SavvyWoman : Money & Retirement : Private Pensions

The FSA is warning people about the risk of unregulated investments in self invested personal pensions or SIPPs.

The FSA says it believes consumers are being advised to invest some of their retirement money into unregulated investments through a self invested personal pension.

Self invested personal pensions (SIPPs) – is the DIY approach the right one for your pension?

Self invested personal pensions give you control over your retirement fund, but how exactly do they work?

Stakeholder pensions from different providers may look similar - until you scratch beneath the surface.

If you’re thinking of taking out a stakeholder pension and don't know what to look for, here are some suggestions.

Where to get help when choosing a stakeholder pension

If you think a stakeholder pension might be suitable for you, the next stage is to choose one.

Stakeholder pensions: who should have one?

Stakeholder pensions are flexible pensions that you can take out privately or you may be offered through your work.

The new pensions minister says that private sector final salary pensions may rise by CPI in the future.

Steve Webb, the pensions minister, says that many private sector final salary pensions won’t have to increase payments to pensioners by RPI, as they currently do.

The government says that public sector pensions must be reformed. What could this mean for workers?

Public sector schemes can only be changed by parliament, but the government has made no secret of the fact it wants to save money.

The government says it wants to bring forward raising the state pension age to 66. The question is, when?

The state pension age for women is increasing from 60 to 65 in the next ten years, but the government wants it to rise to 66.

The state pension age is gradually being increased from 60 to 65 - are you affected?

From April 6th, the state pension age for women began to increase from 60 to 65 over a ten-year period.

Changes to state pension rules mean you'll get a full state pension with only 30 years’ National Insurance contributions.

On April 6th, major reforms of the state pension service took effect including a reduction in the number of years you need to pay NI to get a full pension.

If you’ve not made enough National Insurance contributions to get a full basic state pension, you can top them up.

Many women lose out on a full basic state pension because they haven’t paid enough National Insurance contributions and in some cases, you can top up your NI without handing over a penny.

New rules introduced in April have made it easier for carers to qualify for a state pension.

Hundreds of thousands of carers don’t currently qualify for credits towards their state pension, but that’s about to change.

How to increase your state pension using your husband’s National Insurance record.

Many women don’t realise that they have the right to claim a state pension based on their husband’s National Insurance record, even if they’re divorced.

The state pension system changed on April 6th 2010, but some women will still lose out

Figures show that only half of women receive the full basic state pension, while the vast majority of men do and reforms due in April won’t help everyone.

The government has announced it’s getting rid of the default retirement age at 65. What will that mean for older employees?

Many people want to work beyond the age of 65, but under the current rules employers don’t have to let them. That’s planned to change in October 2011.

The government is going to abolish the need to buy an annuity at the age of 75 and is consulting on how to go about it.

The government says that from next April, you won’t have to buy an annuity by the age of 75 with your pension. The question is, what will we have to do instead?

Approaching retirement; how to prepare.

If you’re coming up to retirement, there are several steps you should take in the years before you stop work.

Falling annuity rates are bad news for women who are retiring and who need to buy a pension income.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a final salary pension, you will have to buy your own retirement income; and the amount you would get is down 10% on a year ago.

Getting the most from your annuity; maximising your retirement income

If you understand a little about the choices you have at retirement, you can squeeze the maximum out of your pension

New research shows women aren’t saving enough for retirement, especially women aged 50 and over.

A combination of the recession and falling confidence in pensions resulted in a sharp reduction in the amount that women over 50 are saving for retirement.

Your tax-free pension lump sum; how much should you take and where should you invest it?

If you have an occupational or private pension, you’re able to take some of your pension fund as a tax-free lump sum. The question is, what should you do with it?

The FSA says half a million people have been encouraged to switch their pensions when it was bad advice.

The FSA says some firms have given bad advice, but that doesn't mean that pension switching is always the wrong thing to do.

Most of us put off saving for retirement, but research shows women retire on far less than men.

If you’re saving enough for your retirement, you’re in the minority as most women don’t. Whatever you do, don’t rely on the state pension.

Retirement saving options if you can't join a work-based pension scheme

If you can’t join a work-based pension scheme, you’ll have to sort out your own retirement plan, but that doesn’t have to be a pension.

Most of us aren’t saving enough for our retirement so why not top up your company pension scheme?

Money may not be able to buy you a happy retirement, but it will give you far more options about how you spend your time.

How to protect your company pension as you approach retirement.

While some people take a keen interest in their company pension, many of us don’t. But it’s worth checking that your pension is on track as you approach retirement.

The 6th of April saw a major shake up of the state pensions system.

On April 6th this year, there were a number of reforms to state pensions which will have the biggest effect on women.

If you’ve got a financial complaint, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help.

Last year the Financial Ombudsman Service resolved over 160,000 complaints. Could it help you?

Easy steps to claim your state pension

Claiming your state pension should be straightforward and you have a choice about when you take it

Shopping around for a pension income. Make sure you shop around for an annuity when you retire.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a final salary pension, you’ll have to shop around to make sure you get the best payout when you retire.

Why you should monitor your pension

Don’t be tempted to pay into your retirement fund and ignore it. Check you’re on track from time to time.

With several high profile companies weighed down by huge pension deficits, how are you protected if things go wrong?

If you’re a member of a final salary pension and your employer goes bust, you should be covered by a pensions safety net. But how does it work?

Understanding risk in retirement

Whether you’re a risk taker or cautious by nature, retirement is not the time to start gambling with your money

The seven deadly sins of retirement

If you’ve retired or are near retirement, it’s more important than ever to keep your money as safe as you can

Joining your company pension

If you haven’t already joined your employer’s pension scheme, it’s worth thinking about – otherwise you could be throwing away free money

Keeping track of your company pensions

If you’ve changed job several times you may have lost track of your pensions, but there are organisations that can help