Approved Retirement Fund (ARF) explained by CFPs

What is an ARF? An Approved Retirement Fund (‘ARF’) is a personal tax efficient investment fund into which you can transfer all or part of the balance of your pension fund after you receive your retirement lump sum.
Our objective
At Infinity Financial Planning Ltd our objective is to find the most suitable  solution to your needs.


What is an ARF


An Approved Retirement Fund (‘ARF’) is a personal tax efficient investment fund into which you can transfer all or part of the balance of your pension fund after you receive your retirement lump sum.


Our objective

At Infinity Financial Planning Ltd our objective is to find the most suitable solution to your needs.

Before we are in a position to prescribe products or investment recommendations. We complete a thorough review of your current financial position to ensure we are acting in your best interests.



Do you qualify to invest into an ARF

Part of our pre-retirement consultation process includes working with you to identify answers to some important questions such as:



  1. Are you financially ready to retire?

  2. What sort of lifestyle do you want in retirement?

  3. What monthly income do you require in retirement?

  4. Can you invest the proceeds of your pension fund in an ARF after you retire?

  5. What are your alternative options i.e an annuity?



After Identifying your retirement requirements

At your initial, pre-retirement consultation meeting, we produce an analysis of your financial needs and goals.


This is based on the information you provide us with. Once you have chosen Infinity Financial Planning as your dedicated financial planner we identify your retirement requirements, such as:



  • Providing an income level of €X in retirement.

  • Remaining in control of your pension fund following retirement.

  • Freedom to decide when to make withdrawals from the chosen ARF.

  • Your investment strategy can be updated and amended according to your wishes.

  • Any funds remaining in your ARF are passed to your family after your death.

Criteria to meet in order to invest in an ARF


You must meet certain criteria, dictated by revenue and department of finance rules, before you can invest the balance of your pension fund in an ARF. We have helped provide a personalised and impartial service to our clients, not just prior to retirement but very importantly we provide a dedicated regular ongoing service post retirement, if required. Please take a look at what some of our clients have experienced when dealing with us by clicking here.

Questions for your consideration


There are many variables involved in creating the most appropriate retirement strategy for each individual client. Nobody can tell the future. We do try to answer as many ‘what if’ scenarios as possible for our clients, and they really do find the interactive illustrations we can produce for each possible scenario very helpful in giving them peace of mind.


What is your Retirement Strategy? Can it match the lifestyle you would like to live? Are you worried if you will have enough?


Have you received a detailed analysis of your best options in retirement planning?




Ready to get started?

See what our financial planning experts can do for you.


Written by Pat Leahy, Certified Financial Planner

Published 2019-10-24

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