More than a quarter (27 per cent) [1] of UK adults with a private pension have stopped making payments into their fund since 2008 because of tough economic conditions. One in five (21 per cent) of those aged 55 years or older have dipped into their retirement savings since 2008.
A practical consequence of living longer is that retirement lasts longer. Pensions have to stretch further. Pension legislation is always on the move but keeping up to date with the latest changes could open up new opportunities for you in retirement. In April 2011, some of the most significant changes in pension legislation for five years were announced. Some of these changes have created the very appealing prospect, for people aged 55 and over, of gaining much more control over when and how they can use their retirement savings.
The Future of Long Term Care report, launched by retirement specialist LV=, shows that as life expectancy in the UK increases, the number of people who will need to make use of formal long-term care services will grow from 840,184 today to 1.1 million by 2025, an increase of 37 per cent.
Awareness of ‘protection’ products is high but a worrying number of people are failing to take action, leaving their families vulnerable to change. Research from Scottish Widows shows that nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of people are putting their families’ financial security at risk by failing to protect their future through life insurance, critical illness or income protection.
Research [1] from Schroders reveals that just 26 per cent (10.3 million) of Britons believe they will be better off than their parents’ generation when they retire. The findings reveal that 44 per cent (17.2 million) of people believe they will be worse off in retirement than their parents, fostering feelings of jealousy of a perceived ‘golden generation’ of pensioners who have benefited from significant gains in the value of their property and generous final salary pensions.
Inheritance tax (IHT) doesn’t only affect the very wealthy. Rising property prices over the past few decades have meant it’s now an issue for an increasing number of people in the UK. So what steps can you take to ensure that your money goes to your loved ones and not to the taxman?
Many investors may have had a roller-coaster ride recently. Fallout from the eurozone crisis has created the most turbulent period in world stock markets since the downturn began in 2008. However, amid all this gloom there is some good news. The simple truth is that volatility is a fact of investment life; you’re often better served staying in the markets over the long term than pulling out. Here’s why, and how, you can do it.
Risk is a fact of life for any investor. Thanks to inflation, there’s even risk in doing nothing. To earn rewards you have to assume some level of risk. If you minimise risk you may also minimise your chance of achieving your goals.
You may decide to use a trust to pass assets to beneficiaries, particularly those who aren’t immediately able to look after their own affairs. If you do use a trust to give something away, this removes it from your estate provided you don’t use it or get any benefit from it. But bear in mind that gifts into trust may be liable to inheritance tax (IHT).
Effective inheritance tax planning could save your beneficiaries thousands of pounds, maybe even hundreds of thousands depending on the size of your estate. At its simplest, inheritance tax (IHT) is the tax payable on your estate when you die if the value of your estate exceeds a certain amount.