Parts of UK failing most to plan for retirement revealed

Retirees in parts of England face being £120 or more short of what they need every week, a report has found, with residents in Greater London, the south west and east of England most unprepared financially for life after work. Friends Life has published its UK Retirement Savings Map based on the savings behavior of over 18,000 people.The East Midlands, East of England and South West are falling behind, with three in five people are not saving into a pension at all.But the North East, Scotland and the North West are the most financially prepared, researchers found. {desktop}{/desktop}{mobile}{/mobile} Overall, almost three in five (58%) people held some form of pension with two in five (23%) investing the maximum amount they can afford into their pension.But the average total amount of retirement savings was not sufficient once living and housing costs were factored in, with people facing a financial shortfall of £96.67 per week.According to the research, most savers expect to need £409 per week in retirement when their actual income from their retirement savings will be on average £312 per week.On average, those in the East of England face an income shortfall of £105.38 per week and Greater London a shortfall of £123.85 per week. The difference in attitude to retirement savings also varied by city, with the survey finding:• Those in Edinburgh were the most proactive in pension saving for the future• People in Bristol and Sheffield were the most aware of their expected income and spending habits in later years• Londoners, who put away the least money, also faced the highest living costs at £228 per week, which means they focused on spending 'in the now' and gaining a foothold on the property ladder which pushes retirement savings down the list of priorities• Birmingham residents also faced one of the greatest financial shortfalls of all the UK cities and are the second least likely to save money for retirementAndy Briggs, group chief executive at Friends Life said: "It is encouraging to see areas of the UK where savers are actively managing their finances for their future."Acting today means these people are best positioned to secure the future they want in retirement."However, our Retirement Savings Map shows that there are worrying areas of financial deficit where a combination of a lack of awareness, lack of planning and soaring living costs mean a future situation of income shortfall."It is concerning that there are regions of savings deficit within the UK and as a business we want to support these customers in securing as much income as possible for their future."We, as an industry, together with government, employers and financial advisers need to do everything we can to help people in the UK to save for their future to secure their financial wellbeing during retirement."

Parts of UK failing most to plan for retirement revealed

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