January 2024

Over the past 12 months, the cost-of-living crisis has put significant pressure on household budgets and knocked many people’s confidence in their future financial prospects. Research, however, shows that planning is a key driver of positivity about our financial futures; so, as a new year dawns, now seems the perfect time to take stock of your finances and formulate a plan to help you achieve your retirement goals.

Plan, plan, plan

Although decisions around retirement are arguably the most critical people have to make during their whole lives, research¹ suggests only half of over-50s with pension entitlements other than the State Pension have actually formulated a detailed plan. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also found that those with a plan were much more confident about securing a comfortable retirement than those who do not have one.

Gender gap

The research also found clear evidence of a gender gap with men generally more confident about their prospects for a comfortable retirement than their female counterparts. It also found that the cost-of-living crisis has been a key driver of low confidence, with half of the sample stating that it has either slightly or significantly worsened their chances of a comfortable retirement.

Triple default trap

People without a plan are also more likely to get stuck with their default pension settings. Recent years are thought to have seen a sharp rise in the number of triple defaulters who ‘set and forget’ their pension choices, with millions of auto-enrolled 32-40 year olds failing to update their contributions, investment choices or target retirement age. Even relatively small tweaks to one or more of these default choices could potentially boost a pension pot by thousands of pounds.

Here to support you

The evidence clearly shows that formulating a plan is the key to boosting confidence in your financial future. So, let’s kick 2024 off on a positive footing – get in touch and we’ll help you develop a plan capable of securing the rewarding retirement you deserve.

1Nucleus Financial Platforms, 2023

The value of investments and income from them may go down. You may not get back the original amount invested. A pension is a long-term investment. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down. Your eventual income may depend on the size of the fund at retirement, future interest rates and tax legislation.