This.
I have way too many things to occupy my time, work simply gets in the way.
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Exactly. How anyone can do nothing is beyond me.
fuck me, theyāre taking over, or should that be under? 
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VB
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I just registered online for my pensions, so could see them all together. Itās quite scary.
If low investment growth is assumed, then in order to reach their suggested target income (which is about 2/3 my current income), then I would need to put in Ā£10,800 per month for the next 18 years.
This makes me think two things: firstly how lucky those with final salary schemes are, and secondly why so many final salary schemes are up shit creek.
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How did you do that? Which website?
With the actual providers
I keep a manual spreadsheet with the plan numbers of my personal pensions. I update the value based on the annual statement they send me.
Itās not very much, but at least the house will paid off in good time.
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There must be something wrong there. Ignoring the interest and dividend earnings that your payments would generate 18x12x10800=2.3 million approximately. At 3% that Ā£2.3million pays you Ā£70K per year without touching the capital!
Mine would about pay off the mortgage now, so effectively Iām borrowing a huge sum to invest tax-free in equities!
Fuck all growth and low annuity rates, thatās the future of the UK economy I reckon!
Why focus on the UK? We have a hefty chunk in ETF products that track overseas equity and fixed income indices but are traded in Ā£ in the UK. They produce very decent returns over 3-5 years at almost zero cost. If you think yields will stay low, then cost-minimisation is really important.
You would have to be fairly special to want to buy an annuity. They are unbelievably poor value for money unless you are sure you are going to live long enough to get a birthday card from whoever is on the throne when you turn 100.
Get yourself some serious independent financial advice from somebody licenced with a lengthy track record. That is, pay for the advice to be confident that you are not being shafted by some commission hungry shite who is likely to fuck you over.
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My pensions have actually doubled in the last 4 years (all money purchase). I am Ā£12K richer this week apparently.
The web sites always look at shit returns and are pessimistic, as they want more of your money to invest.
15 years ago I made a decision not to invest in UK based funds and this is why I am getting such high growth. 1/3 US, 1/3 Far East and 1/3 EU. Just because you are in the UK doesnāt mean you have to invest in UK based funds FFS. Do your research and move them.
Personally I am going for the draw down pension option, but that is your choice.
Yeah my best performing investments have been smaller companies, UK, EU and global, and ethical has done well as well. I have quite a high risk/return portfolio, and have just moved the current pension over to this - it was on a ābalanced lifestyleā default, which isnāt really me!
And thereās no chance Iāll be buying an annuity, that was merely for illustration. Having had the medicines Iāve had, my life is likely to be well shorter than expectations for my current age, location etc.
My view is that a pension gets you to 85 and then after that you are fucked anyway and donāt care.
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and if you have any hip replacements they can recycle them 
I married a nurse who is 15 years younger than me, thatās my pension right there. I have a number of sad, limp investments that never seem to be worth anything more year after year and some new government mandated thing that is allegedly accessible via the internet but the webshite never works.
My father died in his late 60ās after multiple heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, etc. My mother is in her early 80ās and still going strong, keeps her garden and allotment on point and has all her faculties, the only blip being a mild heart attack in her 60ās.
Iād prefer to be sitting in a council oap midden, remembering that time I got utterly fucked on the random contents of a mates wallet or that amazing holiday I had with my family when I was able to enjoy it, rather than sit on the deck of an expensive cruise ship in my 90ās, on a bath chair, wrapped in a tartan rug in 40 degree heat alone because Iāve just shat myself and canāt do anything about it.
I already have an atrial flutter and rattle when I walk thankās to all the medication I take to control it (catheter ablation is scheduled but at the whim of the local NHS), no cancer, diabetes or anything else even though Iām a prime candidate for all of it.
I have made the concession that being 24 stone and wheezing when I walk upstairs to put my son to bed is not a good role model for him so Iām losing weight and hitting the gym every day but only so that I can enjoy life while iām still able.
All in all I never expect not to have to work and will probably drop dead āon the jobā so to speak but I do hope that I can scale back my work to freelance or self funded projects later, if not, stacking shelves in tescos it isā¦
If that happens to me Narelle gets a tidy lump sum plus my final salary pension. Itās not all bad.
me too with Louise who is 9 years younger than me. Death in service is probably worth more to her, than if I snuffed it after retirementā¦
Generally for pensions spouses only get 50% of the pension that the payee would have got.