PRESS RELEASE

10m pension holders running out of money in retirement

25 August 2021

LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Monitor highlights consumers don’t know their retirement options but are reluctant to take financial advice
8m plan a DIY approach to retirement, but many don’t know how to avoid running out of money, avoid big tax bills or leave an inheritance

Research from pensions and retirement specialist LV= highlights how millions of people don’t understand their retirement options when they stop work.

The LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Monitor* - a quarterly survey of 4,000+ UK adults – reveals:

Most people know little about available retirement products

More than a third (35%/ 10m) of pension holders admit they know nothing about the product options at retirement and the pros and cons of each option
And more than one on five (22%) those planning to retire in the next five years knows nothing about the product options at retirement

There are a lot of different retirement products available (e.g. Drawdown, Life time Annuity, Fixed term Annuity, etc.) How much do you think you know about your product options at retirement and the pros and cons of each option?

	All pension holders	£100K+ in DC pensions	Plan to retire in the next 5 yrs	Mass Affluent
Nothing at all	35 %	13 %	22 %	17 %
A bit	45 %	41 %	47 %	43 %
A good amount	16 %	33 %	23 %	29 %
A lot	4 %	13 %	8 %	11 %

And they don’t understand some of the big risks in retirement

35% (10m) of pension holders know nothing about how stock market falls can affect retirement savings
34% (9.9m) say they don’t know how to ensure they don’t run out of money in retirement

How much do you understand about the following…

*Base: all pension holders*	The effect of stock market fluctuations on your pension savings	How to ensure you don’t run out of money in retirement	How to take money from your pension in a tax efficient way	How to pass on money to children/ grandchildren in a tax efficient way
Nothing at all	35 %	34 %	36 %	30 %
A bit	40 %	40 %	40 %	42 %
A good amount	17 %	19 %	17 %	21 %
A lot	7 %	6 %	7 %	7 %

Half of people with a pension over £100,000 don’t know a good amount about how to take money from their pension in a tax-efficient way

How much do you understand about the following…

*Base: £100K+ in DC pensions*	The effect of stock market fluctuations on your pension savings	How to ensure you don’t run out of money in retirement	How to take money from your pension in a tax efficient way	How to pass on money to children/ grandchildren in a tax efficient way
Nothing at all	10 %	13 %	11 %	14 %
A bit	39 %	37 %	40 %	39 %
A good amount	33 %	35 %	30 %	30 %
A lot	18 %	15 %	20 %	17 %

Only 34% of married people understand how to ensure their spouse will be left with enough pension if they die

Although people don’t understand their options, many are not considering taking financial advice.

Only 39% (10.6m) of pension holders are planning on taking financial advice when they retire, with 31% (8.3m) planning to DIY their retirement.
Only half (52%) of mass affluent people – those with assets of between £100,000 and £500,000 excluding property – are planning to take financial advice.

Are you planning on getting advice from a financial adviser when you retire?

*Base: £100K+ in DC pensions*	The effect of stock market fluctuations on your pension savings	How to ensure you don’t run out of money in retirement	How to take money from your pension in a tax efficient way	How to pass on money to children/ grandchildren in a tax efficient way
Yes	39 %	62 %	42 %	52 %
No	31 %	25 %	41 %	28 %
Don’t know	30 %	13 %	17 %	20 %

Attitudes to financial advice

Fewer than a third 31% (16m) of UK adults think people should see a financial adviser when deciding how to access pensions at retirement.

There are a few different reasons why some mass affluent refuse to take financial advice

Nearly half (46%) of non-advised mass affluent people say they can make financial decisions on their own
27% of mass affluent customers don’t want to pay for financial advice and 20% believe it would be too expensive
A quarter (25%) don’t think financial advice offers good value for money.

Why have you never received financial advice?

*Base: those who have never used a financial advice*	Total	Mass Affluent
I’ve never made any big financial decisions	30 %	14 %
I can make financial decisions on my own	29 %	46 %
I don’t want to pay for financial advice	23 %	27 %
Financial advice is for people with more money than me	20 %	12 %
I believe getting financial advice would be too expensive	17 %	20 %
I don’t trust financial advisers	13 %	24 %
I don’t know how I’d find a trustworthy financial adviser	12 %	15 %
I don’t think financial advice offers value for money	12 %	25 %

The top occasions where mass affluent consumers feel that people should seek financial advice are: Choosing to invest a large lump sum (43%), inheritance tax planning (44%) and deciding how to access a pension (40%).

Clive Bolton, Managing Director of Savings and Retirement at LV=, said:

“People planning for retirement should think hard about what they want to do when they eventually stop work. It is helpful to have a good idea of the lifestyle you want, how much it will cost and how you are going to pay for it. The more enthusiastic you are about retiring, the more likely you are to develop a robust retirement plan. Consulting a financial adviser is a good way to ensure you achieve the retirement you want.

“People have a series of big decisions to make as they approach the end of their working life and each one can make a huge difference to their retirement. For example, should they drawdown their pension in one go or over a period of time? Should they take their 25% tax free cash or leave the money in their pension fund to grow? Should they buy an annuity to guarantee an income for the rest of their lives or go for drawdown? These are questions a good financial adviser will help answer.

“Taking financial advice is an excellent idea because it compensates for the emotional biases people have when they make big financial decisions. A DIY approach to managing large pension funds at retirement is fraught with risk. People can easily buy the wrong products, incur unnecessary tax bills or simply exhaust their retirement funds too quickly but an adviser will provide an impartial, cool-headed approach to their client’s finances and offer solutions that the client will not even have considered.

“Planning for retirement is complex. Doing your research and taking financial advice is good way to guide consumers through their options and ensure they get the retirement they want.”

Your retirement checklist

People approaching retirement can visit PensionWise, consult the LV= Retirement Advice Service or speak to an independent financial adviser.

Notes to Editors

* The LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Monitor is a quarterly survey of 4,000+ consumers which examines their attitudes to spending, saving and retirement. The Monitor also surveys the attitudes of mass affluent consumers, those with assets of between £100,000 and £500,000 excluding property, which are a key target market for financial advisers. LV= surveyed 4,000+ nationally representative UK adults via an online omnibus conducted by Opinium in June 2021.

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About LV=:

LV= is a leading retirement and protection specialist. When we started in 1843 our goal was to give financial security to more than just a privileged few and for many decades we were most commonly associated with providing a method of saving to people of modest means. Today we follow a similar purpose, helping people to protect and provide for the things they love, although on a much larger scale and through a wide range of financial services including insurance, investment and retirement products.

LV= and Liverpool Victoria are registered trademarks of Liverpool Victoria Financial Services Limited (LVFS) and trading styles of the LV= Group of Companies.Liverpool Victoria Financial Services Limited, registered in England with registration number 12383237 is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct.