The deal It is open to men born before April 6, 1951, and women before April 6, 1953, who live in the UK and already receive a state pension or are entitled to one. You can buy between £1 and £25 extra a week by paying Class 3A voluntary national insurance contributions.
The startling figures show how new rules, which made it easier to get money from a pension, coincided with the amount snatched by fraudsters soaring to more than five times normal levels.
Those affected, are receiving state help with their mortgage repayments, face being forced to hand back the cash they receive, plus interest, under a £600 million cost-cutting drive.
So far, despite the constant threat from fraudsters intent on robbing people of their retirement money, the pensions revolution has been more peaceful than bloody. Yet misconceptions do remain about how people can best use the new pension freedom rules. Here, The Mail on Sunday looks at the options available.
We reveal the top ten questions that savers have been posing to the government's official pension service Pension Wise. Do you know the answers?
Adrian Walker, retirement planning expert at Old Mutual Wealth joins This is Money editor Simon Lambert to discuss how to make a good plan for retirement.
Pension providers will have to block people trying to cash in their entire savings at once as a way of dodging 'earmarking orders' that force them to share income with exes.
Eighteen per cent plan to take advantage of new pension freedoms by gifting money from their newly cashed-in pension pots.
Savers are being urged to have their say on whether pension providers should be required by law to reduce exit charges for customers who take advantage of new pension freedom rules. Pensions Minister Ros Altmann says it is 'vital' that savers respond.
Our pensions are changing - radically. Some say for better, others for worse. We say, make yourself as best informed as you can be with a copy of this super free guide.
Savers with pots worth up to £10,000 and no valuable guarantees attached would still receive risk warnings but no longer have to go through a lengthy Q&A.;
'Pension recycling' allows people to boost their retirement pot by generating extra tax relief - but anyone tempted risks a financial penalty if they overstep the rules. In theory, anyone aged between 55 and 75 could withdraw up to £7,500 in one year from their pension pot and put up to 30 per cent of it back in again, gaining a tax advantage as a result. But recycling higher sums or breaking a host of other HMRC rules - including a ban on doing anything that is 'pre-planned' - can potentially attract charges amounting to 55 per cent of the sum involved.
New pension freedom rules give you greater choice when it comes to retirement income, but with it more responsibility to make sure you don't run out of money in your golden years. We look at ten points to consider when investing income for retirement - from the level of risk you can afford to take to whether it's better to invest for income or growth.
In the few short months since George Osborne' Summer Budget, the finance industry appears to have simply resigned itself to higher rate tax relief vanishing. But the idea of removing the principle of pension investing from untaxed income is one born of knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.
In her first major newspaper interview since taking up her post, poacher turned gamekeeper Baroness Altmann has fought back at critics who claim the new system is unfair.
For a pensioner in 2050 to maintain the same standard of living enjoyed by retirees today will cost £2,930 per month a new report claims.
After more than 60 years of marriage Roy and Jean Tamplin, from Cardiff, (pictured together today and on their wedding day in 1953) were suddenly faced with a heart-breaking decision. Roy's health was deteriorating quickly. Jean's eyesight was also failing. But when they came to sell their house to move into sheltered accommodation, they were given a devastating ultimatum by insurer Aviva who said the couple must pay a £16,430 fine if they wanted to move out and stay together.
Adrian Walker, retirement planning expert at Old Mutual Wealth joins This is Money editor Simon Lambert to discuss how to make a good plan for retirement. He also tackles the million-dollar question - how do you know that you're getting good financial advice if you do go to see an adviser.
Auto-enrolment means a lot more people now have pensions, but the average contribution rate in the private sector fell to 4.7 per cent last year from 9.1 per cent in 2013.
Longer life expectancy and the scrapping of the default retirement age means people are working longer, with many concerned over how they will fund their old age.
Up to a third of working women could be missing out on the chance to build up a decent pension under the Government's 'auto-enrolment' initiative, new research suggests. Certain ethnic groups, carers, the disabled and service sector staff are other groups who are less likely to be getting the benefit of the reforms, which have led to a big rise in pension saving over the past few years. Low wages, only working part-time, or holding down two jobs which both pay less than £10,000 are the main reasons for being ineligible for auto-enrolment, according to analysis by the Pensions Policy Institute.
Anyone can draft a will or a trust deed, with no qualifications or training. And if they go bust, taking clients' money with them, they can set up a new company the next day.
