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How much does the average retired person need to live off.

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birchesgreen

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Your outgoings will indeed probably be lower than expected, i've found that during periods of my life when i've had lower income than usual. Quite a lot of your spending is driven by the fact you have the extra money to spend and a lot of it is spent to allievate the misery of being a wage slave!
 
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jfollows

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I hope to be retired by the time I’m 56. I don’t ever consider my state pension. When it does come when I’m 66 or 67 (not sure which) I’ll probably treat it as beer or holiday money.
67 if you want to know!
Well, no, it could even be 68 depending on how young you are, but definitely not 66.
 

dk1

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You fortunately miss out on the latest proposals to bring forward the change to 68 in 2037 rather than in 2044.

Blimey, I’ll go buy a lottery ticket. Why do they keep changing things? It’s so annoying.
 

Bald Rick

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I know of some retirees who spend a lot of their time worrying about whether they are getting the last penny from every investment t that they have. They get depressed if they miss anything. Sometime, peace of mind is much more valuable than chasing every bit of money. ;)

Yes I know someone like that (my dad).


I hope to be retired by the time I’m 56. I don’t ever consider my state pension. When it does come when I’m 66 or 67 (not sure which) I’ll probably treat it as beer or holiday money.

Assuming you have a railway pension, you can ‘level‘ it, ie it pays more in the years before your state pension kicks in, and less when it does, meaning you get the same total pension throughout.
 

dk1

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Yes I know someone like that (my dad).




Assuming you have a railway pension, you can ‘level‘ it, ie it pays more in the years before your state pension kicks in, and less when it does, meaning you get the same total pension throughout.

Thank you. It’s quite a minefield. I’ve been maxing out BRASS for many years now but find the whole pensions thing so boring. I know it’s important but it’s only in the last say five years that I’ve even bothered to read the newsletter sent out. It’s also well before the pandemic that I last looked at the online calculator so must make an effort. I know it looked very healthy & do pick up on messroom conversations as it’s all that some talk about.
 

duncanp

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I know of some retirees who spend a lot of their time worrying about whether they are getting the last penny from every investment t that they have. They get depressed if they miss anything. Sometime, peace of mind is much more valuable than chasing every bit of money. ;)

This is what I thought.

I am very glad I took my annuity out in 2019, before COVID became a reality.

I know other people who are still working, and their pension pots took hits of between 25% and 40% during the early days of the pandemic, and as I said earlier I don't want to spend my retirement worrying about the ups and downs of the financial markets.

I will get my state pension in 7 years time, so that boost to my income will compensate for taking out the annuity at the comparatively early age of 56.
 

jfollows

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Blimey, I’ll go buy a lottery ticket. Why do they keep changing things? It’s so annoying.
The "justification" has been the increase in average life expectancy justifying a delay in the state pension age because "everybody" lives longer than they used to. Problem is that male life expectancy today is as it was 10 years ago (79) and female life expectancy as it was 7 years ago (82.9) so the "justification" has gone away. However do you think they'll do it anyway?
 

dk1

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The "justification" has been the increase in average life expectancy justifying a delay in the state pension age because "everybody" lives longer than they used to. Problem is that male life expectancy today is as it was 10 years ago (79) and female life expectancy as it was 7 years ago (82.9) so the "justification" has gone away. However do you think they'll do it anyway?

I’m not the best person to ask.
 

steamybrian

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Has anyone mentioned that where you live affects how much you need to live on.?

Living here in the South East means prices are much higher but income such as state pensions or private pensions are the same where ever you live in the country. I am always interested that when I travel around the country and see much lower prices for anything from transport fares to food much cheaper than the South East.
 

AM9

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This is what I thought.

I am very glad I took my annuity out in 2019, before COVID became a reality.

I know other people who are still working, and their pension pots took hits of between 25% and 40% during the early days of the pandemic, and as I said earlier I don't want to spend my retirement worrying about the ups and downs of the financial markets.

