Jasmine Birtles
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The Retirement Wake-Up Call: Why Half of Us Never Talk About Pensions
Ruby Layram
15th Sep 2025
Here’s a scary stat for you, almost half (45%) of UK adults never talk about retirement or pensions with anyone. Not their family, not their friends, not even their partner.
And yet, your pension will likely be the single biggest pot of money you ever own. So why are we all so quiet about it?
In a recent interview, Imran Razvi, Senior Policy Adviser for Pensions & Institutional Market at The Investment Association, revealed that we Brits are still avoiding one of the most important financial conversations of our lives. Only 1 in 3 people are willing to talk about retirement with their partner.
The result? Millions of us are sleepwalking into a future where we might not have enough to live on.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. With a few small steps (and yes, some awkward conversations), you can get your pension on track and stop worrying about what’s around the corner.
Why We Avoid Talking About Pensions
Money can feel like a taboo subject in the UK. More awkward to talk about than health, politics, or even sex. But pensions take that awkwardness to a whole new level.
Here’s why people stay silent:
- Confusion: The system feels complex, auto-enrolment, tax relief, annuities, drawdown… it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin.
- Fear: Some people worry about facing up to the reality that they’re not saving enough.
- Delay tactics: Retirement feels so far away that it’s easy to put off thinking about it until “later.”
- Unfortunately, “later” often turns into “too late.”
The Risks of Staying Silent
Not engaging with your pension could mean:
- Missing out on free money from your employer (many match contributions, but only if you put money in yourself!).
- Forgetting about old pension pots that just sit there, not working as hard as they could.
- Contributing the bare minimum, which might leave you short when it comes time to retire.
Auto-enrolment is a great start, but it’s rarely enough on its own. If you want a comfortable retirement, you’ll need to take more control.
5 Actionable Steps to Get Talking and Take Control
If this post has encouraged you to take action, here are a few things that you can do to steer your pension in a better direction today!
Have “the talk” with your partner
Sit down and discuss what kind of retirement you both want.
Do you want to travel, help your kids financially, or simply cover essentials without stress?
Knowing your goals makes planning far easier.
Check your contributions
Log in to your pension provider’s website (or the government’s Pension Tracing Service if you’ve lost track of old pots).
Are you contributing enough? Could you increase it by even 1%?
Small boosts now can make a huge difference later.
Ask your employer about matching
Many workplaces offer contribution matching schemes. If you don’t ask, you don’t get, and this is free money you could be missing out on.
Don’t just assume that your employer is contributing as much as they could be!
Consolidate old pensions
If you’ve had several jobs, you might have multiple small pots scattered around. Consider consolidating them into one account to save on fees and make them easier to manage.
Talk to a professional
Pensions can be tricky, especially when it comes to deciding how to draw down your money in retirement.
Speaking to an independent financial adviser could help you avoid costly mistakes.
The Investment Association is right: retirement today is more complex than ever. How much you’ll need depends on your lifestyle, your health, and your family situation.
The important thing is to stop treating pensions like a “tomorrow problem.” The earlier you start talking, the more options you’ll have later.
Your pension is your future paycheque. Ignore it, and you risk running out of money when you need it most. Start the conversation today, with your partner, your family, or even just yourself.
Because if nearly half of us never talk about pensions, that’s a wake-up call we can’t afford to keep hitting snooze on.
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