BlackRock's CoRI tool uses projections of life expectancy, inflation and interest rates to help calculate how much money you should be putting away.
Hundreds of our readers have described their sense of bitter betrayal after discovering that they will receive only a fraction of the new state pension. Millions will be unable to claim the £151.25 a week when the new pension is introduced. Margaret and Howard Edwards will get less than they expected.
Over 65s' share of UK's income tax payments was 11 per cent, or £17.5billion, of the £157billion total income tax paid for the tax year 2012/13, according to Predential's analysis of the most recent ONS data. But the insurer said the figures may see a shake up when the impact of the recent changes to pension rules begins to be reflected in annual income tax statistics.
The UK has five million homeowners over 65. Last year, though, just 1 per cent of them moved house. Susan Sellor adores her semi-detached Victorian home in the town of Langley Mill in Derbyshire.She wants to downsize - the house is too big for her and the garden too difficult to manage. The problem is she cannot find any reasonably priced homes she would like to move to and is struggling to get help packing up her life.
Income drawdown allows you to take sums out of your pension pot while the rest remains invested, but it involves risk and requires ongoing management to maximise returns and avoid spending your savings too quickly. However, you can appoint someone you trust - usually a family member or friend - to take over if you can't do this any longer by creating an LPA, either independently or by paying a solicitor.
A survey of nearly 2,000 working adults aged between 18 and 65 shows that 62 per cent want to go for a trip or multiple holidays once they reach pension age.
Official data released every 10 years reveals that baby boys born in 2010-12 can expect to live until they are 79 while baby girls are set to reach the age of 83.
This flagship policy was heralded as the biggest overhaul of the state pension since it was launched in 1909. But a series of Money Mail exposés have revealed how millions of workers, Geoff Sutton, Gina Smith and Beverley Blackham (pictured left to right) won't get the state pension they were promised. The biggest complaint from those retiring is of unfairness.
Most problems with the new state pension could have been dealt with two years ago, had ministers been more sincere about how it would be paid.
From April 6, the current basic state pension will be replaced by a new payout that ministers pledged would leave many better off and put an end to the complicated system of credits and top-ups.
Matt Cooper said he was 'frankly staggered' at what NOW: Pensions put him through during a time of 'extreme stress and sadness' after he lost his mother Jane. The firm has promised an urgent review of its procedures after the distressing treatment Mr Cooper received over his mother's pension pot, which turned out to hold just £2.05. He had to fill in reams of paperwork and wait four months before the size of the fund was revealed in a short letter, which referred to his mother by name, National Insurance number and 'Deceased' in brackets at the top, and subsequently just as 'the member'. ...read
They've worked hard all their lives, but like millions of other women in their late 50s and 60s, Susan Sutherland, from Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, Chantal Davies, from London and Wendy Eachus, from Manchester, are being forced to wait years longer than expected before they can claim their pensions.
The cost of advice for converting a £100,000 pension pot into a lump sum and annuity has risen from £1,500 to £1,750, a study by adviser website unbiased.co.uk reveals.
For decades, women expected to get about £5,000 a year from that age. Now some have to work an extra six years. In effect, they've been left £30,000 - or more - worse off.
Latest figures on how much the over-55s are extracting from their pension funds under new freedom rules prove responsible savers don't become reckless spenders as they age. According to data compiled by the Association of British Insurers from those companies that manage our personal pensions and self-invested personal pensions - and at some stage attempt to persuade us to buy an annuity - £2.5 billion was withdrawn from pensions in the three months to the end of June.
Savers are not prepared to sacrifice tax breaks now in return for future incentives- pouring cold water on the Government's plans for an Isa-style pensions model, a survey found.
Many large employers are unwilling to offer staff an income drawdown option at retirement despite their rising popularity as a way to fund old age, new research shows.
Last year the Government announced spouses of HM Forces who accompanied their husband/wife/partner abroad could claim NI contributions, but I can't find out any more about it. Do you have any information on this?
Savers are close to winning cash compensation from companies who sold them bad annuity contracts, it has emerged. The Financial Conduct Authority is understood to have ordered a thorough examination of thousands of contracts sold by all of the UK's major insurers since 2008, according to The Daily Telegraph .
Tesco has made concessions for its new scheme, which comes into force in November, in a bid to quell employee anger. Instead of a 5 per cent maximum contribution staff will be able to pay up to 7.5 per cent into their pot, which will be matched by the supermarket - senior staff will get contributions matched at 1.5 times what they put in up to a certain level.
