Monday, 3 August 2009

10 ways to bridge the pension gap

posted by debts.org at 23:26

New personal accounts regulations will come into force in 2012, but what can you do to make the most of your money between now and then? If, like many people in the UK, you are suffering debt problems, you may want to save money where possible for your retirement. Consider the following ten tips.

1. Employer´s pension scheme

Staying with your employer´s pension scheme until 2012 is probably the best option. If the employer´s scheme is better for you than the personal accounts scheme, they won´t have to offer the latter. If you are seeking debt advice or suffering debt problems, or even considering a debt management plan, make sure you fully understand any pension scheme you are paying in to.

2. Employer contributions scheme

If you are just being offered the chance to join an employer-backed scheme, do so, and you will get the advantage of employer contribution or the next 3 years.


3. Start saving now to avoid debt in later lifeOne major cause of debt problems later in life, is that people don´t start to save early enough to enjoy their retirement. Start saving as soon as you can to avoid debt management plans, IVAs or even bankruptcy in later life. What you manage to save between now and 2012 can be put into your personal account in the first year it opens.

4. Don´t delay with saving for retirement You may have other financial commitments right now, such as saving for a house deposit or buying a car, but start saving as soon as you can towards retirement – it comes round a lot quicker than you expect. The last thing you want at retirement age is to worry about debt or to have to seek debt advice in the UK.

5. Consider ISA allowances

One of the best tax-free ways to save for retirement between now and 2012 is to put money into a cash ISA. You can pay up to £3,000 per year into a cash ISA, and the amount you pay in can be used as a contribution into a personal account in 2012, if the total is less than £10,000.

6. A Stakeholder pension scheme to avoid debtYou can start to save in a stakeholder scheme even if there is no employer contribution, and you could begin building a retirement fund before 2012. Although a stakeholder scheme is a good way of saving, you can´t transfer these funds to a personal account in 2012.

7. Charges on savings can cause debt problemsPersonal accounts will offer a low-cost way of saving for your retirement, but excessive charges on accounts can cause debt problems. If you are currently paying high bank charges, you should look at ways to reduce these charges before 2012. Limits apply on maximum charges for stakeholder pension schemes.

8. Personal accounts not for everyoneIf you are going to retire soon after 2012, and you have no other savings, it may be better for you not to contribute to personal accounts, as your savings will replace state benefits that you are eligible for.

9. Tax-free alternatives to avoid debt problems If you are close to retiring, you could put your savings into tax-free products to run alongside your personal account. Cash ISAs, Premium Bonds or Stocks and Shares ISAs could be a good option for you. It is more important than ever these days to start saving for your retirement as early as you can. Debt problems, debt management plans, (DMPs), Individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) and other debt solutions are more difficult to pay off when you are older and you should aim to be debt-free as soon as possible.

10. Tax relief on pension contributionsRemember that pension contributions receive tax relief at the marginal rate. This means that if you are paying tax at a high rate now, but will be paying less in 2012, your pension contributions now will be more valuable than they will in 2012, as you will get 40% tax relief, which is an incentive to pay the contributions now.

If you are suffering debt problems or you need debt advice from a specialist, regulated debt solution company, and you live anywhere in the UK including London, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Bradford, Hull, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Leicester, Coventry, Newcastle, Slough, Gloucester, Plymouth, Southampton, Derby, Northampton, Portsmouth, Luton, Preston, Sunderland, Norwich, Bournemouth, Southend, Swindon or Huddersfield, contact debts.org on 0844 277 7999 or fill in the online form.

Labels: Bournemouth, Coventry, Derby, Gloucester, Leicester, Luton, Newcastle, Northampton, Norwich, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Slough, Southampton, Southend, Sunderland

1 Comments