Many people actively engage with their pension by 35 and over a third (35%) started planning for their retirement before turning 30. Beginning pension savings in your 20s could be worth £145,000 to your pension pot by the time you retire. But one in six (16%) British adults don’t have a pension – rising to 19% of women Posted on Thursday Sep 18
Susan Hope, Scottish Widows Retirement Expert, commented: “Saving into a spouse’s pension, also known as third party contributions, is a helpful, but often overlooked, financial planning tool. Not only can it maximise tax relief for those who have used up their allowance, but it can also provide a helping hand to your spouse if they haven’t been able to build up their own retirement savings. Posted on Wednesday Sep 17
Catherine Foot, Director of the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement, commenting on the IFS’s report How do people already out of employment fare when the state pension age rises Posted on Wednesday Sep 17
Millions of people saving in Defined Contribution (DC) pension schemes can usually take 25% of the their pension pot as a tax-free lump sum once they reach 55 (57 from April 2028). The most that can be taken is £268,275. Posted on Wednesday Sep 17
The combined reserves of the largest 40 charities in England & Wales that sponsor DB pensions schemes now sits at £49bn in 2025, according to Hymans Robertson’s annual report on DB pension funding in the charitable sector. The analysis also shows a 5% rise in average funding level of the DB schemes since 2024. Posted on Wednesday Sep 17
LCP’s latest and fifth annual survey on the Professional Trustee and Sole Trustee market – LCP Sole Mates highlights that while growth has slowed in the market, concentration continues apace with 80% (£800bn) of the £1.1 trillion scheme assets that Professional Trustee (PT) firms are responsible for managed by just 4 firms. Posted on Wednesday Sep 17
New research from PensionBee reveals that September is a pinch point for household budgets, with rising bills leading many to reconsider their long-term savings. A nationally representative survey of 1,000 UK adults found that utilities and energy bills (26%) and food (20%) top the list of September money worries, followed by back-to-school costs (16%) and rent or mortgage payments (15%). Posted on Wednesday Sep 17
Pension savers withdrew over £70 billion from their retirement pots in 2024/25, an increase of 36% compared with the previous year, according to new data from the FCA Posted on Tuesday Sep 16
Withdrawals of tax-free cash pensions have more than doubled in the last two years, new figures from the Financial Conduct Authority reveal. £18.3 billion of tax-free cash was withdrawn in 2024/25, a 63% rise on the £11.3 billion recorded in 2023/24 and more than double the £8bn withdrawn 2022/23. Posted on Tuesday Sep 16
The retirement income market data 2024/25 from the FCA shows that the number of Defined Benefit (DB) to Defined Contribution (DC) pension transfers continues to decrease. Posted on Tuesday Sep 16
Standard Life and Broadstone comment as average earnings likely to determine next April's state pension uplift under the triple lock. Pensioners will welcome the uplift, but questions on tax and long-term sustainability remain Posted on Tuesday Sep 16
Office for National Statistics announces year on year earnings growth for May to July as 4.7%. This is one of the three possible figures that will determine next year’s state pension triple lock. As already higher than the 2.5% minimum, pensioners now await September’s inflation figure, due mid-October. Posted on Tuesday Sep 16
32% of people said they thought they would need an inheritance to have enough income to live on in retirement. 44% said they wouldn’t need one and a further 24% said they were unsure. Younger people were more likely to think they would need an inheritance, with 39% of those aged 18-54 saying so. This compares to one in five (21%) of those aged over 55. It can be challenging relying on an inheritance to fund retirement as people’s plans and wishes may change. Posted on Monday Sep 15
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) have responded to the HMRC consultation on draft legislation relating to inheritance tax on pensions. Posted on Monday Sep 15
Fed set to cut rates for the first time this year after 10 months, fuelling global stock market highs. AI optimism and strong earnings are powering a rally from Asia to the US. UK and Europe face hurdles as sticky inflation and fiscal pressures complicate the path for rate cuts outside the US. Posted on Monday Sep 15
There have been funding level improvements between 2022 and 2025 according to Hymans Robertson’s initial valuation results for 35 English & Welsh (E&W) LGPS funds. The analysis shows, however, that changes in funding levels within the LGPS will be varied at the 2025 valuation. Posted on Monday Sep 15
With millions across the UK facing a pension crisis, PensionBee is sounding the alarm on Pension Awareness Day, urging the government and the freshly relaunched Pensions Commission to protect the nation's 'invisible workforce'. Posted on Monday Sep 15
Only 41% of the 3 million+ working people aged 60-69 agreed they feel prepared for retirement. Almost the same proportion - 36% - said they do not feel prepared. Figures raise concerns about take-up of pre-retirement support, says Just Group Posted on Monday Sep 15
Pension Awareness Day (Monday 15th September 2025) is a key reminder for people to take action and review their retirement savings to get a realistic sense of their pension options. Posted on Monday Sep 15
Twice as many UK workers want a sabbatical than have taken one – with Gen X (44-59) showing the biggest gap between desire and reality. Health and wellbeing are the top motivators: among those who would consider a sabbatical, 57% say they’d use the time to recharge and reflect. Financial and structural barriers persist, with 45% citing affordability and 22% pointing to lack of employer support as key obstacles. Posted on Thursday Sep 11
Thousands of pension transfers are being held up unnecessarily by providers who are raising flags for transfers that have no real scam risks, according to new analysis. Posted on Thursday Sep 11
31% of UK adults have increased their monthly pension contributions beyond the minimum, and 10% have made one-off lump sum payments. Standard Life analysis finds boosting monthly contributions by just 2% could result in £52,000 more in retirement. Making one-off payments of £1,000 every five years could add £21,000 to your pension pot Posted on Wednesday Sep 10
Projected losses from poorly informed pension transfer decisions have increased by half a billion pounds in just 18 months, according to new analysis from People’s Pension Posted on Wednesday Sep 10
PensionBee has released its annual Pension Landscape for 2025. Based on analysis of more than 285,000 PensionBee customers as at June 2025, it reveals the substantial differences in average pension pot sizes, depending on a saver’s age, gender and location. Posted on Wednesday Sep 10
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