Based on the incoming single tier state pension of £151.25 per week, that is how much it would cost a man to buy it at age 65, according to pension firm Aegon. For a woman retiring at 63, it would cost slightly less at £273,000. But a survey by Aegon of more than 200 financial advisers found that just 4 per cent expect the current system to remain in place 30 years from now
The summer holiday season may be in full swing (shame about the weather) but it hasn't stopped many of you from emailing me your thoughts about the future of pensions.
In just a few weeks, the Department of Work and Pensions will launch a plan allowing those who are in or approaching retirement to swap a chunk of their savings for a boost to their pension.
Savers are loath to pay a financial adviser for help before accessing their pension pots, new research shows. Only one in five over-55s were willing to pay for advice, while 50 per cent said they were not and 32 per cent didn't know, according to a survey by comparison website money.co.uk. ...read
Phoenix Life initially insisted Fred Ford provide proof he had consulted a financial adviser about his pension, which came with a valuable guaranteed annuity rate, but then backed down. Many savers have complained about having to get expensive or unnecessary financial advice to access their own money, among other gripes including red tape and high charges, prompting the Government to review the rules surrounding its flagship pension freedom reforms. Some of these were intended to protect retirees from making bad decisions or being defrauded, but can also mean more hoops to jump through before cash is released.
Omni Trustees and Imperial Trustee Services were wound up last month following a hearing in the High Court.
Carer's Credit is paid to those looking after a person who is ill or disabled, and in receipt of disability benefits, for at least 20 hours a week.
More than 80,000 couples who took out so-called equity release loans more than a decade ago have found that compound interest charges mean their debt has more than doubled.
The firms, both annuity specialists, were impacted by reforms which freed savers from the obligation to buy a product giving them an income for life when they retired.
Now that the pension freedom rules have come in, I have read that I can potentially pass my pension pot on tax-free. Should I keep as much as possible in there to save on IHT? ...read
A growing group of super sporty, over-70s has spawned a demand for more dynamic fitness facilities in retirement developments - and housebuilders are responding.
Savers are being targeted repeatedly by fraudsters with a stream of cold calls, emails, texts and post, warns Citizens Advice.
'I always get angry and upset whenever I hear how innocent people lose their pension to crooks as part of some elaborate scam,' says Ros Altmann.
I've been asked to be an executor - should I do it, what will it entail and am I liable if something goes wrong? Emma Myers, head of wills, probate and lifetime planning for Saga Legal Services, explains the responsibilities of an executor. ...read
People can massively boost payments into a pension during the current tax year - assuming they can afford to do so, and meet certain conditions. This is a side-effect of a move to tidy up the rules around the £40,000 annual allowance. Although anyone can potentially do this, for people earning £150,000-plus it's a handy opportunity to shovel the maximum amount possible into their pensions before their annual allowances start being hacked back next year.
I'm talking to my children about how best to leave them an inheritance. Should I keep as much as possible in my pension pot, or buy a house worth £1million?
We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?
The costs of his care are rising all the time and although he has a small terrace I think we will eventually have to sell this as his savings have nearly all gone.
The value seems to be going down day by day, but when I challenged them they said this was because stock markets were fluctuating.
Making a watertight will is more vital than ever after a landmark ruling last week that could lead to a flood of legal challenges against the wishes of the deceased. Heather Ilott was awarded £164,000 by the Court of Appeal after being left nothing by her mother, Melita Jackson, when she died in 2004, leaving her £500,000 estate to three animal charities. Matt Edwards, pictured with his wife Dominique and Annabelle, is making an online will which can then be downloaded, witnessed and stored.
David Cameron has thrown his weight behind efforts to crack down on rip-off fees which it is feared are stifling flagship pension freedom reforms.
Property consultancy PCG Invest says it has 500 parking spaces available at two sites close to the London airport, but to secure one you must already own a space at Glasgow airport...
I was planning to use buy-to-let properties to fund my retirement, instead of a traditional pension pot, but the Chancellor is reducing tax relief available. Is my plan no longer viable?
The Government is looking to unravel tax breaks that have encouraged millions of workers to use pensions as the bedrock of their retirement financial planning.
