pension reform

There are one million fewer pensioners living in poverty than there were in 2000, according to the latest figures from the ONS.

Ros Altmann, director-general of Saga, has slammed Bank of England deputy governor Charlie Bean after he encouraged people to spend their savings to boost the economy.

With the government's review of workplace pension reform, including auto-enrolment and NEST, due to report back within weeks, speculation is rife on what shape the Coalition's solution to the UK's retirement savings gap will take.

The RDR poses a threat to the stream of communication between IFAs, small business owners and their employees on pension schemes, an employee benefits consultant warns.

Just over half of small firms support auto-enrolment but 53% say it will "add significantly to costs", the ACA says.

HMRC must remove its lifetime allowance on pension savings if an annual limit is introduced or risk discouraging retirement saving, Skandia says.

Trade unions in France began their second 24-hour strike last night in protest against President Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.

The government is considering changing the way pension credit is calculated to encourage over-65s to stay in work.

Otto Thoresen, Aegon UK chief executive, will today warn the RDR will price many consumers out of the market in a speech at the Liberal Democrat party conference.

The government's plans to remove the age-75 annuitisation rule will make scheme pensions far more attractive to IFAs and clients, Hornbuckle Mitchell claims.