Investment

STATE PENSION

Government plans to increase spending on state pensions have been criticised as "unaffordable and irresponsible" in a report by a free market think tank.

In this week's quick-fire poll we ask: Should consumers be able to switch annuities as pension minister Steve Webb has advocated?

Retirement Planner's round-up of the top pensions stories this week.

Cardiff-based IFA Penguin Wealth has launched an online retirement planning advice service aimed at lower-net-worth consumers.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said the state pension will continue to rise by at least 2.5% a year until 2020 if the Conservatives win the next election.

The majority of employers are in favour of using auto-escalation schemes to increase contribution rates in defined contribution (DC) schemes, according to research from the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA).

Peter Hargreaves, the co-founder and former CEO of Hargreaves Lansdown, has been given a CBE in the New Year's Honours list, while former Bank of England (BoE) deputy governor Paul Tucker has been knighted.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Retirement Planner's round-up of the top pension stories this week.