Tony Watts OBE wonders why so many older people apparently think it’s a good idea for youngsters to do National Service. Like most people of my generation who managed to miss out on National Service by a decade, I spent my late teenage years growing my hair. It was, if I may say so, a […]

With all of the talk of impending inflation, what would be the likely impact of further rises on those approaching, or in, retirement? Richard Collinson offers his verdict. “UK households under pressure as inflation sticks at 3%” ran the headlines when the figures for January 2018 were released. The concerns were twofold: firstly, that rate […]

If the transferrable value of your DB pension pot has soared recently, the fact that the FCA is expressing concerns about the quality of advice being dispensed should ring a timely alarm bell… By Mark Soper I last wrote about transfers out of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes a little over three years ago, shortly […]

Ever thought of moving lock stock and barrel to southern Spain? As I write this the year is 2018, it is January, we have just had storm Eleanor (following closely on the heels of her predecessors Aileen, Brian, Caroline and Dylan, not to mention Hurricane Ophelia). Tomorrow the high here will be a (relatively balmy) […]

The New Year is the perfect time to take stock of your finances, particularly if you’re approaching retirement. In particular, if you have a defined contribution (also known as money purchase) pension, there are a lot of decisions to make due to the pension changes that came into force in April 2015. To help with […]

…is one of my favourite albums of all time and last Christmas I was very fortunate to see Ian Anderson ring out the solstice bells at Winchester Cathedral it was a surreal evening with the soothing tones of his flute wafting through the aisles whilst an impressive light show danced on the Cathedrals magnificent structures. […]

New research from Aviva shows that: Almost a fifth (18%) of workers in their 50s and 60s are currently unable to save anything for retirement. ·      Almost a fifth (18%) of workers in their 50s and 60s are currently unable to save anything for retirement ·      60% in their fifties and sixties are yet to ramp up […]

Some 44% of people are underestimating their life expectancy and withdrawing more than 10% of their pension savings each year running the very real risk that they will run out of funds later in retirement. The report from AJ Bell is based on research amongst surveyed 250 adults aged 55 plus who had flexibly accessed […]

Almost eight out of ten (78%) over-50s significantly underestimate how long they are likely to live, leading to concerns that many currently taking advantage of pensions freedoms may well run out of cash in retirement. A study carried out by Retirement Advantage has highlighted the particular dangers of pension freedoms for those who have raided […]

A new report by Dunstan Thomas has shed some worrying light on the position of millions of Baby Boomers as they head into retirement. The report, Engaging with Baby Boomers Retirement Journeys outlines the findings on a large survey carried out this year among 71 year olds. Some 59% of those interviewed had yet to […]