Financial planning leads: four types of pension appointment
Consolidation, retirement income, inheritance tax and £1m+ pots. Every appointment is a pre-booked first meeting with a saver holding £250k–£3m in pensions, at £500 per qualified show.
On this page
You buy a booked conversation with a qualified retirement client, in both diaries.
- You buy a contact detail
- You ring them to introduce yourself
- You chase for a date and time
- You pay whether they answer or not
- The same enquiry often goes to several firms
- You buy a booked appointment
- They picked the time, asked for one firm only, and are told your firm's name and FRN when you claim
- Pensions of £250k+ (self-declared), reconfirmed on the call
- No-show? It's credited back to your balance
- One firm per appointment, never resold
What are the four appointment types?
Each type is a pre-booked meeting with the same qualification underneath. What changes is the client's reason for booking and the fields on the brief that matter most. The typical briefs below are illustrative, built from the questions the qualifier asks.
Buying leads for the first time, or comparing sources? Start with our honest guide to buying IFA leads, which sets out what each kind of lead costs in the UK and what to check before you pay.
How does an appointment get its type?
From the client's own answers. Three questions do most of the work:
- What would you like help with? Up to three from: planning a retirement income, combining pensions, taking tax-free cash, drawdown vs annuity, passing a pension on or inheritance tax, checking how a pension is invested and what it costs, and retiring early.
- Where are you with retirement? From 5+ years away to retired for 2+ years.
- Roughly how much is in your pensions? £250k–£500k, £500k–£1m or £1m–£3m, counting defined-contribution pensions only.
A client who picks "combining my pensions" becomes a pension consolidation appointment. One who is retiring within two years and wants an income plan becomes a retirement planning appointment. Many carry two badges, and that's useful: it tells you the likely shape of the first conversation before it starts.
We label; we don't diagnose. We never tell a client which type of advice they need, and we don't ask about attitude to risk, suitability or products. The FCA's warning to advisers about introducers lists introducer-completed fact-finds and risk questionnaires among the signs of trouble, and we stay well clear of both.
How do firms filter appointments?
You decide what reaches your diary. These are the controls each firm sets:
A sensible way to start is broad, then narrow down once you've seen a few briefs. A sole IFA with spare capacity might take every type at £250k+; a chartered planning firm might take only the £1m band and IHT. Both pay the same per show. If you set a higher minimum (£500k or £1m) and the prospect confirms pensions below the band you selected, the show is credited, even if they hold £250k or more.
What does every appointment type have in common?
- UK resident with £250k+ in defined-contribution pensions, self-declared and reconfirmed on the call
- Told before booking that advice is paid for and that your firm pays InvestmentsBooked for the introduction
- Asked to be booked with one FCA-authorised independent firm, and told your firm name and FRN as soon as you claim, before the call
- Mobile confirmed with a one-time code; reminders by email and text
- One firm per appointment, never resold
- £500 per qualified show; no-shows, cancellations not rebooked within 7 days, invalid details and upheld disqualifications credited back
- No subscription, retainer or minimum term. Minimum purchase 10 appointments (£5,000), credits valid 6 months
Every consumer advert is approved by an FCA-authorised firm under section 21 of FSMA before it runs, and we don't make unsolicited pension marketing calls. The full story is on lead quality. The show test and credit rules are on pricing, and the booking process is on how it works.
Which appointments don't we book?
Being clear about this matters as much as the list above:
- DB transfer seekers. Excluded by default. It's complaint-heavy, needs specific permissions and is hard to insure. We explain more in why we exclude DB transfers.
- Pensions under £250k. The qualifier stops them before the calendar.
- People who only want free guidance. They're pointed to MoneyHelper and Pension Wise.
- People outside the UK.
- Equity release. Not offered here. It's a mortgage product, advised on by specialist equity release advisers.
We also don't build a separate page for every niche. Drawdown, annuity, SIPP and pension review searches are tiny, and splitting them would produce thin pages describing the same appointment. They live as sections on the four pages above.
Which appointment type suits your firm?
A rough guide, based on how firms describe their own propositions:
- Sole IFA with diary gaps: pension leads and retirement planning at £250k+. Broad flow, varied work.
- Small firm with a paraplanner and a retirement proposition: retirement planning first, IHT as a second area.
- Chartered planner with a £500k or £1m minimum: high net worth leads, plus IHT at the higher bands.
- Estate planning specialist: IHT planning leads at £500k+.
If you're not sure, apply with everything switched on and tighten it once you've seen what comes through. For how many new meetings a team can realistically absorb, read how many clients a financial adviser needs.
Sources and checks. Qualifier questions and filters: InvestmentsBooked appointment specification. Introducer warning signs: FCA, investment advisers' responsibilities when accepting business from unauthorised introducers (updated July 2026). Search volumes for niche terms: Google Ads UK via DataForSEO, September 2026. Figures checked 27 September 2026. InvestmentsBooked is not authorised by the FCA and does not give financial advice.