Retirement planning
It’s never too early to begin planning for retirement. Whatever stage you’re at, it’s worth thinking about how much money you’ll need for the standard of living you want when you retire. There’s three questions you should be asking yourself.
This depends on your circumstances. Some costs of living may no longer be relevant when you retire, such as travel costs to work. In addition, you may have paid off your mortgage and no longer need to support your family, but you may want to spend more on leisure activities and holidays.
Scheme pensionsYour latest pension statement will give you an idea of how much you’ll get when you retire. The statement includes any Pension Extra contributions you make. If you make Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs), you’ll receive a separate statement each year detailing these.
State PensionFind out how much State Pension you’ll be entitled to when you reach State Pension age.
Other pensionsYou may have another occupational pension or a personal pension and should refer to the annual statement you’re sent to see how much you’ll get.
Other incomeDon’t forget to include other sources of income, such as interest on bank accounts and share dividends.
Now compare how much you’ll need with how much you'll get. There's a useful budget calculator on the Money Advice Service website to help you work this out.
If you have any queries about your pension, please contact your Scheme administrator.