My son is a sort of nomad. He works hard, refuses to go on benefits and regularly does his annual tax forms. The tax office says he doesn't earn enough to pay tax, so he gets tax credits. I advised him he should ensure he pays what used to be called a self-employed National Insurance stamp. It has been set up under his tax reference number but is paid through my bank account, as he doesn't have one. It is about £11.13 a month. ...read
Beware offers of a 'free pension review' because this is the kind of bait fraudsters use to tempt people and allay their suspicions before swiping lifetime savings. A new official taskforce is offering tips on how to combat pension fraud, with new freedoms an obvious target for unscrupulous sharks.
Official figures show that 18,000 savers booked phone or in-person appointments with the new Pension Wise service in the first few months of the pensions revolution.
Some £384million was taken out in the second quarter of the year by over-55s via equity release lending - the most since 2002.
I'm really worried I won't qualify for the new, full flat-rate pension when I retire because I opted out of paying National Insurance contributions for five years back in the 1990s. now I understand the Government is going to reduce my state pension based not just on the years I opted out, but on what it thinks I might have gained in my private pension during that time - and it'll do this even if I manage to make full NI contributions for 35 years.
How do you encourage people to save for retirement? Remove a pension's most valuable feature, is George Osborne's odd suggestion. That would be a bad move.
The Pensions Regulator said 1.8 million companies will have to enrol staff in pensions under new regulations - half a million more than had been expected.
In total, just 222,000 of the roughly 600,000 people who will hit state pension age in the 12 months from April 2016 can claim the full amount, government figures show. It is a new blow to a generation of savers who were told everyone would get the flat-rate pension if they had paid their National Insurance contributions.
Firms are being accused of slapping a bewildering array of charges on people trying to access their retirement savings by consumer group Which?.
New figures reveal compensation paid out to pension savers from the financial lifeboat scheme has jumped 156% with some £183.1million paid out in the past tax year.
Only 17 per cent of people approaching retirement expect to owe money when they stop work, but 30 per cent nevertheless find themselves still mired in debt.
The fund was set up by the Government as a lifeboat to take over the defined benefit schemes of firms that face going bust leaving a possible shortfall in members' promised pensions.
Some 15% of people hitting state pension age simply stay in their old job, but 21% take up a post elsewhere or plan to in future, according to a Prudential survey. Among those who retire then return to work later, nearly one in 20 manage to do it on a better salary than before, while one in 12 turn entrepreneur and set up their own company. The most common reasons given for returning to work were the desire to stay mentally active, followed by a need for extra cash.
People with small pots tend to be cashing them out, but those with larger ones are more likely to buy an income drawdown product, the Association of British Insurers said.
Men aged 64 or older and women aged 62 or over can boost their pensions by up to £25 a week, or £1,300 a year, from October 12.
Over-45s expect their pension fund to generate £12,590 a year on top of the state pension - but their current savings would deliver less than a third of this target income.
The extra payment, announced in the Budget, will be made to those who have are in receipt of either the guarantee or savings credit - or both. The average pay-out will be around £800.
If you have a £100,000 pension pot, a common condition like high blood pressure could net you about £300 extra a year or nearly £6,200 over 20 years, research shows.
A Government review threatens to kill off one of the most valuable perks of savings. Pension tax relief is worth £34.3bn a year. We explain how pensions could change for ever.
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.
For decades it has been the default option for most people on the day you retire: you take 25 per cent of your pension as a tax-free lump sum.
Seven out of 10 people find it 'shocking' and 'unfair' when they realise taking full advantage of the Goverment's pension freedom reforms could land them with a surprise tax bill.
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.
What still puzzles you about the pensions revolution?
Savers' top 10 queries revealed - as well as the answers...
Tell me if you're being ripped off to access your pension - and we'll push providers to cut charges, says Minister
COMPLETE GUIDE TO PENSION FREEDOM
Order your free must-read 28-page booklet
Is this a good tax trick to boost your nest egg?
How pension recycling works (but you would have to tread carefully or risk a fine)
SIMON LAMBERT
It seems the days are numbered for untaxed saving
Thinking of taking out equity release?
Meet the retired couple who must pay Aviva £135,000 to spend their last years together
Death IS the only escape
Pensioners pay 11% of total income tax revenues - and Londoners are the biggest contributors
What if you opt for income drawdown in retirement but fall ill?
Giving loved ones lasting power of attorney over your finances could be a vital failsafe
A bereaved son's crusade forces NOW: Pensions to change its ways after distressing saga over £2.05 pension pot
Generation of women betrayed over state pension
Susan may die before she claims hers while Wendy faces poverty waiting
I joined my husband when he was posted abroad during 25 years with the Coldstream Guards
Is it true I can claim state pension for time spent overseas?
