Crossing Pension Borders

The idea of a Pensions Passport is not new, but its time has come. To have one location that holds all your pension information from the multiple employers you have worked for, all in the same format and all readily accessible is something that can be done with today's technology- and should be done.

It should hold all the State pension data together with any and every pension from other sources -all held in the same way, in recognisably the same format.

Management of data has come a long way in a short time. This kind of thing is now achievable. Borders between pension schemes in the UK can be crossed easily in this way and the full information available for advisers means they can concentrate on the advice and not spend endless months gathering the information in the first place. There's a growing enthusiasm in the pensions press for a Pensions Passport and it might just promote enough enthusiasm to get the job done.

Grey Gap Years

'.....the idea that people have one job that they do all of their lives is “history” and second careers will become increasingly common for the over fifties.' Here says the Pensions Minister Steve Webb in the Daily Telegraph.

He's right.

The retirement 'cliff' - in work one day, out of work for good the next day - is increasingly uncommon. And a good thing too. The shock of retirement has led to many an early death, due, I think, to a sudden lack of purpose and lack of appreciation.

With the recent pension changes, we are moving towards a Lifetime Savings Account (something I've championed before) and considerably more flexibility in how we take our tax advantaged savings.

It will also allow for the Grey Gap Year, another suggestion from our Pensions Minister. I'm not sure it will look like a student gap year. Shorter and possibly with more purpose to it (!), but a good time to step back from work, assess, prepare and move back in to part time work, or even a different career.

All possible thanks to these changes. And thanks to the internet revolution. So much can be done from home now. Whole careers can be built around access to the World Wide Web (he says, writing this from the local pub due to BTs complete inability to provide broadband at our new house so far!)

Pensions in Unexpected Places

When you talk about pensions, certain pictures come to mind. Stock pictures used by many a journalist. An older couple walking along a sea shore. A piggy bank, preferably pink with a smiley face. Coins in a jar.

They're not bad images. At least it breaks up the text.

But how about pensions in unexpected places? One of the aims of pension awareness day on 15th September  is to try and get the pension wrist band into unexpected places! Maybe you can help? Order your wrist band. Take a photo of you with the wrist band in an unexpected place. Send your 'pensions selfie' to Pension Geeks. The best pictures will be on the site.

And the message? All of us in the pensions industry need to try harder to get pensions out there. And even the unexpected places (and people) need a pension.