Should we be so surprised in the rise of pension age?

Should we be so surprised in the rise of pension age?

As the Government announces a review of the state pension age, Jason Hollands, Managing Director of Tilney Bestinvest, questions whether we should be surprised by this move.

“The Government review into the State Pension Age, to be chaired by Sir John Cridland, has certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons with a potential shake-up meaning millions of us will have to work much longer, possibly until we are in our mid-seventies before getting access to a state pension. Such a move would be a very explicit recognition of the pensions time bomb that has been much talked of over the years, as the UK’s pension system – and broader welfare state – is simply becoming unsustainable.

“Yet should anyone be surprised if the State Pension Age is hiked? Ultimately such a move reflects the significant improvements in life expectancy and the need for state pension system to play catch up. In the early 1990s, on average UK males lived to 73 years of age and women to 78-years. Now the average life expectancy has risen six years for men to 79 and for women to 83-years. According to the UK Medical Research Council by 2030 life expectancy is expected to jump yet further to 85 for men and 87 for women.

“However, a real concern has to be what a hike in the State Pensions Age might mean for the minimum age at which someone with private pension can draw their benefits, which is currently 55-years of age. This has historically been linked to the State Pension Age, so if a hike in the state retirement age has a knock-on impact for private pensions, this could have consequences for those who aspire to retirement in their fifties, and who are prepared to make financial provision to achieve this.

“With this prospect and yet another savage cut in the pension lifetime allowance shortly being implemented, it is vital for those aspiring to early retirement to look “beyond pensions” to ISAs and other investments, as part of a broader retirement planning strategy. More than ever before, pensions can only be part of the jigsaw.”

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Important Information:

The value of investments, and the income derived from them, can go down as well as up and you can get back less than you originally invested.

This article is not advice to invest or to use our services. If you are in doubt as to the suitability of an investment please contact one of our advisers.

If you are unsure of your options you should seek professional financial advice or visit Pensionwise.gov.uk.

Press contacts:

Jason Hollands
0207 189 9919 / 07768 661382
jason.hollands@tilneybestinvest.co.uk

Gillian Kyle
0203 818 6846 / 07989 650 604
gillian.kyle@tilneybestinvest.co.uk

About Tilney Bestinvest

Tilney Bestinvest is a leading investment and financial planning firm that builds on a heritage of more than 150 years. We look after more than £9 billion of assets on our clients’ behalf and pride ourselves on offering the very highest levels of professional client service with transparent, competitive pricing across our entire range of solutions.

We offer a range of services for clients whether they would like to have their investments managed by us, require the support of a highly qualified adviser, prefer to make their own investment decisions or want to take more than one approach. We also have a nationwide team of expert financial planners to help clients with all aspects of financial planning, including retirement planning.

We have won numerous awards including Stockbroker of the Year, Execution-only Stockbroker of the Year and Self-select ISA Provider of the Year 2015, as voted by readers of the Financial Times and Investors Chronicle. We are pleased that our greatest source of new business is personal referrals from existing clients.

Headquartered in Mayfair, London, Tilney Bestinvest employs over 400 staff across our network of offices, giving us full UK coverage, and we combine our award-winning research and expertise to provide a personalised service to clients whatever their investment needs.

The Tilney Bestinvest Group of Companies comprises the firms Bestinvest (Brokers) Ltd (Reg. No. 2830297), Tilney Investment Management (Reg. No. 02010520), Bestinvest (Consultants) Ltd (Reg. No. 1550116) and HW Financial Services Ltd (Reg. No. 02030706) all of which are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: 6 Chesterfield Gardens, Mayfair, W1J 5BQ.

For further information, please visit: www.tilneybestinvest.co.uk