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08th Mar 2017

Half of us don’t have a private pension (ah sure the kids will look after us)

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that I never think about getting old.

It’s up there with things I don’t allow myself to muse over too much like germs on toothbrushes (I’m sure there are zillions) and my unhealthy coffee habit (five a day).

But interestingly, I am not alone  – more working women than ever are prioritising their needs now over their future financial needs.

Financial advisors HerMoney, say that while 67% of the working women they surveyed believe they have between average to excellent understanding of financial products and their finances, 64% say they can’t afford a pension.

While 47% of those interviewed do have a private pension, reasons for not having one were wide ranging.

These included the assumption the individual will live off a State pension (28%); the admission that they do not understand or had never considered starting a pension fund (20%); and a belief that pension funds are unreliable and might fail (14%).

12% of respondents say they will be provided for by their husband or partner, or by children or another relative, and 9% of those questioned, mainly in the 18-40 age cohort, said they were too young to put money into a pension as retirement is a long way off.

So the kids are going to take care of me. Brilliant.

A further 11% of the women said they have other assets, such as savings, investments or property that will provide an income in retirement.

On the big question of adequately funding retirement, 36% expect to have enough money to last through retirement. Similarly, 36% do not, and 28% say they are not sure. Only 38% of women claimed to be aware of the total amount of money they’d need to save to fund a comfortable retirement.

Those french vineyards are not going to buy themselves!

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