More retired people are deriving income from continuing work, and have not achieved the pension income for the retirement of leisure they planned, according to new data released this week by the ONS. Many pensioner couples now take a quarter of their income from earnings. Read More
With annuity rates at a 15-year low, demand for flexible pension income from a stock market investment via income drawdown has doubled.
Each year of pension income now requires two years of work, according to Aviva. However, as we may in future be living longer and working for less time, we may have to fund a retirement that is as long as our working life.
Enhanced annuities offer a higher pension income to those whose life expectancy is reduced by smoking, or certain conditions including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Demand for enhanced annuities was up by 41% in the first half, indicating that good pensions advice is making consumers more ‘savvy’ in their retirement planning.
Nearly half of working over-65s are ‘trapped in work’ by falling pension income and inadequate pension planning. With plunging annuities rates, pension income is half what it was 15 years ago.Read More
Half of UK pension savers have never reviewed their pension plans, and cannot say how their pension is invested. One in 5 actually make investment decisions without advice. Most of those prudent enough to review seek pensions advice from an independent financial adviser.
Government is proposing to scrap Alternatively Secured Pensions (ASPs) but offer income drawdown of pension savings subject to new limits.
New proposals to link state pensions and private pensions to the Consumer Price Index will save money at Government level, but could see pension income rising 25% less than expected.
The pension savings of a typical middle earner in the UK could have been up to £100,000 larger, had hidden charges not been taken over the years. The same amount saved by a Dutch person would have given pension income 50% higher than his UK counterpart, due to a more efficient pension savings architecture in the Netherlands, a leading pensions expert said this week.
Over half of over-50s believe they may never afford to stop working, now that the retirement age is to go in October 2011. Fifty-nine per cent of workers fear they did not save enough into their pensions, and may now outlive their pension savings.
