Britons ‘FAILING to make saving for old age a priority’
BRITONS are failing to make saving for their old age a priority as they fall into a short-term saving trap, experts have warned. Two in five people think saving for a potential emergency is more important than any other financial milestone.
And less than a third view saving for a pension as a priority while 26 per cent are stashing cash away for their summer holiday, according to new research by the Foresters Friendly Society.
This long term saving gap is particularly significant amongst millennials (those aged between 18-34) who stand most to gain when thinking further into the future.
Saving for retirement ranked even lower on their list of priorities with just 16 per cent building up a pension pot, despite generous employer contributions and tax breaks.
Tom Selby, a senior analyst at AJ Bell, said: “While rising consumer spending might be good for the UK economy, it risks storing up serious long-term problems – particularly if it is driven by cheap loans and rising consumer debt. Even recently, defined contribution savers were, on average, putting away just one per cent of their salary – a reduction from the 1.5 per cent level seen in 2015.”
The research found short-term savers also ignoring higher interest long-term options for their money.
More than a third of UK adults use standard savings account as their preferred way to save while 27 per cent opt for cash ISAs and 15 per cent just use their current accounts.
But with interest rates at just 0.5 per cent, these accounts offer savers paltry returns.
Accounts that require savings to lock their money away for a longer period of time offer higher interest rates but only nine per cent, for example, are taking advantage of the Lifetime ISA (LISA), developed specifically to help those under 40 years old achieve their long-term savings goals.
For more information on Retirement, read my recent blogs “Investment patterns during retirement” and “Financial advice will help boost retirement savings”.
About Mike Coady
Mike Coady is an expat expert based in Dubai and is on hand to help with all of the above and more.
Mike is an award-winning money coach and industry leader in the financial sector.
Qualified to UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) standards, a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, a Fellow of the Institute of Sales Management (FISM), a Fellow of the Association of Professional Sales (F.APS), a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (FIoD) and featured as a highly qualified Financial Adviser in Which Financial Adviser.
To learn how to choose a great financial adviser, download our free guide.
Blog published by Mike Coady.
