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Most people understand that saving into a pension is important. But recent UK research suggests there is a significant gap between saving for retirement and actually planning for retirement.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), 59% of people aged 40–75 started saving for retirement in their 20s or 30s. Yet only 11% said they had started actively planning for retirement at that age.
In other words, people are putting money aside long before they necessarily start thinking about what that money will need to achieve.

When does retirement planning begin?
For many, it happens much later.
Among people who were already fully retired, 40% said they had started actively planning for retirement in their 50s, compared with just 21% who had started before their 50s.
That can leave relatively little time to identify and address any gaps between the retirement someone wants and the retirement their finances can realistically support.
And there appears to be plenty of uncertainty. 41% of 40–75-year-olds said they had no idea how much income they would need in retirement.
The consequences of leaving these questions late can be significant. The DWP found that 72% of people who had not yet retired expected to retire later than their ideal retirement age.
Planning is about more than your pension
Retirement planning isn’t simply about deciding how much to contribute to a pension.
It means thinking about when you want to retire, what you want your retirement to look like, how much income you’ll need, what other savings and investments you have, and how you will eventually turn your pension into an income.
Starting earlier doesn’t guarantee a particular retirement outcome. But it does give you something valuable: time.
Time to understand where you are now, consider where you want to be and make changes if there is a gap.
Because saving for retirement is only the first step.
The sooner you start planning, the more time you have to make your retirement plans work for you.
Retirement Planning Workshops
Planned Future offer three retirement planning workshops for your employees. They can take place via online webinar, or on-site in your office or location of choice.
Full-Day Pre Retirement Planning
Our flagship and most popular retirement event. This combines both the lifestyle and financial factors to consider when planning for retirement. Attendees are invited to bring along their spouses, and there is no upper or lower age limit for attendees.
Financial Planning for Retirement
This three-hour workshop is delivered by an FCA regulated financial adviser and covers all the key aspects of financial planning for retirement, including pensions, inheritance, tax planning etc. We can even tailor the session to cover your organisations particular workplace pension scheme.
Planning Your Retirement Lifestyle
Delivered by an experienced retirement lifestyle expert, this three-hour workshop looks at how to deal with the day to day changes that come with retirement. It looks at useful ways to fill free time, what to do to keep your mind engaged and how to make the most out of retirement.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Planning and Preparing for Later Life 2024, published 2025. Survey of 4,036 people aged 40–75 in Great Britain.