Top up your pension while you still can, but be mindful of Revenue rules
Additional voluntary contributions can supercharge a pension when a person is nearing retirement, and they can also be a tax-efficient use of funds
Pensions Focus Special Report
Pensions Focus looks at all aspects of the rapidly evolving Irish pensions market from green pension funds to auto-enrolment delays and the introduction of master trusts, and highlights the critical importance of starting early on the retirement savings journey. It also looks at the options open to people as they approach retirement and need to make decisions on how much risk they are prepared to take with their hard-earned pension savings.
In a world of greenwashing, how green is your pension?
Greening your pension is 21 times more effective than relinquishing flying, turning vegetarian and changing energy provider combined
Upon retirement the tough choices begin
Decisions you take at this point will have a significant bearing on your financial security and that of your dependants
Pensions: The longer you leave it, the bigger the loss down the road
Is Government action required to make the pension system more attractive to younger people?
Navigating defined benefit pension pots
What is the best option: to stick and wait to receive your pension entitlement in retirement? Or twist and invest it in defined contribution arrangement
‘The earlier you start, the better’: How to stretch a pension to meet retirement needs
Starting a pension as early as possible is crucial – a person starting at age 35 can expect a pension fund about 80 per cent larger than someone starting at age 45
Twenty years on, and amid residual scepticism, pension auto-enrolment is in sight
Scheme is aimed at addressing the persistently low rate of supplementary pensions coverage among private sector workers
Low pension coverage defies generous tax relief
Pension scheme members get full tax relief on contributions, subject to certain restrictions
What are the best pension options for the self-employed?
Being self-employed comes with many perks but you have to fund your pension without employer contributions
Women working eight years longer than men for same pension pot
Ideal time to gender-proof pension policy with Auto Enrolment on the way
Employees switching to master trusts over onerous pension schemes
Master trusts allow multiple employers to participate under the same shared arrangement, offering economies of scale and other advantages
Racing to the finish: How pension savers can make up for lost time
‘A pension remains the most tax-effective way to save for retirement ... a decision that you will not regret’
Crisis in Irish retirement savings has no silver-bullet solution
With 800k workers banking solely on the State pension, a multi-faceted approach is needed to help people plan their financial future
AVCs the best and most tax-efficient way to top up your pension pot
Additional voluntary contributions allow you to boost your pension fund – great news if you started saving late or want to retire early
Are you putting away enough to pay for your retirement income?
As a rule of thumb, you should be putting a percentage of your salary equivalent to half your age into your pension. We do the maths...
Can you rely on the State pension to carry you through retirement?
Longer life means a longer retirement but a comparatively smaller workforce will struggle to support more pensioners
Auto-enrolment pension scheme to take the path of least resistance
The new auto-enrolment national pension will be ‘soft mandatory’, with employees able to opt out at certain times
Defined benefit pension schemes – should you stick or twist?
Whether to take up an enhanced transfer value offer is a huge and complex decision, and warrants specialised advice
What are the early drawdown options on my pension fund?
With cost of living increases driving people to access their funds early , experts weigh in on early drawdown
Economies of scale make larger trusts masters of the pension universe
The burden of meeting new regulatory requirements has led many employers to move their pensions schemes to master trusts
Devil will be in the detail of national auto-enrolment pension scheme
The many unknowns about the State’s auto-enrolment pension plan make it hard for employers to prepare
How green is my pension? Retirement funds reflect ESG investing shift
Consumers want sustainable options, with implications for where fund managers invest their pensions
What to do if you’re in your 40s or 50s and haven’t started a pension
If you’ve been pouring your spare cash into a business for years or just didn’t have enough to put in a pension, late starters still have options
What should you do with your pension when you move jobs?
Thinking of making a career move? What to do with your pension when you change jobs
Approved retirement fund or annuity? Weighing up pension options
Danielle Barron looks at the pros and cons of ARFs and annuities, based on your attitude to risk and personal income requirements at retirement
Why it’s best not to cross the pension standard fund threshold
Although clearly a first-world problem, retirement savings that exceed the €2 million SFT present challenges
Cashing in on retirement: How to make the most of your pension pot
Experts say pensions are the best investment you can make; here’s how to make the most of it
How much risk is too much when it comes to pension savings?
The rewards of the stock market can be great in the long-term, but it’s volatile for the short-term investor
Greening your pension
What are the best options for ensuring your pension fund is invested in ethical assets?
Making up for lost time
It’s better to start saving for a pension early but if you haven't, here’s what to do
Is the end nigh for your pension scheme?
The EU IORP II directive is bringing the biggest change seen in Ireland’s occupational pensions landscape for a generation, according to experts
Is it time to start thinking about annuities again?
There are downsides to annuities but with inflation on the rise, annuity returns have also increased
Pensions: Is the timing right for auto-enrolment?
Auto-enrolment will be a new savings and investment scheme for employees where financial returns are paid out to participants on retirement, in addition to the State pension
Protecting the value of your pension fund
If you are far away from retirement, it is often best not to switch to more secure assets in periods of volatility
Pension savers vulnerable to scams as cost of living escalates
In the UK the Financial Conduct Authority(FCA) is warning that scammers are using a number of tactics to con victims
Watching the funding threshold
If someone reaches retirement and exceeds the threshold by, even by €1, the pension administrator will immediately take 40 per cent Chargeable Excess Tax and remit that to Revenue
Should I hold or should I sell?
Pensions: Employers' offers of enhanced transfer values may appear very tempting on the surface, but people should be very cautious before signing on the dotted line
Pensions pushed off priority list during cost-of-living crisis
National pension auto-enrolment is coming down the tracks in 2024, but in the meantime the advice is to start pension savings as soon as possible
UK pension plans looking to offload risk amid market turmoil
Corporate pension programmes in the UK are increasingly looking to offload their risk to insurers as they try to insulate themselves from future market turmoil.
IORP II: A bigger deal than it sounds for standalone pensions
A new obligation on pension scheme trustees to ensure effective governance
Live long and prosper: how to plan for a comfortable retirement
Starting a pension early is key to living standards remaining the same upon retirement
Pensions: the self-administered option
With a new, high compliance burden, what is the future of the SSAP model?
Pensions: When enough can be too much
Any contributions above the standard fund threshold of €2m are hit with a punitive tax
Early drawdown of a pension can give you access when you need it most
Policy makers have been reluctant to allow tax-free early access to pension pots
Another target date for an auto-enrolment pension scheme likely to be missed
Lord make me good, but not yet. Everyone agrees a national auto-enrolment pension is a good idea, but no one seems ready to pay for one
Pensions: Preparing for a changed world
The idea of stopping work at a pre-determined age is being challenged
‘Mortality risk versus investment risk’ of annuity pensions
Pensions landscape has been transformed by more stable approved retirement funds
Yesterday’s solutions won’t necessarily solve tomorrow’s problems
Reprofiling pension risk can make significant differences as people approach retirement
Making up for lost time: planning your pension
The best thing to do when it comes to making a retirement plan – start now
Pension planning: mastering the costs of compliance
There is set to be a fundamental shift in the way pension schemes are structured
Retirement represents decision time on pension investment options
Approved retirement funds offer flexibility and control over investments
How green is your pension?
Workers seek superannuation that matches environment, social and governance ethics
Defined benefit pensions: Are they really the Rolls Royce of retirement funds?
They aren’t all they’re cracked up to be if the scheme isn’t fully funded when you retire
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