Millions of
UK residents are unaware of how much they will need upon
reaching retirement, according to research.
Around one fifth of the population believes that £50,000 would be an adequate
pension sum, a survey conducted by Friends Provident indicates.
However, this amount would provide a pension income of £44.24 after tax on average, states the company.
The survey also shows that one third of UK residents have "no idea" what proportion of their income should be invested in a
personal pension plan and 35 per cent don't know how much they could afford to invest.
Jeremy Ward, head of
pensions marketing at Friends Provident says: "The continued lack of understanding of
pensions is a serious issue and by ignoring this, the British people are facing a pension time bomb.
"This is a wake up call for consumers to start saving sooner rather than regretting it later."
Company
pension plans and
personal pension plans have been at the forefront of the media, following a recent government reform.
The Pensions White Paper recently put forward by the Labour government included plans to restore a link to earnings, which chancellor Gordon Brown had earlier described as "unaffordable".