Share Sounds. related to Pensions & Retirement - Personal Pensions

If you have hopes for an early retirement you might want to check how much you're contributing to your pension each month. New research suggests the minimum contributions may not be enough however there is some good news as even small extra contributions can make a big difference overtime. To talk through the figures Share Radio's Tom Hill spoke to Former Pensions Minister and Director of Policy at Royal London, Steve Webb.

The number of over-55s taking advantage of new freedom to cash in their retirement funds has reached a record high since pension rules were relaxed two years ago. New figures released by the Treasury showed that 162,000 individuals took cash from their pension pots in the last quarter of 2016, up from 158,000 in the previous quarter. Share Radio's James Brydges spoke to Steve Webb, Director of Policy at Royal London

Welcome to the This is Money and Share Radio podcast, brought to you in partnership with NS&I. After a year of doom and gloom stories this week we’re looking at the positives. Despite the Michael Fish style forecasting of the post-Brexit economy the FTSE is surging to unprecedented levels, could this be the time to start investing? For those less keen on the cut and thrust of the stock market a glimmer of hope for savings rates does seem to be on the horizon in 2017 as we look through some of the accounts paying up to 5%. Georgie Frost is joined by Editor Simon Lambert who gives his wish list of headlines for the next year whilst Consumer Affairs Editor Lee Boyce takes centre stage on everything coin related. But just how well will their financial knowledge stack up in our Podcast Quiz of the Year? This is Money is presented by Georgie Frost in partnership with NS&I.

Recently there have been some big changes in pensions policy in the UK and throughout this past year we have seen a continuation of these policies and the beginning of a totally new pensions landscape starting to emerge. To discuss the past year and trends for 2017 Sue Dougan was joined by Malcolm McLean Senior Consultant Barnett Waddingham.

Aviva's latest Real Retirement report reveals that baby-boomers are enthusiastic users of technology but pensions need to catch up. According to the report, the 45-64 year old is very confident when it comes to mobile technology where banking is concerned, but when it comes to pensions there's less confidence. So if this is a generation of tech adopters, what's the problem? Alistair McQueen, Aviva's retirement spokesperson, joined Share Radio to discuss.

Before the pensions freedom came along in 2015, many people using a pensions pot bought an annuity. But since then many providers have stopped selling annuities, or will be fading them out in the future. But what does this mean for you? Joining Sarah in the studio are Alistair McQueen from Aviva, Michael Bousfield from independent financial advice firm Helm Godfrey and David Blake, the Director of the Pensions Institute.

Do you have enough saved for retirement? In many cases especially for those who ought to be closest to the milestone, the answer is no. A new study found over a million people are set to retire on less than £9,500 a year. For more information, Nigel People from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association joined Georgie on the line.

Sue Dougan is joined in the studio by Kevin Pratt Web editor MoneySuperMarket.com. On the agenda today, they discuss the big story - The Autumn Statement. Sue and Kevin speak about how all aspects of the policies the Chancellor delivered will impact the consumer. Elsewhere, over ten million people across Britain could struggle in retirement if minimum contributions to workplace pensions aren't increased. Air traffic bosses have issued a new code of conduct for drones. All these stories and more on The News Review.

Now, transferring your pension could be a good idea...that is, if you have a lot of pension pots and want them all in one place. Or perhaps if you'd like more investment choice than your current provider offers. But lately, firms have been using delay tactics to deter savers from switching. Research conducted by pension manager site, PensionBee found that on average, customers faced almost three weeks to transfer their pension. To find out more Georgie Frost was joined by their chief executive Romi Savova.

One in four UK businesses say their employees have cut their hours owing to the high cost of childcare. The report from the British Chambers of Commerce also showed that 10% of employers had had staff quit their jobs entirely for the same reason. Its report is calling on the Government to allow policy to revolve around working parents. Measures could include additional childcare subsidies, possibly by extending existing support to the working parents of one and two year olds. Georgie was joined on the line by Marcus Mason, Head of Business, Education and Skills at the British Chambers of Commerce.