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Why retirement advice must evolve with age and emotion
Retirement is evolving. Societal shifts, regulatory changes and economic uncertainty are reshaping how people approach their later years. More than ever, people need support to make informed, confident decisions about their financial futures.
Gail IzatOctober 02, 2025
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Why it’s time to reboot our retirement thinking
Retirement isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. While for previous generations, it marked a fixed point in life, it has since evolved into a much more dynamic and uniquely personal journey.
Claire AltmanOctober 01, 2025
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Video | What is the future of modern retirement?
Dan Haylett, Director at TFP Financial Planning and Claire Altman, MD of Individual Retirement at Standard Life, talk about the more human side of retirement, what will the second half of your clients’ lives really look like? And where will providers, advisers, tech and AI fit in this?
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Value for money: what will this mean for the role of trustees?
The role of EBCs is likely to prove essential in providing advice on the relative strengths and weakness of different master trusts.
Donna WalshJanuary 22, 2025
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Video | Pensions dashboards: how much difference will they really make?
Pensions dashboards should boost people's engagement with retirement savings. But a lot will depend on how you can access the data. And we might end up with more of them than we expect, say Sam Seaton, CEO at MoneyHub, and Matt Burrell, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Phoenix Group.
November 28, 2024
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Video | Retirement income: what help do people really need?
Making decisions about retirement income is tough. The stakes are high, the options plentiful – yet people often receive little or no help. So how can we change this situation? Find out in our discussion with Claire Altman, Managing Director, Individual Retirement at Standard Life, and Matt Burrell, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Phoenix Group.
November 26, 2024
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Video | Former pensions ministers on regrets, successes and why the UK system has to change
Guy Opperman, former UK pensions minister, and Nick Sherry, former Australia pensions minister, discuss adequacy, Value for Money, Mansion House, trustee responsibilities – and a few broken bones along the way.
November 12, 2024
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Video | The future of retirement income: what needs to change?
How can the pensions industry ensure people get the right guidance and advice when they retire? And are the right products available to provide both certainty and flexibility – and ultimately provide better outcomes? Find out in our discussion with Claire Altman, Managing Director, Individual Retirement at Standard Life.
October 22, 2024
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Video | Small pots: does Australia’s stapling model provide the answers?
In Australia they don't suffer from small pots and employees have more to say over the choice of pension fund. But not everything about their system is rosy. Find out more in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.
September 30, 2024
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Video | Value for Money: should the UK emulate Australia's performance test?
Does the UK's Value for Money framework lack teeth? If so, what might we learn from Australia's more penal performance test? Find out in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.
September 27, 2024
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Video | The year of elections: what it means for pensions and investments
In Australia, illiquid investments are more common and average pension returns are higher. So what does this indicate about the likely success of Mansion House and the UK's pension investment aspirations? Find out in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.
September 26, 2024
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Video | Retirement solutions: lessons from Australia
When it comes to retirement income, how does the UK compare to other markets? Is it a global problem? And what are the short- and long-term solutions? Find out in our discussion with John Greenwood, Editor at Corporate Adviser, and Paul Leandro, Partner at Barnett Waddingham.
September 25, 2024
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Video | The year of elections: what it means for pensions and investments
This year national elections are due to be held in at least 64 countries – representing around half of the world’s population, and over 60% of global economic output. To understand what this could mean for pensions and investments, we speak to Anthony O'Brien, Head of Market Strategy at Phoenix Group.
September 17, 2024
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Video | UK political and economic trends: what these mean for pension reform
What’s changed economically since the general election? How do overseas investors perceive the UK? And what pension reforms would we like to see in October’s Budget? Find out in our discussion with Anthony O’Brien, Head of Market Strategy at Phoenix Group.Read more13 mins read -
Spending and saving habits in the US: lessons for the UK
Emergency savings, spending behaviours during retirement, why some really retirees return to work, and how retirement products can cater for the “100-year life”.August 28, 2024
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Auto-enrolment: how increasing contribution rates could boost the UK economy
Increasing pensions investment into private asset classes is critical to supporting competitive and high-growth sectors.
Mike AmberyAugust 21, 2024
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Improving pensions adequacy: is personalisation the key?
If default pension contribution rates are insufficient, could technology help to tailor rates more to individual needs?
Helen DeanJuly 19, 2024
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Video | What the US presidential election could mean for UK pensions
We chatted to David John, US pensions and retirement expert, about Biden vs. Trump, ESG, pension reform, and why most people don't plan a lot for retirement.
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Master trust secondary market: what’s the role of ceding trustees?
As activity in the secondary market increases, it’s vital that ceding trustees are fully involved and act independently.
Donna WalshMarch 27, 2024
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New Zealand’s KiwiSaver: a template for auto-enrolment reform in the UK?
To help understand how auto-enrolment may evolve in the UK, here are some insights into New Zealand’s KiwiSaver – the world’s first auto-enrolment opt-out national savings scheme.
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Podcast | What the UK can learn about auto-enrolment from New Zealand
Two leading experts on pension reform discuss the merits of allowing pension withdrawals for home ownership, member engagement and financial education – and whether you really need tax incentives to encourage people to save for retirement.
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6 trends that have reshaped the pensions landscape
Many future generations of pensioners are likely to face substantial financial difficulties in older age – unless there’s policy action. So what are the challenges facing the UK pensions system, and how can they be overcome?
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Video | Challenges facing the UK pension system: is it time for a new review?
Paul Johnson, Director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, explains the Pensions Review report, insufficient pension contributions, the State Pension age – and why the UK pension system needs a review.
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Podcast | Challenges facing the UK pension system: is it time for a new review?
We speak to Paul Johnson, Director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, about the Pensions Review report, insufficient pension contributions, the State Pension age – and why the UK pension system needs a review.
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Pot for life: lessons from Australia’s stapling model
The Australian system doesn’t suffer as much from small pots as the UK, and members have more choice of fund. But this wasn’t achieved overnight.
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Illiquid asset investments: can the UK emulate Australian superannuation?
Australian superannuation is cited as a model that the UK pensions industry might seek to emulate. But is it really that simple?
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Value for money: what can the UK learn from Australia?
For many in Australia’s superannuation industry there is one principal measure of value for money: net benefit outcome.
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Podcast | What the Australian pensions system tells us about future reform in the UK
What has driven consolidation in Australian superannuation, retirement income policy shifts and infrastructure developments? To find out, we spoke to The Hon. Nick Sherry, an ex-Australian Pensions Minister for Superannuation and Senator for Tasmania.
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What the UK pensions industry can learn from Australia
Australia's superannuation sector is the fifth-largest pension system in the world, and can provide valuable lessons to the UK.
Read more3 mins read
The aims of Thinking Forward
We want to make financial security in retirement more achievable and widespread, and generally fairer. It's how we believe we can best support the long-term and diverse needs of savers, as well as supporting employers, advisers and trustees.
This is why we launched our thought leadership programme, Thinking Forward.
Through regular events and insights, we want to:
- Support our customers with innovative retirement income solutions
- Deliver better data- and insight-driven customer engagement and service
- Build propositions with financial inclusion in mind
- Invest responsibly
- Champion financial wellness
As well as conducting our own research, we will work with industry experts worldwide to ensure we bring a global perspective to help drive and develop solutions based on research and best practice.
Our joint research initiative with the OECD
We’re excited to have embarked on a three-year joint research initiative with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development