Number of people worried they’ll never be able to afford to retire increases

We talk a lot about the amount of pressure the younger generation are under – but those nearing retirement age have it just as hard, it turns out.

A new report suggests that the number of people who said they're worried they may never be able to completely retire has risen to 12 per cent of over-45s, up from 10 per cent in 2015.

The figures, from HSBC, also suggested that while three-quarters of people aged 45 and over would like to retire in the next five years, for almost half, that will be easier said than done because of financial and personal commitments.

While three-quarters said they haven't saved enough money (to be fair, at age 45, not many people have…), another 18 per cent said they had too much debt – and 19 per cent said they had too many dependents relying on them.

But of those who had retired, four in 10 said their standard of living had increased, despite them no longer receiving a monthly salary.

Meanwhile, just under half said their social life had improve, compared with eight per cent who said it had got worse.

“For many people concerns about money are preventing them from retiring when they want to," said Caroline Connellan, head of UK wealth at HSBC.

“Modern financial pressures and the changes in pension freedoms make the need for sound financial planning more important than ever.”

It's a worry for pensions providers – particularly considering the UK's oldest person had her 113th birthday this month.

"The average life expectancy of a woman turning 65 this year is 86, meaning savings need to last for 21 years," pointed out Steven Cameron, regulatory strategy director at Aegon UK, at the time.

"About one out of every four 65-year-olds today will live past age 90, and one out of 10 will live past age 95."
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