The onwards march of ‘pretirement’ – where people scale back on work or slow their retirement plans down rather than giving up entirely – is continuing, with half (50%) of those retiring this year considering working past State Pension age.
It’s bad news for romantics, according to the latest annual research[1] into the retirement aspirations and financial planning of UK couples aged 40 and over. This identifies that nearly one in three couples (31%) have secret savings or investments that they have deliberately started without telling their partner or spouse. And it’s not just a few pounds, as 7% admit to hiding savings of over £50,000.
Extra flexibility over your pension savings in retirement
It’s never too early – or too late – to start saving for your future. With retirement planning, it is important to take into account the fact we’re all living longer. Couple that with the fact that the cost of living continues to rise, and the value of the State Pension continues to dwindle – this provides a very strong case for starting to save early for your future.
Without planning ahead, the cost can be a huge money sink
While many parents value the standard of education offered by independent schools or universities, the costs can be daunting. However, with careful planning, it may be possible to avoid a huge outstanding student loan or tax burden.
With so much choice on offer, and with frequent rule changes and distinct tax benefits to consider, finding the right vehicle for your retirement planning is essential.
Peace of mind knowing that your family is protected
It’s understandable that we would rather not think of the time when we’re no longer around. But it’s important to protect the things that really matter – like our loved ones, home and lifestyle – in case the unexpected happens.
When it comes to your life insurance, you’ve got options
‘Single life’ policies cover just one person. A ‘joint life’ policy covers two people, and when one person on the policy dies, the money is paid out and the policy ends. You will need to decide whether the joint policy pays out on first or second death, as this will determine when the policy ends.
Protecting your family’s finances by covering living expenses or replacing lost income
With term life insurance, you choose the amount you want to be insured for and the period for which you want cover. This is the most basic type of life insurance. If you die within the term, the policy pays out to your beneficiaries. If you don’t die during the term, the policy doesn’t pay out, and the premiums you’ve paid are not returned to you.
A whole-of-life insurance policy is designed to give you a specified amount of cover for the whole of your life and pays out when you die, whenever that is. Because it’s guaranteed that you’ll die at some point (and therefore that the policy will have to pay out), these policies are more expensive than term insurance policies, which only pay out if you die within a certain time frame.
It’s easy to think ‘I’d cope, that’ll never happen to me’, but most of us know someone either directly or through friends and family that has been affected. Any of us can become ill at any age – and with appropriate critical illness cover in place, it could help to give some financial security at a difficult time.
