Pensions Goth loves to explain what’s going on in pensions, what Government, industry and regulators are up to and what changes might mean for members. Pensions Goth loves cats, heavy metal music and is passionate about the truth, data and making sense of pensions.

She also tweets as #Pensions_Goth and you can find her on blue sky at @pensionsgoth.bsky.social

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Welcome to Pensions Goth Blog

Insights, stories, commentary and thoughts on pensions policy and events.

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    I love the triple lock

    I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I love the triple lock. It helps prevent poverty and increases our State Pension, which currently provides less relative to earnings than most European systems. Before the triple lock was introduced, the basic State Pension had dropped to around 16%…

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    Let’s take TPR concerns seriously

    TPR’s new report on private-market investment shows that large DC schemes and master trusts are investing more in private markets, mostly through diversified funds with exposure to private credit, infrastructure, property and private equity. Trustees told TPR that they consider UK private-market assets where these meet return, risk,…

  • Why Household Costs Indices matter for pensioners

    In April 2026, the Government said it was increasing pensioners’ incomes “faster than prices” by 4.8%. Assessing claims like this requires evidence about the costs faced by pensioners. The latest Household Costs Indices (HCIs), published on 28 August, shows us that State Pension rates did in fact rise…

  • The unresolved social care settlement

    Political focus on reducing benefit spending, and debate about deserving and undeserving claimants, have weakened the social insurance principle that costs should be shared across society to protect vulnerable people. Population ageing and lower fertility mean that care costs will increasingly be supported by fewer workers. This has…

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    Could equal parental leave help reduce the motherhood penalty?

    Having children has a lasting effect on women’s earnings. Time out, part-time work, and less likelihood of promotion when competing with those not juggling care mean that five years after the birth of a first child, mothers’ monthly earnings are on average 42% lower than one year before…

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    How did deferred pay become a financial product?

    Workplace pensions were originally developed as an employee benefit, i.e. deferred salary to support those who could no longer work. However, without changing their essential role, they have changed in conception over the past few decades into a financial product, rather than part of an employment package. My…