At some point in the next 20 or so years some government of whatever colour has to address the state pension issue and not just tinker around with it at its current level.

Current thinking (for the last ten or so years) has been that eventually there will be no state pension, my own daughters are not expecting there to be such a thing when they retire - this is not a workable scenario for as anyone who has tried to invest in a genuinely "private" pension (ie its not partly funded by your employer but only by yourself and a bank or similar pretend to "invest" it for you) will know, this type of "investment" is like throwing confetti in the air on a blustery day, you haven't a clue where it will land and if, for example, you are 65 today and your private pension scheme was required right now, then frankly you'd be fooked.

Its never going to work until we get back to the understanding that pensions should be at a level where a retirement lifestyle is possible and they should be provided as a state benefit/entitlement and not an investment.

Damned right.

Quote ="McLaren_Field"At some point in the next 20 or so years some government of whatever colour has to address the state pension issue and not just tinker around with it at its current level. Current thinking (for the last ten or so years) has been that eventually there will be no state pension, my own daughters are not expecting there to be such a thing when they retire - this is not a workable scenario for as anyone who has tried to invest in a genuinely "private" pension (ie its not partly funded by your employer but only by yourself and a bank or similar pretend to "invest" it for you) will know, this type of "investment" is like throwing confetti in the air on a blustery day, you haven't a clue where it will land and if, for example, you are 65 today and your private pension scheme was required right now, then frankly you'd be fooked. Its never going to work until we get back to the understanding that pensions should be at a level where a retirement lifestyle is possible and they should be provided as a state benefit/entitlement and not an investment.'" Interesting EU comparison at eoin-clarke.blogspot.com/2011/11 ... ne-of.html

Quote ="McLaren_Field"At some point in the next 20 or so years some government of whatever colour has to address the state pension issue and not just tinker around with it at its current level. Current thinking (for the last ten or so years) has been that eventually there will be no state pension, my own daughters are not expecting there to be such a thing when they retire - this is not a workable scenario for as anyone who has tried to invest in a genuinely "private" pension (ie its not partly funded by your employer but only by yourself and a bank or similar pretend to "invest" it for you) will know, this type of "investment" is like throwing confetti in the air on a blustery day, you haven't a clue where it will land and if, for example, you are 65 today and your private pension scheme was required right now, then frankly you'd be fooked. Its never going to work until we get back to the understanding that pensions should be at a level where a retirement lifestyle is possible and they should be provided as a state benefit/entitlement and not an investment.'" Interesting EU comparison at eoin-clarke.blogspot.com/2011/11 ... ne-of.html

Quote ="tb"Interesting EU comparison at eoin-clarke.blogspot.com/2011/11 ... ne-of.html'" Quite a sober read, I don't expect to be able to retire (for financial reasons) until I am 70 years of age but by the time that comes around (15 years) I think it will be the norm, which is very different from the scenario that was painted by NatWest when they sold me two bogus pension schemes 15 years ago, according to them I should be retiring anytime from this year onwards

Quote ="tb"Interesting EU comparison at eoin-clarke.blogspot.com/2011/11 ... ne-of.html'" Quite a sober read, I don't expect to be able to retire (for financial reasons) until I am 70 years of age but by the time that comes around (15 years) I think it will be the norm, which is very different from the scenario that was painted by NatWest when they sold me two bogus pension schemes 15 years ago, according to them I should be retiring anytime from this year onwards