Don’t be hit by a nasty surprise when you retire
Bit baffled by pensions? VICKY SHAW gathers some expert tips for taking more control of your retirement savings – whatever your age
WORKPLACE pension reforms have helped get the nation saving for retirement – but new figures on how much people are actually putting in suggest many could be in for a bit of a shock when it comes to funding their lifestyle in later life.
Recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures have revealed average contributions into pension pots are falling, which has prompted concerns that savers aren’t putting in enough.
Here, Alistair McQueen, head of savings and retirement at Aviva, offers 10 simple steps for taking control of your pension pot and retirement savings...
THREE PENSION DON’TS
1. Don’t fear pensions: You may worry they are too complicated. The truth however, is that a pension is just a fancy bank account that is locked until at least the age of 55, but which benefits from a special boost from the tax man. 2. Don’t forget to ask: There is lots of free help available. For example, the Money Advice Service (money adviceservice.org.uk) offers a huge range of general guidance about all things financial; the Pensions Advisory Service (pensions advisoryservice.org.uk) is great at translating the complex into the simple; and PensionWise (pension wise.gov.uk) helps you understand your options at retirement. Go ask! 3. Don’t follow mum and dad: Aviva research finds that we typically ask our mum and dad for pensions help. This is understandable, but could be misguided. Your generation is very different from the one that went before. For example, you are likely to live longer and the age at which you’ll get your state pension will likely be higher. Your parents’ best intentions could lead you in the wrong direction.
FOUR PENSION DOS
1. Do remember the state pension: We pay national insurance when we’re working to secure a state pension when we retire. This is most people’s biggest source of income in later life.
It’s currently about £164 every week. The age at which you’ll receive this money is currently around 65, but is set to rise to at least 68 from 2039. To know how much you’ll get, and when, is to request a free state pension forecast at gov.uk/check-state-pension. 2. Do take the ‘free money’ from your employer: Take advantage of workplace pensions if you’re eligible. Your employer has chosen a pension for you, and they must contribute too. 3. Do consider life expectancy: It may sound morbid, but we all die
eventually. The good news is that most of us underestimate how long we may live.
Understanding your probable life expectancy will help you understand how much money you might need in retirement. There are free online tools to help. Search for ‘life expectancy calculators’.
4. Do think about delaying: As we live longer there are two levers most of us can pull to support our longer retirements. We can save more and/or we can work longer.
For every year that we delay our retirement, beyond state pension age, the state will give us approximately an extra £500.
THE RULES
1. The 40-year rule: The sooner you start saving, the easier it will be. As a simple example, to amass £100,000 by the time you reach your state pension age, from age 20 you’d need to save about £20 of your own money every month in a basic workplace pension. Wait until 40 and it’s nearer £120! Aviva recommends trying to begin at least 40 years before you want to retire, but it’s never too late. 2. The 12% rule: A common question is: ‘How much should I save?’ The answer is different for different people. But, as a broad rule, Aviva recommends saving the equivalent of at least 12% of your income every month. This can include money from yourself, from your employer, and the tax man. 3. The 10-times rule: How much do we need to maintain our standard of living? Aviva recommends trying to build up a pension pot valued at 10 times your annual salary by the time you retire.
We typically ask our mum and dad for pensions help. This could be misguided. Your generation is very different from the one that went before.