What's the future for income drawdown?

Helen Morrissey
clock

Prudential's Vince Smith Hughes and Annuity Line's Billy Burrows took part in the latest Retirement Planner Conjecture debate to answer your queries on the income drawdown market.

Income drawdown has been described as misunderstood, underused and undervalued. Do you agree? Billy Burrows: Well, yes. Traditionally drawdown has always been seen as a product for high net worth clients. One of the things that has happened over the last three years – in particular with low interest rates, people retiring earlier – is that drawdown is becoming more appealing to what I call this middle Britain cohort. Vince Smith-Hughes: Clearly the time is challenging for annuities with rates as they currently are, so my sense is that advisers are looking for alternatives. Obviously draw...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Income

Annuity rates reach 18-year high of 7.75% in July

Annuity rates reach 18-year high of 7.75% in July

Up from 7.66% in April

Sophia Panayi
clock 30 July 2026 • 2 min read
Enhanced annuities: Turning health realities into better retirement outcomes

Enhanced annuities: Turning health realities into better retirement outcomes

'Retirement planning is not about choosing one solution over another but finding the right balance between them'

Mike Batty
clock 20 July 2026 • 3 min read
Robust fact‑finding: Annuities are back but file quality must keep pace

Robust fact‑finding: Annuities are back but file quality must keep pace

'Good quality annuity files tend to have one thing in common: robust fact‑finding'

Shirley Owen
clock 16 July 2026 • 4 min read