UK Archives - Page 9 of 188 - Pension Policy International

28JanJanuary 28, 2026

UK. Calls for free pension health checks to prevent ‘retirement under-savings crisis’

Pension savers should be offered free retirement funds “health checks” to help avert a potential retirement under-savings crisis, a think tank is urging. The Social Market Foundation (SMF), along with savings and investment firm M&G, is calling for health checks to be integrated directly into pensions dashboards, so that on viewing their pension information, savers would be offered the option of a free, personalised guidance session. Plans are already in place for pensions dashboards, which will allow people to see all...

January 28, 2026

NewsRegulation, UK

27JanJanuary 27, 2026

UK. Pension contributions influence retention but fall short of employee expectations: Penfold

Almost nine in ten UK employees say their workplace pension influences whether they stay with their current employer, but employers treated pensions as a compliance exercise rather than as a strategic element of employee wellbeing, according to new research from workplace pension provider Penfold. The data is drawn from Penfold’s Retirement Reality Check report, based on surveys of 2,000 UK employees and 500 small and medium-sized businesses. The findings underline the growing importance of pensions in recruitment and retention at...

January 27, 2026

NewsOccupational Pensions, UK

27JanJanuary 27, 2026

UK. Pensions and financial inclusion: Time to join forces

Towards the end of last year, the government published its Financial Inclusion Strategy. This rightly focuses on building resilience through a range of measures, including banking access, savings, insurance, credit and debt support. These are bolstered by proposals for compulsory financial education in primary schools. However, pensions are noticeably absent from the core framework. This is despite the fact that pensions form the cornerstone of long-term financial security. On the one hand, this separation makes sense, as the revived Pensions Commission and...

January 27, 2026

NewsFinancial Inclusion, Informal Sector, UK

26JanJanuary 26, 2026

UK. Men end up with four times more in their pension pots than women by 60 – this is why it happens

Men end up with almost four times as much in their pension pots by the age of 60, according to official figures. But the gulf between men and women's pensions boils down to 'entrenched systemic barriers' rather than a lack of financial confidence, a new report claims. Men hold a median total of £75,000 in defined contribution pension pots just ahead of reaching 60, compared to £19,000 for women, figures from the Department for Work and Pensions published last July showed. Its...

January 26, 2026

NewsGender Gap, UK

23JanJanuary 23, 2026

UK. Pensions system fails many women, university report finds

A new report from the University of Edinburgh says the UK pensions system and financial advice sector must be redesigned to address a widening gap between men’s and women’s pension wealth. According to the analysis, women approaching age 60 hold 75% less in private pension savings than men of the same age. The report, supported by wealth manager Evelyn Partners, finds that women’s lower accumulations are largely driven by structural and social factors rather than a lack of confidence. Nearly 15 million people...

January 23, 2026

NewsGender Gap, savings, UK

22JanJanuary 22, 2026

UK. Pension Protection Fund names new chief risk officer

He has taken over risk functions from Dana Grey, the PPF’s chief governance, risk and legal officer. Lee joins the PPF from HSBC where he worked for more than 11 years, latterly as global head of pension and insurance traded risk, based in Hong Kong. He was primarily responsible for overseeing the financial services giant’s global insurance business and its employee pension plans. He also worked for more than a decade for the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, and previously worked...

January 22, 2026

NewsRegulation, UK

21JanJanuary 21, 2026

The FCA Is Overhauling UK Pensions Advice, But Will Savers Benefit?

New rules will allow pension and investment providers to make “targeted support” recommendations to certain groups of customers. The rules come into effect from April 6 as a solution to the so-called “advice gap”. Some commentators are concerned about the risk to consumers as the government pushes to get more people investing. 2026 will be the year that “once-in-a-generation” regulatory changes transform UK retirement planning and enhance people’s ability to make long-term decisions about their pensions—or so the Financial...

January 21, 2026

NewsRegulation, UK

20JanJanuary 20, 2026

UK savers need extra £23bn a year to hit 12% pension target, says Bowmore

New research from Bowmore Financial Planning, part of Bowmore Wealth Group, has indicated that UK savers are falling short of recommended pension contributions. Bowmore’s analysis of HMRC data for 2022–23 suggests savers would need to contribute 12% of their annual salary to meet guidance from Pensions UK. However, the company estimates that reaching this level would require around £23bn in additional pension contributions each year. Bowmore Wealth Group’s review of HMRC data on incomes and pension contributions shows that private sector workers...

January 20, 2026

Newssavings, UK

19JanJanuary 19, 2026

UK. DWP says thousands missing out on extra £80 per week

Recent figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reveal that almost a million pensioner households may be failing to claim an average of £4,300 a year - or around £80 a week - in benefit income to which they are entitled. As many as 910,000 households eligible for Pension Credit failed to claim the benefit, resulting in approximately £2.5 billion remaining unclaimed. In an effort to help more individuals above State Pension age obtain additional financial assistance in the...

January 19, 2026

NewsRegulation, UK

16JanJanuary 16, 2026

UK. Most self-employed and freelancers failing to save for retirement, Aviva research finds

New research from Aviva reveals a worrying gap in retirement planning among the UK’s self-employed, freelancers, and digital nomads - groups that are increasingly shaping and driving the modern workforce. Just over a third (34%) of digital nomads – those who use technology to work remotely while travelling and living in various locations, rather than being in a single office – are actively saving into a pension or retirement plan. The picture is only slightly better for the self-employed (38%)...

January 16, 2026

NewsRetirement Planning, UK

January 2026