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Retirement savings longevity

13 Apr 2020

Are you facing a pensions challenge?

We all want to ensure we have sufficient funds when we retire so we can spend our time the way that we want to. But how realistic are your current retirement plans?

Our average life expectancy will soon exceed 90 years for the first time ever, according to an international study[1] that suggests people will be living far longer in 2030, with the gap between men and women starting to close. This then raises the very important question: who will live longer, you or your pension?
These improvements in life expectancy reflect the advances in medicine and public health, as well as rising standards of living, better education, improved nutrition and changes in lifestyle. This will mean that as time goes by, you will need to reconsider your financial plans to keep everything on track.

Having enough to see you through your later years
There is no commonly accepted definition of when old age begins. For some, the cut-off for when old age starts is 65 years, but this is somewhat arbitrary and is often simply associated with the age one can begin to receive a pension and other benefits. But how will living longer affect your retirement plans? Will you have enough to see you through your later years?

This is particularly concerning in this day and age, because increased longevity means higher retirement savings will be necessary to avoid running out of money. Much will be dependent on how much monthly income you draw from your pension pot and if you take any lump sum payments.

Maintaining your standard of living in retirement
Retirement could last for 30 years or more depending on when you retire and how long you live. Your income in retirement is likely to come from several sources including your State Pension, any other pensions you’ve built up while working, and any savings and investments you have.

Prices tend to rise over time, so if you want to maintain your standard of living, you’ll need your retirement income to keep pace with inflation. The State Pension increases by at least the rate of inflation each year, and if you receive a retirement income from a past employer, this often rises by the rate of inflation or a set amount each year.

Enough money to live on for the whole of your retirement
If you’ll need to rely on your savings and investments to boost your income, you’ll probably also need to increase the amount you take from these over the years if you want your income to go as far as it used to. But if you take more income than your savings and investments earn each year, you will gradually reduce your capital.

The longer this goes on, the less savings you’ll have and the greater the risk of these running out. So before you give up work, you need to make sure these will provide you with enough money to live on for the whole of your retirement.

Source data:
[1] www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2816%2932381-9/fulltext

ACCESSING PENSION BENEFITS EARLY MAY IMPACT ON LEVELS OF RETIREMENT INCOME AND YOUR ENTITLEMENT TO CERTAIN MEANS TESTED BENEFITS AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE. YOU SHOULD SEEK ADVICE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR OPTIONS AT RETIREMENT.

INFORMATION IS BASED ON OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF TAXATION LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS. ANY LEVELS AND BASES OF, AND RELIEFS FROM, TAXATION ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

TAX RULES ARE COMPLICATED, SO YOU SHOULD ALWAYS OBTAIN PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.

A PENSION IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT.

THE FUND VALUE MAY FLUCTUATE AND CAN GO DOWN, WHICH WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE LEVEL OF PENSION BENEFITS AVAILABLE. PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT A RELIABLE INDICATOR OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

PENSIONS ARE NOT NORMALLY ACCESSIBLE UNTIL AGE 55. YOUR PENSION INCOME COULD ALSO BE AFFECTED BY INTEREST RATES AT THE TIME YOU TAKE YOUR BENEFITS. THE TAX IMPLICATIONS OF PENSION WITHDRAWALS WILL BE BASED ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES, TAX LEGISLATION AND REGULATION, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE.

Footnote: Our belief is that all finacial advice should be tailored to your particular needs and situation. The content of the articles featured in here are for your general information and use only; they are not intended to address your particular requirements or constitute a full and authoritative statement of the law. They should not be relied upon in their entirety and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute advice. Although endeavours have been made to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No individual or company should act upon such information without receiving appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of their particular situation. Please get in touch to meet with us for a full consultation.

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