Category: Retirement
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Economic inactivity among older people has risen in recent years, and pension flexibilities may be one contributing factor. The 2015 reforms created a financial bridge that makes it easier to leave work before State Pension age. Stopping work early used to mean relying on benefits or finding another source of income. With working-age benefits providing…
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In this interview, I talk to the inspirational Janette Weir of Ignition House about the work that companies are doing on flex first/fix later products to meet the Government’s upcoming requirements for schemes to offer default retirement income products. You can read her report (sponsored by Aviva/Age UK) for more info. PG: When did the…
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The DWP has announced that the automatic enrolment Earnings Trigger and Qualifying Earnings Band will stay the same in 2025/26 as it was in 2024/25. These affect eligibility and contribution levels and mean that: This means that as earnings increase, more people will be eligible for automatic enrolment, and people will receive and pay more…
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The energy price cap went up again on January 1st, by 1.2%. This brings the average household energy bill energy to £1,738 a year, an increase of £21 a month. This follows on from previous adjustments: Month Average annual bill for those on direct debit * January 2025 £1,738 October 2024 £1,717 July 2024 £1,568…
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According to the Financial Times, Rachel Reeves has announced that the adequacy element of the pensions review is going to be put on hold. The rationale is that a review of adequacy could result in pension contribution increases that would force employers to spend “billions of pounds” more on pensions. The Government is concerned that…
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I was so interested to read the Resolution Foundation’s (RF) Housing Outlook 2024, which highlighted that increases in Housing Costs are increasingly pushing poorer families with children below the poverty line. The RF pointed to more children growing up in the private rental sector as a key determinant and calculate that high rental costs in…