PENSIONSANDSAVINGS.COM

4 January 2017

• UK private pensions are in mortal danger – their huge benefits seem under threat
• Anyone who cares about pensions should be very, very worried
• Latest Treasury info doesn’t mention pensions when educating the public about retirement saving
• Future generations face worse later life income if Treasury succeeds in undermining pensions
• ISAs are sub-optimal way to provide for later life and will saddle future Government with rising pensioner poverty – pushing more costs onto the young
• Now is the time to promote the benefits of pensions so people understand 

The Treasury has just released an infographic for the public, which shows how to save throughout the lifecycle, but doesn’t mention the word ‘pension’. This is further evidence of the concerns I have expressed before about Treasury attitudes to pensions.  It suggests that our private pension system is under existential threat.

Treasury sees pensions as a cost, but they are a real benefit to millions of people:  During my time as Pensions Minister, there was clearly a difference of view between Treasury and DWP about private pensions.  The Treasury sees them as a cost to the Exchequer.  DWP sees them as a benefit for people to give them a better later life standard of living.  That is how most people see them and why they are so important.

Treasury trying to promote ISAs but who is promoting pensions?:  Having battled against the Lifetime ISA, it is deeply troubling to see the latest public information from the Government, talking about ‘ISAs and other savings options’ which omits to mention pensions when saving for retirement.  The huge advantages of pensions are totally ignored.

Anyone using a Lifetime ISA, instead of a pension, is likely to end up with less in later life:  Private pensions are far better than ISAs in terms of their behavioural design.  Using a pension, instead of a Lifetime ISA, should ensure you have more money in later life.  Future Governments will have to deal with the consequences of more poor pensioners, and greater strains will fall again on younger generations.

Pensions have many advantages over ISAs:  Pensions can give you free money from your employer, more Government contribution to your savings, controls on the charges, better investment options for long-term growth and behavioural nudges to stop you spending the money too soon.  The pension can pass on tax-free to your loved ones, or can keep growing as you get older and provide a fund to help pay for care if you need it as you get older.

Using ISAs will mean less money in later life:  ISAs are more likely to be held in cash (giving lower long-term returns), have no controls on charges and encourage you to take all the money as soon as you can, unlike pensions which have incentives to stop you spending the money too quickly.

The big problem with pensions is that many people do not appreciate their huge benefits:  It is time for the pensions industry to start promoting the advantages of using pensions to provide for later life.  We need an advertising and marketing campaign to tell people why pensions are so valuable, we can’t assume everyone knows.  Just saving in cash in an ISA is not a good way to provide for later life.

If you care about private pensions and believe they are worth fighting for, now is the time to stand up and shout about their benefits:  Before it’s too late and they are supplanted by an inferior product because of short-sighted policymaking that will leave long-term dangers.