Skipton Building Society has developed a new consumer-facing website offering information, real-life case studies and peer-to-peer support about at-retirement options.
Recognising that consumers need more help, Skipton has created Retiresavvy for people who are approaching and in retirement.
It also allows discussion via a live forum, while articles on the site address how much is needed to retire, retirement age and how much should be paid into a pension.
Regular polls will also feature in a bid to gain real-time insight into what really matters to users, along with links to “trusted sources of other help and information”.
David Cutter, group chief executive of Skipton Building Society, said that the pensions landscape is characterised by uncertainty, changing government legislation and increasing life expectancy, so today’s 50-plus generation could be forgiven for not knowing where to turn.
“We are already doing something about this, with our Retirement Review Service, to help people to picture and plan towards their futures, but we want to do even more.
“Now we are proud to add retiresavvy.co.uk to our range of tools that help people planning their retirements. We aim to help plug the huge gap in retirement information that exists in today’s society, despite the growing complexity and urgency of this issue.”
Ros Altmann, currently the government’s business champion for older workers and who is set to be a minister responsible for financial consumer protection and financial education if the Conservatives win the general election, added: “There is certainly a need for this, as too many people fail to plan their future life and don’t make the most of their later life opportunities.”
emma.hughes@ft.com
