Trustees and employers are increasingly looking at the various de-risking options available to help manage the £1 trillion liabilities in UK defined benefit pension schemes. This article investigates why there is an increasing appetite for de-risking, including the challenges faced by schemes as a result of increasing costs, longevity trends and accounting practices. De-risking exercises can take many different forms and can be tailored to an individual scheme's de-risking goals, trustee and company budgets, and relevant economic conditions. A number of options available to schemes are highlighted in this article and the concept of ‘flightpath’ (a designated plan that enables a scheme to reach buyout over a period of time) is explored. The ultimate end goal of securing pension scheme benefits for the lifetime of members and their beneficiaries is in the interest of all stakeholders involved. Through good communication and planning, the relevant steps can be taken to reduce risk in a pension scheme, while understanding that any plan needs to be adaptable as inevitably situations will arise that require manual intervention or a change in direction.