Norfolk saver wins battle to cash in his £13k pension pot after provider blocks access unless he pays for costly financial advice
JEFF PRESTRIDGE
After five months of pension freedom, prudence not recklessness rules
Why do retirees shun financial advice?
Don't need it, waste of money, too expensive, and advisers are intimidating are among reasons given by savers
What happened to Thatcher's share ownership dream?
It's nowhere near as common as the ex-Tory PM hoped 30 years ago - but does it matter?
I hold bond funds because I thought they were safe but it seems they include derivatives
Aren't these the risky bets that caused the banking crisis?
May the force be with you
How to turn modern stamps into investments as the new Star Wars movie heralds Darth Vader special issue
Should you buy in the Lloyds share sale?
What investors need to know - and why £1,000 invested could get you £200 back
Hidden dangers of peer-to-peer lending
Sick of pathetic rates? Fed up with the big banks? Watch out for the high-tech firms after your money
Will you really make money from the stock market if you invest for the long-term?
Do investors have to commit to five, ten or twenty years?
I've heard bad news about oil, gold and China recently
So is it time to shun or invest in commodities?
Should you buy in the Lloyds share sale? And why £1,000 invested could get you £200 back
Lowdown on Lloyds
How to start investing in funds - and the vital things you need to consider
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The Investing Show: Reliable big dividend shares and the best emerging markets
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How to invest in bonds safely and dodge the traps
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Best place to put your money was smaller companies
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A UK fund and an investment trust
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INVESTMENT EXTRA
Instead of being stuck with stingy annuities, retirees now have the freedom to dip into their pensions using income drawdown. These schemes allow you to take sums out of your pension pot while the rest stays invested. So what are the advantages and risks of doing this, and what schemes are on offer? We run through the main options now, and look ahead to what might become available in future.
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.
If you signed up to a work pension scheme but took no further action, your savings are most likely in a 'default' investment fund. How do you check if it's any good?
With-profits policyholders often face an impossible choice about when to take their benefits. Turn down today's offer and tomorrow's may be lower. How can you decide when it's time to leave?
The majority of employees change jobs several times in their working lives - with the average person working for 11 different employers.
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.
Hunting down travel cover can be both difficult and expensive with older travellers typically paying more for insurance because they are judged more likely to claim.
Jeff Prestridge looks at legitimate ways in which the 40 per cent tax can be avoided, outlining six key steps for readers. Bridget Jones, pictured, has taken out insurance.
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.
Talk of 'pensions freedom' has left some savers with the impression they can take their entire pot and pay little or no tax. That is not true. We explain what will happen.
The average cost of being a pensioner is £10,387-a-year, according to analysis that focused on how much over-65s spend on basic necessities.
Anyone going it alone when they're investing their pension could be met with a confusing array of jargon, even when carrying out the simplest of tasks.
Insurers have noted a rise in the number of calls from final salary pension savers about transferring to a money purchase scheme since the Budget.
Conventional wisdom says we all want to retire to a house by the sea or a cottage in the country with roses round the door. But finding that perfect retirement property is not easy - and buying it can involve some big financial decisions. Here are the pros, cons and challenges of upsizing, downsizing or staying put.
Retirement homes have shed their image of dark and dreary buildings and now offer luxury complexes or villages with on-site facilities aimed at older people. But banks won't give you a mortgage to buy a sheltered housing or retirement village property, so you will need the cash to fund it yourself.
Modern work pensions mean that your retirement income is your responsibility. You and your employer put money into your personal pot, which should grow over time to eventually provide a nice healthy sum. Clearly, that makes engaging with yours a good idea. We explain how to get started. ...read
Pensions minister Steve Webb has announced that all defined contribution workplace pension providers will have to offer complete transparency to savers
A new flat rate state pension worth £144 a week in today's money is being introduced from 2016, while complicated and unfair old rules are being swept away. What will the changes mean for you?
Are you at risk of leaving your family with nothing but legal bills because of a badly written will? Find out what your options are and how to guard yourself against an invalid will.
A major report into how pension pots are turned into income at retirement is expected to be published by the Financial Conduct Authority this week.
Almost two million married retirees receive a state pension top-up based on their partner's work record but this will close to all claimants in 2016. This is Money takes a look at who this will affect.
