Month: August 2012

Call it what you will – ‘crisis’ and ‘time bomb’ are two of the most widely used phrases – the fact that a major problem with pensions is looming has long been acknowledged in the UK. The simple fact is that outside the public sector, most people are simply not making adequate provision for their...

Private school fees have increased by an average of 68% in the past decade, a rate of growth almost twice the rate of increase in the Retail Price Index (37%) over the same period, according to recent research by Lloyds TSB Private Banking.

A recent national survey by Opinium Research looked into the expectations that people have about their income after retiring from work. The survey gathered respondents’ opinions according to age and gender across three age ranges – under35’s; 35–54 years and over 55’s, and in relation to ten potential retirement funding areas.

A recent survey, conducted by Friends Life, has revealed that the vast majority (89%) of those enrolled in the company’s corporate pension scheme would advise starting to save for retirement before the age of 25.

After a legal challenge, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that ‘gender discrimination’ is illegal when deciding how much people pay for their insurance and the income they receive from their pensions when they retire. There are now changes to the UK Equality Act to implement the judgement – the Gender Directive, by the...

Traditionally, one of the biggest bones of contention with pensions – both from advisers and savers alike – was the compulsion to take an annuity from your pension fund at age 75. Money was locked away in a pension fund and then you had to take an annuity.

Last year it was Greece: this year, it’s Spain. Summer comes around, and with it comes another European country in crisis. On July 23rd the Spanish government had to ban short-selling of shares, bond yields reached unprecedented levels and it looked like the whole country – not just the banks – would need a bailout....