According to the Office for National Statistics, the average life expectancy of someone born today is 93, and they will have a one in three chance of reaching the age of 100. A woman who is 40 years old today will live, on average, until she is 89; the equivalent for a man is 87.
What does this mean for those saving for a pension? Well, if you live longer in retirement, your pension pot has to stretch across more years, and this can have a profound effect on your standard of living.
For example, someone retiring at 67 and living to 81½ (today’s average life expectancy), would need £453,850 income over their retirement to achieve a ‘moderate’ lifestyle, as defined by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association. If they live to 90, they will need £719,900; if they get to 100, that figure rises to over £1 million.
Everyone hopes for a long and healthy life; we all need to start thinking about what we need to save so that that life is financially comfortable, too.
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