self employed pension help

[d75]

hi ive done a lot of reading on pensions, after leaving it late - im 48 im looking to put some money from my company into a pension. my circumstances are pretty straightforward, im just looking to get some cash in a pension and take advantage of some tax relief.
problem is an IFA seems overkill and the one i spoke to at sjp seemed v expensive for the performance. and ive read conflicting things about vanguard and other general funds. Im not looking to make huge gains
Im not savvy enough to make my own investments but would be happy to take a managed fund that spread risk over bonds and shares...
just at a loss at this point so adny advice gratefully recieved!

I just have my own SIPP through a platform (Hargreaves Lansdown in my case, others are available). You can look at their lists of best performing funds and choose your own. I choose a selection of funds and spread my cash around them. I monitor loosely and add more / adjust to the one’s that are performing well etc.
Also fully subscribe to my ISA each year - growth / income is totally tax free (unlike the SIPP where 25% is tax free but the reminder taxed.

I like the fact that the SIPP is in my own control and very easy to manage online

thanks, i read that index finds actually outperform most self managed funds - how long have you been managing your own? do you find it stressful to keep an eye on and what have the returns been like if you dont mind me asking?
did you consider an IFA?

Lots of the DIY investment platforms (HL, Vanguard etc) have bundled pension or retirement funds that let you choose your mix of bonds/equities - and whether the balance shifts as you approach retirement age - and automatically balance them.

Yes, Indexed funds have done well - I have those in the ISA though.
Been managing it myself for 20 years.
I don’t find it stressful and don’t put too much time into it, once I am happy with my choices I just sit with the funds, reviewing periodically online.
What I do actively do is cream off the profits - if a fund has gained say 2k I cash that in within the SIPP, if that happens five times, you then have 10k to reinvest in something new. I keep taking the gains when they are there - rather than just watching helplessly when markets crash.
Always try to buy in low too….when there is bad news in the markets.
I wouldn’t use an IFA (late husband was in the trade) but mainly have always read the financial pages, just skim read now….
Also trust my own judgement in the ISA buying shares….again buying after bad news in the markets.
I do value a handful of friends - we share thoughts and research on what we are all doing, I learn from their strategies etc.

The platforms usually have a list of most traded / popular funds - if that’s helpful…

thanks, i do worry as I dont have experience and dont know anyone family or friends with any!
any thoughts on these kind of funds where they collate a group of funds based on attitude to risk.
https://www.ajbell.co.uk/investment-ideas/ajbell-funds
im unsure if you can have more than one in a pension but would seem a reasonable place to start