It seems that wherever one looks in the media at the moment a commentator, government minister or journalist is stepping forward to tell us how awful annuities are and posing the question: why are annuities so bad?

This, therefore is an important statement that should be absorbed before we continue; not all annuities are bad, some offer good value for money and many policy holders are happy with their choice of product.

Some s...

Annuity is a term that until recently everyone had heard of but few of us not of retirement age knew what it meant. The March 2014 changed that. Suddenly annuities became big news and exciting stories about the possibility of Ferrari driving pensioners were splashed across the newspapers.

This article is a quick look at the changes to annuities and how they will affect you, so the first thing to do is to explain specifically w...

No one is as wise, prudent or capable of self restraint as they think they are. When we think of a large sum of money, £100,000 say, we tend to think in terms of what it might buy: An incredible car, several years travelling round the world, a large new extension transforming our house into a dream home, or continued financial security in our old age? 

The latter is, of course, less exciting, less glamorous, and less fun,...

In the next few months with a general election on the horizon, millions of voters and savers will be eagerly waiting for news of what provision there will be for them in their retirement.

The state pension, which is currently capped at a maximum of £113.10 per week, has been amended, adapted, altered and changed by successive governments over the last half century or so. The result can be that state pensions confusing, contrad...