I will get my state pension in 7 years time, so that boost to my income will compensate for taking out the annuity at the comparatively early age of 56.
Actually I only have a single annuity with Standard Life which gives me £23 after tax, - I had to use the residue of my DB pension bucket on an annuity. My comment was related to my attitude generally on money matters, i.e. life is too short to chase every money opportunity, I can't take it all with me and no amount of money will buy me any more time here. By all means one can pick the low hanging fruit but don't live one's life in misery by obsessing over somebody making a few pence out of you.
 

jfollows

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The other impact of the state pension age is that it's now only possible to take a pension from a different source when you are ten or fewer years younger than the state pension age in place at the time. With a few exceptions including specific jobs such as police. So I could start taking money out of my pension when I was 56 because the state pension age then was 66, although I won't personally be able to take a state pension until I'm 67 because of the planned increase.
50 used to be the minimum age but it got aligned to "state pension age - 10" a few years ago.
And there are definitely other exceptions to the "state pension age - 10" thing, it's very dependent on individual circumstances and specifics of pension plans. In my case I have a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) and so the 10-year rule applied to me.

EDIT I guess my real point is that anyone planning on retiring early needs to ensure that their planned retirement age will be possible under their pension arrangements.
Which is kind of completely obvious really ...... I'll shut up!
 
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swt_passenger

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It's true that the quoted "standard" state pension is only applicable to people with a specific contribution profile, but it can vary both ways.
I had periods contracted out, but also periods in the 1980s and 90s when I (and my employer) paid into SERPS* and SSP*. As a result of that, and the fact that I deferred taking my state pension for 2 & 1/2 years (as I was still working and didn't need it), my state pension is now just under £280 per week. I became eligible in 2017, so that's on the present scheme not its predecessor.
I agree that it's quite opaque how that is calculated though. The DWP website will tell you in advance what your state pension will be, but AFAIK there's nothing to show how that's been been derived.
*State Earnings Related Pension Scheme and State Second Pension
Yes, a very good point. I never paid into either SERPS or SSP as I was in final salary based schemes for my entire working life.

I expect there’ll be a few forum members like me who haven’t been fully :s aware of how SERPS or SSP operated, so did those schemes effectively allow a firm to provide an enhanced pension for staff by using the DWP, rather than a mainstream pension provider? Was there a period when they were compulsory if an employer didn’t run a pension scheme?

I suppose though, that the same issue of opaqueness applies? That is, if you‘re a journalist aiming to write a scary article about pensions in general it’s going to be tempting to ignore the possibility someone was in one of those schemes.
 
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DelW

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Yes, a very good point. I never paid into either SERPS or SSP as I was in final salary based schemes for my entire working life.

I expect there’ll be a few forum members like me who haven’t been fully :s aware of how SERPS or SSP operated, so did those schemes effectively allow a firm to provide an enhanced pension for staff by using the DWP, rather than a mainstream pension provider? Was there a period when they were compulsory if an employer didn’t run a pension scheme?

I suppose though, that the same issue of opaqueness applies? That is, if you‘re a journalist aiming to write a scary article about pensions in general it’s going to be tempting to ignore the possibility someone was in one of those schemes.
I was in a defined contribution scheme from the mid 1980s. My employer put a contribution in (5% of my salary IIRC), and I think I had to put in something like the same again, though it could be more. That sum could either go to a private pension investment, or into SERPS or SSP (at different times).

I followed my employer's advice, which some years was private and some years was state. I think that was dependent on tax rules as well as likely returns.

Whether or not it was actually the right thing to do is anybody's guess! When the "flat rate" pension from 2016 was announced it wasn't clear if I'd get any benefit from those extra contributions, but it seems I did.
 

AM9

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Yes, a very good point. I never paid into either SERPS or SSP as I was in final salary based schemes for my entire working life.

I expect there’ll be a few forum members like me who haven’t been fully :s aware of how SERPS or SSP operated, so did those schemes effectively allow a firm to provide an enhanced pension for staff by using the DWP, rather than a mainstream pension provider? Was there a period when they were compulsory if an employer didn’t run a pension scheme?

I suppose though, that the same issue of opaqueness applies? That is, if you‘re a journalist aiming to write a scary article about pensions in general it’s going to be tempting to ignore the possibility someone was in one of those schemes.
SERPS and mainstream company pensions with enhanced benefits (AVCs) weren't mutually exclusive AFAIK. I had both in the '80s, both of which were carried through and now paid in retirement .
 