By 2020, all Britons will have to wait until they're 66 before they can retire. The new rules apply to both men and women. In the meantime, a confusing schedule could hit your plans. We explain the upcoming rule changes to the state pension age. Find out when you will be allowed to retire ...read
Combining pension pots built up in different jobs could make real financial sense
The rise of DIY online investing has transformed the way people are able to save for retirement, but navigating the maze of Sipp charges can be a tricky task.
Phoenix say the Retirement Annuity Trust with them cannot be broken and I now find that almost all other providers will not take a policy in Trust. Am I correct in thinking that in spite of what the pension freedom legislation proposes, I'm locked into Phoenix Life and will have to take their annuity no matter how poor its value or cash it in?
I will reach state pension age in a couple of years but I am worried that I will not have paid enough national insurance contributions to qualify for my state pension. How many years of work do I need to be eligible for the new single-tier state pension and can I buy extra credits? ...read
I am three years away from retirement and earn £70,000 a year. Our children have left home and finished university and my wife and I now only have ourselves to support. A friend told me I should pay as much of my salary into a pension as possible over the next three years before I retire. Is this worth doing?
Holder of Aegon with profits policy wants to know how his 'terminal bonus' could have been cut 46%, drastically reducing his pension pot, while stock markets reached record highs. He asks: 'Where did this money go to? At what point during the last two years did it disappear?
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.
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?
She wants to sell it to me minus the 1/3 inheritance I would have received. Am I likely to encounter any roadblocks with tax?
I have a private pension pot of about £50,000, alongside a final salary scheme that will pay me £10,000 a year. How do I weigh up whether to take a tax-free lump sum?
The letter explained that because he already has an annual annuity of £758 from Prudential he does not qualify for a trivial pension payout.
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 employer is offering me a 'salary sacrifice' option where some of my wages would go straight into my pension pot. But is it worth my while?
I'm a retired independent financial adviser, aged 67, and have been drawing on my Scottish Mutual Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) for the past six years.
Can I bring together my little pensions from each job into one pension, is it advisable to do this?
In April 2011, I asked Zurich Assurance whether I could take my pension pot of £913.32 as a lump sum. I was told this would not be possible.
I would like to withdraw some of my funds after pension freedom starts in a few months, but I'm worried I will pay too much tax.
My main pension is to be finalised through the Financial Assistance Scheme but they cannot calculate it as my data does not fit the standard scheme format
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 want to opt for income drawdown in retirement because annuities are such bad value. I've got going on £60,000 spread over several different funds in my work pension, and I'm quite happy sticking with the little 'portfolio' I've created. Is there anything to stop me staying when I retire? Will my pension provider eventually kick me out? Or might I get penalised somehow over tax?
I work for a big company with thousands of staff, and I don't want to create trouble or start a crusade - I just want a better choice of investment funds for my pension. Who should I approach to ask - someone within my company, or the pension provider? Would my employer let me put its contributions and mine into a self-invested personal pension I could have more control over?
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?
| Prize value | Winning bond No. | Area |
|---|---|---|
| £1,000,000 | 70QM718428 | Cambridgeshire |
| £1,000,000 | 232XW865135 | Derbyshire |
| £100,000 | 250WP039785 | Sefton |
| £100,000 | 218MS986343 | Surrey |
| £100,000 | 178ZW377000 | Liverpool |
| £100,000 | 142LZ553221 | Inner London |
| £100,000 | 141RV744928 | West Midlands |
| £50,000 | 82PW665039 | Norfolk |
| £50,000 | 40QG075028 | Lancashire |
| £50,000 | 251KV606619 | Hereford and Worcester |
| £50,000 | 251BY155686 | Devon |
When do you think you will retire?
The end of gold-plated pensions and lousy investment returns mean 70 is the new 60.
What is pension liberation and how risky is grabbing your retirement pot early?
Are they freedom fighters or fraudsters?
Should you stick with a lifestyle pension or move your pot in case the bond bubble bursts as you approach retirement?
Can I take my entire small pension pot as a tax free lump sum and leave my final salary scheme untouched?
Answers depends on pension arrangements
How to make the most of a smaller pension pot:
Don't stand by as your nest egg is eaten up by low rates and inflation
Flat-rate state pension explained:
Who are the winners and losers?
Are you saving enough for retirement? Try our 2 minute health check calculator
GOGet advice on all aspects of estate planning, including inheritance tax and wills
GOGet advice on all aspects of annuities and pension drawdown
GOFind an independent financial adviser
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