Valuable employer contributions encourage people to stay
More people in the UK are saving towards retirement than ever before, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with numbers boosted thanks to the Government’s auto-enrolment scheme. Under auto-enrolment, employees are automatically signed up to a workplace pension into which both they and their employers must contribute. Workers can opt out of the scheme if they want to, but the hope is that valuable employer contributions will encourage people to stay. The scheme was introduced in October 2012 to boost the numbers of people planning for retirement and began with the largest employers first, followed by medium-sized, then small employers.
The onwards march of ‘pretirement’ – where people scale back on work or slow their retirement plans down rather than giving up entirely – is continuing, with half (50%) of those retiring this year considering working past State Pension age.
It’s bad news for romantics, according to the latest annual research[1] into the retirement aspirations and financial planning of UK couples aged 40 and over. This identifies that nearly one in three couples (31%) have secret savings or investments that they have deliberately started without telling their partner or spouse. And it’s not just a few pounds, as 7% admit to hiding savings of over £50,000.
Extra flexibility over your pension savings in retirement
It’s never too early – or too late – to start saving for your future. With retirement planning, it is important to take into account the fact we’re all living longer. Couple that with the fact that the cost of living continues to rise, and the value of the State Pension continues to dwindle – this provides a very strong case for starting to save early for your future.
Without planning ahead, the cost can be a huge money sink
While many parents value the standard of education offered by independent schools or universities, the costs can be daunting. However, with careful planning, it may be possible to avoid a huge outstanding student loan or tax burden.