Haywain

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I expect there’ll be a few forum members like me who haven’t been fully :s aware of how SERPS or SSP operated, so did those schemes effectively allow a firm to provide an enhanced pension for staff by using the DWP, rather than a mainstream pension provider? Was there a period when they were compulsory if an employer didn’t run a pension scheme?
In the late 90s it was all the rage to opt out of SERPS, on the basis that alternatives would generate a better return. And then interest rates and the like collapsed and returns went with them and opting in suddenly became quite popular! I was a financial adviser at the time and recommended a lot of people opt out, but I'd moved on by the time circumstances changed. I think the GMP is what appeared to ensure that those in occupational schemes who opted out didn't lose out as a result.
 

ChrisC

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I‘ve noticed recently that many organisations (including the DWP website) describe the current standard state pension as £185.15 per week.

What they seem to gloss over a bit is that if for most or all of your working life prior to 2016 you were paying NI contributions at the contracted out rate, like I did, your “full rate“ pension will be somewhat lower. I have the 35 years contribution record, and my state pension started in 2021 when I was 66 but it is currently about £155 a week. There‘s about £1500 pounds gap between mine and the usual figure you’ll see in pension guides, news articles, etc etc.

What I’ve never found yet is an online calculator that explains exactly how the reduction is calculated

I’m not criticising this reduction, as that‘s what the NI system allowed pre-2016, and with my other pensions I do just fine, but I think it isn’t publicised as well as it could be.
I think the whole issue of the current, often called New State Pension, and how it compares with the Old State Pension is something which often gets overlooked. A very large percentage of pensioners are only on the old state pension which does mean that they only receive at the most £8000 a year. More recently retired pensioners who meet the criteria to receive the new state pension will be betting around £9,600 a year. There has been lots of criticism of the triple lock increase that is going to be continued to be applied to state pensions. Increasing pensions by the current high rate of inflation percentage only widens the gap between those receiving the old and new state pensions. When the press, and indeed people in this forum, report on how much pensioners are to receive, they are usually referring to those on the new state pension.
 

Wynd

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Just to add to this, how much you need to live off is one item, but another item in this space, is how much your pension is worth by the time you get to retirement.

Below is an overlay on to the S&P500, with a US Pension fund, orange. Brown is the FTSE 100 with a comparable UK Pension fund.

The question is, does being patriotic pay off?


1673359050769.png
 

Bishopstone

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Just to add to this, how much you need to live off is one item, but another item in this space, is how much your pension is worth by the time you get to retirement.

Below is an overlay on to the S&P500, with a US Pension fund, orange. Brown is the FTSE 100 with a comparable UK Pension fund.

The question is, does being patriotic pay off?

Ideally, spread your defined contribution pot around world markets, plus some exposure to property and bonds. Diversification flattens the peaks and troughs of being solely invested in one index, as world economies aren’t aligned in their cycles.

The FTSE 100 has been a poor index to track, though with its concentration of banks, energy and mining companies (rather than tech giants), it might be in for a better year or two, relatively.
 

najaB

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The question is, does being patriotic pay off?
Hmm... now what might have caused the UK to underperform the USA? Can't think of anything.

There's a reason that I changed the funds my pension funds are being invested into, with 75-ish% now invested outside the UK.
 

AM9

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I think the whole issue of the current, often called New State Pension, and how it compares with the Old State Pension is something which often gets overlooked. A very large percentage of pensioners are only on the old state pension which does mean that they only receive at the most £8000 a year. More recently retired pensioners who meet the criteria to receive the new state pension will be betting around £9,600 a year. There has been lots of criticism of the triple lock increase that is going to be continued to be applied to state pensions. Increasing pensions by the current high rate of inflation percentage only widens the gap between those receiving the old and new state pensions.
Surely that will result in the same percentage gap between old and new.
 

AM9

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Percentage difference stays the same, but absolute difference gets bigger.
Which if price inflation averages out across normal purchases, means that the relative positions of the recipients remains the same.
 

Wynd

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Hmm... now what might have caused the UK to underperform the USA? Can't think of anything.

There's a reason that I changed the funds my pension funds are being invested into, with 75-ish% now invested outside the UK.
Not so quick there! You need to go back a lot further than 2016.

1673363523393.png
 

njamescouk

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I'm living a decent life on state pension + minimal pension credit. no debts for anything but I've always lived on the cheap so could be difficult if you're used to expensive holidays, new car every now and again etc etc
 

najaB

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Not so quick there! You need to go back a lot further than 2016.
Who said anything about 2016? The underperformance started much further back than that - from 2010 onwards based on that chart.
 
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