Financial experts are concerned that middle managers, teachers and senior personal assistants will unwittingly breach a cap that limits the size of their pension pots. They say that many of these workers don't realise that even if they stop saving now, their pension will pass £1million by the time they hit retirement age. This would leave them having to pay a tax bill of 55 per cent on all pensions savings above the cap.

Retirement experts have received an extraordinary mix of queries since pension rules were relaxed last week allowing people to choose when and how much they withdraw from their pots. One customer wanted to buy a speedboat, while others prepared to risk their pensions on the General Election.

I'm looking for what to do with my pension pot in a few months when I retire. Ideally I'd like to not buy an annuity, and hopefully keep some or all of the pot to pass on to my wife or the next generation. While I'd be happy researching which funds to invest in now, I guess I'm not the best person to do this and I certainly wouldn't want to be doing this with a fading memory or mental capacity.

The huge overhaul allows older savers unrestricted access to their whole pension pots, and removes the need to buy an annuity to provide guaranteed income for life. But pension experts warn freedom reforms bring big and serious risks, like fraudsters stealing people's life savings, baffled retirees paying far too much tax, and the possibility of some treating their savings like a cash windfall and blowing them too fast.

It's taken 20 years of campaigning by this newspaper - sometimes against governments of the day, other times against big corporate vested interests in the financial world. But after all the battling - and going a little greyer on top - it's time to raise a glass of prosecco and toast a new era. The great pensions revolution has arrived: goodbye unwieldy, straight- jacketing pensions; hello pensions fit for a modern, flexible Britain. From April 6, the pension pendulum swings firmly from provider to you, the consumer, the investor. Rejoice.

Today I received a cold call and follow-up email from a company about pensions advice. How can I tell if it's true or a scam? Or can you point me in a better direction? This is Money asked a pension expert to explain what to do if you're approached by a firm that seems legitimate, but might be trying to steal your pension savings.

Watchdogs plan to strong-arm annuity providers into helping people buy better and more suitable products to fund their retirement. Firms will be forced to rank annuity quotations so that people can easily identify the best ones, and to overhaul and behaviourally test information packs to make them easier to understand and encourage people to shop around.

Over-55s will be able to cash in their entire pension from this April, an opportunity that could tempt many to plunge their savings into buy-to-let property. But there are pitfalls, first and not least the huge tax bill you could face for taking all the money at once. Retirees seeking a reliable income stream, plus the possibility of growing their savings, might decide they are better off putting their money in an invest-and-drawdown scheme instead. Read our guide and decide which is the best option for you.

The over-50s are the ones to watch when it comes to start-ups and new pension freedom rules mean an extra opportunity to tap into cash for business ideas. A recent report from the Global
Entrepreneurship Monitor highlighted this age group as being increasingly entrepreneurial. We explain the options and pitfalls of using your pension pot to fund a business.

People nearing retirement traditionally switch savings out of risky investments and into safer assets, but pension freedom reforms are likely to prompt a big rethink of this practice. That's because derisking - or 'lifestyling' as it's also known - is normally done in preparation for buying an annuity, but many more people will be opting to stay invested an draw down an iincome in future.

Pension freedom reforms will give people more decision-making power over their retirement savings from next year. The options to access your money, spend or invest it will widen - although your choices will still largely depend on the size of your pension pot. Financial experts Mark Stone of Whitechurch Securities and Ben Westaway of Jessop Financial Planning explain both your opportunities and the limitations on them.

I'm worried I might not qualify for the new full state pension, but I can't check because the Government is only sending forecasts to people aged 55 and over. I fear that some of my employers opted me out of the second-tier state pension without me realising what they were doing or the implications of it at the time. I don't recall ever signing anything specific, but they might have notified me in the packets of bumpf they sent me and I never read.

My wife is due to hit state pension age in the next two years. But during our 40-year marriage she has never paid any National Insurance contributions. I thought that women who stayed at home would receive some of their husband's pension when they retired. But I'm now alarmed to learn that changes to the system mean she could now retire with nothing. Is this correct?

I have recently been informed that one of the pensions I have been drawing since my retirement in 2010 has been paid in error. The pension payments have been halted and I am being told that the money paid to date is to be repaid. As this has arisen due to no fault of my own and the pension was accepted in good faith, am I legally liable to repay the money? If so can I reasonably claim a nominal £100 for the inconvenience?