Pension Insights

As a means of drawing income in retirement, annuities have made a significant comeback, and for good reasons. Once considered the "forgotten" retirement product, they are now reclaiming their place at the heart of financial planning. From "Pension Freedoms" to a...

While much attention has focused on successive government freezes to personal tax thresholds, there is another long-running threshold freeze that could have similarly significant consequences for savers and retirement planning. The Success Story of Automatic Enrolment...

Reforms to pension salary sacrifice rules are not due to take effect until April 2029, but employees and employers should begin thinking about the implications now. Salary sacrifice has become increasingly common among larger employers, offering notable benefits when...

The government has launched a consultation on a new way of drawing pension benefits, adding yet another set of initials to the ever-expanding pension landscape. What Is a Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) Pension? Unless you work for Royal Mail, you may be...

Conflicting Attitudes Toward Retirement Across Generations A new report has revealed a striking disparity between when people want to retire and when they expect they realistically will. Two simple questions were asked: At what age would you like to retire? At what...

Public Unawareness of Pension Changes A new survey has revealed a high level of public unawareness of impending pension changes and the need to plan. While there is plenty of media attention on what surprises might emerge in the November Budget, new research has...

The Ingredients for the Next State Pension Increase The ingredients to determine next April’s increase in the State pension are now clear and suggest a problem deferred until the 2026 Budget. Source: DWP, HMRC How the State Pension ‘Triple Lock’ Works The basis for...

Should You Take a Lump Sum Before the Autumn Budget? If you’re considering drawing a lump sum from your pension before the Autumn Budget, you’re not alone. Many savers are weighing up their options amid ongoing speculation about possible changes to the tax-free...

Parliament's Ongoing Focus on Pension Reform Pension legislation is a constant feature of parliamentary activity in the UK. Whether it's the Chancellor adjusting tax rules or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) overhauling private or state pension frameworks,...

The Delayed Report on Salary Sacrifice for Pensions HMRC recently published a report, "Understanding the attitudes and behaviours of employers towards salary sacrifice for pensions," which, rather unusually, was based on data collected in summer 2023 and dated January...

Your Pension: Who's Really Making the Investment Decisions? The UK Government is increasingly taking an active interest in the investment strategies, or lack thereof, of pension funds across the country. Government's Tightening Financial Stance As highlighted by...

Understanding State Pension Age Changes in the UK Recent research highlights a significant lack of public awareness regarding forthcoming alterations to the State Pension Age (SPA) in the UK. This issue is particularly pertinent given the historical context of SPA...