Pensions - Articles - Happy 113th Birthday: Comment on Britain's oldest person

 “Many congratulations to Mrs Hermiston-Hooper on her birthday.

 “Many factors influence how long people live and, although many people know that we are all likely to be living longer than ever before, many still tend to underestimate how long they might live. It is important to consider this when making plans for retirement.

 “The number of people living beyond the age of 100 is growing and the new pension rules have increased choice which can often lead to greater complexity for the people making decisions of how to use their pension savings. Getting the right help is vital and the government -backed Pension Wise service is the right starting point for those who are unsure. For the vast majority of people average life expectancy is a meaningless statistic and trying to estimate how long an individual will live is an impossible task. The only way to guarantee that pension income lasts for an entire lifetime is to secure a guaranteed income with some of their pension savings by selecting a financial product that keep on paying as long as the person lives.”