every year, compounding. Over 25 years to retirement, that compounds to an opportunity cost of around £36,000 versus a 0.3% provider — more than a third of your starting pot lost to charges. £100,000 is also the point where the personal allowance taper kicks in if it's your salary rather than your pot, so high earners reading this should also check our salary sacrifice calculator — sacrificing £1 of salary above £100k can get you £1.60+ effective relief by restoring lost personal allowance.