Four in 10 people have no retirement savings plan - but want same lifestyle

People in Yorkshire and the Humber are among the least active when making plans for retirement, Skipton Building Society said.

The mutual’s first Retirement Index survey found 40 per cent of the region’s residents fail to make plans for income in later years.

Despite this, more than a third (36 per cent) believe they will be able to fund the lifestyle they desire in retirement, compared to 28 per cent who think they will not.

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The reality of saving and retirement prospects appears to hit home age 35 - with 35 to 44-year-old the most pessimistic group when it comes to the practicalities of preparing for later life.

Skipton said the index, based on 3,000 online Ipsos Mori interviews with adults aged 18 to 75, showed greater optimism among those who have already retired than those who are still working.

Personal finances, confidence, health and wellbeing, and views on society, were considered to produce a single number the optimism index, in which pre-retirees in Yorkshire and the Humber scored 3.2 out of 10. Retirees’ positivity was almost double at 6.1 out of 10.

Jacqui Bateson, retirement specialist at Skipton Building Society, said people often think about retirement in “purely financial terms”.

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She said: “What the Skipton Retirement Index shows is that emotions, expectations and sentiment can play an important role in how people feel about their retirement and the subsequent decisions that they make.

“Retirement is a rapidly growing concern as people are living longer and will need more money for later life.

“We’ve identified that there is a clear period from 35 onwards when people can see the future realities of retirement in years to come, but can’t see past their immediate concerns and financial commitments

“However, we can also see that the best solution is not to put your head in the sand, but to take action.”

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