Do you intend on relying on the government for assistance?

If you are currently employed and not saving into a Pension arrangement, have you ever thought about what retirement will be like? Have you dreamt of spending time with the grandchildren or going on nice breaks away every few months in your twilight years?

If retirement is not something you “dream” about, it is certainly something you should have in the back of your mind. A pension is a savings policy designed to subsidise the drop in income when we retire. The current state Pension is €230.30 per week (€11,975 per year).

Recently the age at which a person is entitled to receive the state Pension has increased. Some economical commentators think that the government may phase out the benefits of the state Pension over time. They could do this by raising the retirement age further or even by simply not increasing the current Pension entitlements (which will reduce the spending power over time).

A big question that people should consider now is that if they are comfortable with the thought of leaving the fate of their retirement in the hands of future governments? One of the biggest advantages of a Pension is that the more you have at your retirement age, the more financial control and flexibility you will have over how you spend your retirement.