UK state pension age rises – but what is retirement for?
The British government has confirmed that, as expected, it will bring forward the increase in state pension age. The previous planned rise from 65 to 66 for men will now almost certainly come eight years earlier, in 2016, and for women by 2020. Meanwhile, there will be a review of how much further and faster [...]
The Selfish Generation
David Willetts’ book is subtitled, ‘How the baby boomers took their children’s future – and why they should give it back.’ This seems to imply a malign intention on the part of the post-war generation and, sure enough, at points in the book, Willetts talks of the ‘ultra-individualism unleashed’ by this generation, whose failure to [...]
What will the coalition do for us?
The policy agreement from the new British coalition government is a seven-page summary, put together under 11 headings, in private and under pressure. Inevitably, it’s a bit thin in places – often more a statement of shared principles than specific intentions. So what does it mean for older people? And what can we infer from [...]
Will the old derail China’s growth?
Two-thirds of Chinese can currently look forward to a destitute old age. China faces the prospect of tens of millions of low-wage workers maturing into indigent urban elders between 2020 and 2030, with untold social and political consequences. A new report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, The Graying Of The Middle Kingdom [...]
Pension? what pension?
By Geraldine Bedell on 16 June, 2010
Yesterday I went to see Steve Webb, the new pensions minister, speak at a debate sponsored by the International Longevity Centre (ILC). With some trepidation, because I find pensions terrifying. I know I don’t have enough of one, and I don’t understand them. The debate was quite consoling, because it was clear, firstly, that pensions [...]
Posted in Blog, Commentary, Money, News, Politics, Work | Tagged Baroness Patricia Hollis, Chris Curry, coalition document, default retirement age, equity release, inequality, Institute for Fiscal Studies, International Longevity Centre, Lawrence Churchill, long-term care, national insurance, NEST, pensions, Pensions Policy Institute, pensions tax relief, state pension, Steve Webb | 2 Responses