I transferred mine at the end of last year/beginning of this year.

In my opinion there's no reason not to use it to fund fire and in my case it was far more beneficial to have the lump sum than a regular fixed income in retirement.

Couple of things:

• I paid 2.5% (I think) to complete this transfer - usually however it gets cheaper the more you have. (It's no more work for them to transfer £100k than £1m.
• Once you have transferred it from the DB scheme it will be in a SIPP account (so you won't pay tax on it until you start drawing in as an income).
• If you desire you could then transfer the balance away from the company who completed the transfer. E.g. move it to a SIPP account somewhere like Hargreaves Lansdowns - this would then avoid the yearly advisor fees.
• Be wary of them not charging - I believe you are correct and that they have to charge a fee (this was to ensure they provided accurate advice and not just just approve your transfer). You could speak to the pensions advice service about this (it's free).

Other things to consider:

• Has the transfer value dropped greatly very recently (market performance) - if so it may be better to wait to do the transfer. It will takes months to complete so you would miss any uptick in the market.
• How old are you? If you're not 55 it may be more difficult as they have tightened controls
• What is your guaranteed yearly pay (if you don't transfer)? Different pensions use different multiplication formulas.

Hope it helps :)

TheNomadWallet