Combine Your Pensions in March
Lost track of old pensions from different jobs? Many people in March have several, and combining the right ones can make them simpler to manage and plan around. Whether you are looking for a pension adviser in March, pension advice, or just to combine your pensions, here is the honest local picture, and how we connect you to a regulated adviser.
If you have pensions scattered across old jobs in and around March, bringing the right ones together can make them simpler to manage and easier to plan around, though it is not right for everyone. Here is the honest local picture.
Living in March and your pensions
March has the amenities of a proper market town, a market square and its markets, a town-centre shopping area and retail provision, schools, parks, a museum and a real sense of history in St Wendreda’s church and the railway heritage.
A little about March
Where March is
Getting around March
The big everyday pluses are value for money and, unusually for a fen town, a railway station on the doorstep, with Peterborough, Ely and Cambridge all reachable by train. March has GP surgeries, dentists and pharmacies across the town; for emergencies, the nearest 24-hour A&E departments are at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon, both a drive away, a genuine point to weigh, with Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge the major regional teaching hospital.
Retirement is about more than money. It is the life your pension pays for. Combining old pots into one place can make it simpler to plan for exactly the March life you want.
Living in March: the honest view
- Its own railway station (Peterborough–Ely–Cambridge line)
- Affordable prices for Cambridgeshire
- Genuine character (St Wendreda’s angel roof, railway heritage)
- A real market-town centre and everyday amenities
- Peterborough, Ely and Cambridge reachable by train
- The wide Fens, the Nene and WWT Welney nearby
- Nearest full A&E is a drive away (Peterborough or Hinchingbrooke)
- Low-lying fen and the River Nene, material flood risk to check
- Peat/silt fen soils can raise subsidence and drainage questions
- Main secondary (Neale-Wade) judged to require significant improvement (2026), weigh honestly
- Older and non-standard fen homes can need survey and lender care
- A working fen town, research different areas
What life costs in March
Retirement is about what your pension has to cover. Here is roughly what living in March costs today, a useful anchor when you picture the income you will need.
| Typical cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Council tax (Band D, 2026/27) | £2,535.30 | March, Cambridgeshire County Council + Police + Fire + Combined Authority mayoral precept + Fenland District + March Town Council, confirm your band |
| Buildings insurance | Varies, check flood risk | River Nene and fen flood risk can materially affect premiums and availability; get a quote and flood check (and check Flood Re eligibility) before committing |
| Subsidence / drainage (fen soils) | Varies, ask & survey | Peat and silt fen soils can raise subsidence and drainage questions on some homes, a full survey and the drainage-board position are worth checking |
| Water & wastewater | ~£450–£800/yr | Anglian Water area, check the supplier for the address |
| Broadband | ~£28–£48/mth | Superfast across most of the town; gigabit full-fibre in a growing part, check the address |
Figures are indicative and change each year, always confirm current rates for your exact address and council tax band.
The risks, please read this first
Combining pensions can help, but it is not always right, and getting it wrong can be costly.
Defined-benefit pensions
Final-salary and public-sector schemes promise an income for life. These are usually best left where they are.
Guarantees you could lose
Guaranteed annuity rates, protected tax-free cash or a protected early pension age can be worth a great deal.
Exit penalties & perks
Some older plans charge to leave, or come with employer top-ups or life cover you would give up.
The pot stays invested
A combined pot remains invested, so its value can fall as well as rise. You may get back less than was transferred in, and that risk sits with you, not the scheme.
How combining your pensions works
Track down every pot
Old workplace and personal pensions, plus anything found via the government Pension Tracing Service.
Check what each one is
Defined-benefit or defined-contribution, the guarantees, the charges and any exit penalties.
Get regulated advice
An FCA-regulated adviser recommends which (if any) to combine, and where to.
Combine only the right ones
Suitable pots are brought together; anything with valuable guarantees stays put.
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t
- Several small defined-contribution pots from past jobs
- Old plans with high charges or dated funds
- Wanting one place to see and plan your retirement
- Final-salary / defined-benefit pensions
- Guaranteed annuity rates or protected tax-free cash
- Pensions with valuable employer top-ups or life cover
Finding lost pensions in March
The average worker changes jobs many times, and old pensions are easily forgotten. If you think you have pots you have lost track of, these free government tools help you find them, then a regulated adviser can review each one before you decide.
Life in March, the place your pension pays for
A quick sense of March, the place your pension is helping you enjoy in later life.
St Wendreda’s angel roof
The medieval church of St Wendreda is famous for its double hammer-beam roof carved with around a hundred and twenty angels, one of the finest angel roofs in England, described by John Betjeman as “worth cycling forty miles into a headwind to see”.
The railway heritage & Whitemoor
March was one of the great railway towns of England, and its Whitemoor Yard was once among the largest marshalling yards in Europe, a heritage told at the March & District Museum.
The market square & the River Nene
A traditional market square and town centre, with the River Nene (old course) running close by, giving riverside walks and open water through the town.
West End Park
A well-used town park giving green space, play areas and events close to the centre, a focus of community life in March.
The wider Fens & wildlife
Beyond the town, the Ouse Washes and WWT Welney offer spectacular winter wildfowl and wide fen skies, classic Fenland days out.
Nearby days out
Ely with its cathedral, Cambridge, Wisbech’s Georgian Brinks and the Norfolk coast are all within reach for days out from March.
Check broadband before you make an offer in March
Broadband speeds can vary street by street in March, so check the exact address before you commit. Ofcom's free checker shows which broadband speeds and mobile coverage are available at any UK property.
Check broadband at an address (Ofcom)
Want all your bills in one?
We can introduce you to a specialist who can combine your mobile, broadband and utilities into one bill. There's no fee for the introduction.
We don't provide these services ourselves. Switching household bills is not a regulated financial service, so FCA protections and the Financial Ombudsman do not apply. We'll only pass your details to the specialist if you ask us to. See our privacy notice.
Common questions
Can you help me find a pension adviser in March?
Should I combine my pensions in March?
Is pension consolidation a good idea?
Do you charge for the introduction?
What is the risk of combining pensions?
How do I find old pensions?
How do I check broadband speed at a property in March?
We are an introducer, not a pension adviser.
Related guides
Planning your finances in March? These may also help.
Also worth reading for March
If you are thinking about retirement income, these two questions usually come up together.
Short reads that work through the local numbers. No sales pitch.