18 March 2015 We had the Pensions Revolution last year, now comes the Savings Revolution 95% of savers will pay no tax on their savings – will be popular 5m will be allowed to sell their annuity – that’s great news But cutting Lifetime Allowance for pensions is really bad policy Lifetime limit should only apply to DB, but abolished for DC So there we have it. The last Budget before the General Election. A mix of moves to please…
24 February 2015 Protecting pensioner benefits is politically astute but also makes some sense for now Tinkering with the current package of benefits is not a solution – they could be taxed or paid from a later age, but the whole system should be rationalised A proper assessment of all later life support is needed – including social care If the Government just stops paying pensioner benefits such as Winter Fuel Payments or free TV licences, this would be the…
17 September 2014 Over 50s are being left behind as policymakers focus on the young Older people also need special help to get back to work and overcome ageism Subsidised apprenticeships and retraining schemes can help Sharp fall in unemployment: The latest unemployment figures, just released by the ONS, show a continuing picture of rapidly falling unemployment. This is great news, however the statistics also confirm that the over 50s continue to lag behind. Ageism in the workplace continues: It…
12 August 2014 It is certainly a problem that many people lose track of old pension entitlements and, especially if husbands have passed away, widows will often be left without anything from their husband’s pension unless they are aware of what his entitlement was. If husbands have died relatively young, a defined benefit pension scheme would provide some money for the widow and a defined contribution scheme could pay out a tax free sum, but widows would need to to…
The table below summarises the changes confirmed today, what the system was like before the Budget, how it works in the interim period up to April 2015 and what is planned when the full flexibility starts next April: Policy Before Budget Interim changes up to April 2015 Full flexibility from April 2015 AGE: when you can access your pension fund Age 55 Age 55 Age 55 – rising to age 57 from 2028 WITHDRAWING SOME MONEY: The rules on taking…
Older workers can be the key to economic growth Over 700,000 people may retire each year – helping them stay at work means more income to businesses and individuals Working just one year longer would add 1% to economic growth for the nation I am delighted to have been appointed as the Government’s Older Workers Champion. Having worked on the issues surrounding rethinking retirement and extending working lives for many years, I am delighted to be able to play a…
10 June 2014 Here is my response to the Treasury’s consultation on the issues relating to transfers from Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution pension schemes. Members of unfunded public sector schemes will no longer be allowed to transfer, however members of funded schemes should be able to take their money out. Here are my thoughts Transfers should be permitted from funded DB schemes to DC schemes Some schemes could benefit from members transferring small entitlements due to the savings in…
Yet another report highlighting the crisis in social care The NHS could be bankrupted by failing to address social care properly – Government needs to introduce incentives to save for care Minimum wage, appalling working conditions and constant cost-cutting by private firms and councils leads to sub-standard care Integrate social care with healthcare – why the artificial distinction? Yet another report is released today highlighting the inadequacies of our social care system. Baroness Kingsmill has rightly highlighted the ongoing…