Pensions

The State Pension is often an important part of your retirement income, so should you top up your National Insurance contributions (NICs) to increase it? Even if you have other pensions or income in retirement, your State Pension can be valuable. As it’ll be paid from when you reach State Pension Age for the rest of your life, it can ...

Figures suggest that workers nearing retirement could find they’re facing a significant income shortfall later in life. Understanding how your pension savings will add up before you retire is crucial for creating long-term financial wellbeing. According to a report from the Social Market Foundation, people approaching retirement are facing a pension shortfall of almost £250,000 if they want to achieve ...

If you opened a defined contribution (DC) pension in the 1990s or 2000s, the charges you’re paying could be higher than comparable pensions opened more recently. Between now and your retirement, the difference could add up to thousands of pounds. Research conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that many older DC pensions deliver “poor value for money”. Among ...

The latest figures from the Pension Regulator prove that pension auto-enrolment has been a success – more people than ever are saving into a pension. Yet, research also shows that many people don’t think they know enough about saving for retirement. Before the government introduced auto-enrolment in 2012, just 4 in 10 private sector workers were actively saving into a ...

Flexi-access drawdown can provide retirees with more freedom to create an income that suits their lifestyle. However, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) figures suggest that many retirees are taking unsustainable amounts from their pensions. It could mean they run out of money during retirement. The government introduced Pension Freedoms in 2015, which provide retirees with more ways to access their pension ...

Going through a divorce is difficult. So, it’s not surprising that many couples are failing to consider their long-term future and whether they need to discuss splitting pensions. Overlooking pensions, which may be among your largest assets, could leave you financially vulnerable in the long term. The law changed in 2000 to allow pensions to be shared in divorce. However, ...

If you’ll be retiring this year, you may be looking forward to more free time to focus on what you enjoy. As you start making plans, you need to set out your expectations and how you’ll create an income. To do that, a bit of planning is required, and these eight steps are a great place to start. 1. Set ...