“Pensions are the peoples money”

The idea for this project came from my many years working in the pensions world and from an increasing frustration about how little we understand pensions.

Working in the world of financial services where the biggest pension providers have always dominated is challenging and restricting. Even though nearly 80% of us who save, say we would like that money invested so it does good for people and planet, we don’t have the knowledge and skills to know how to go about it.

Only 9% of us have sufficient savings to make us eligible for financial advice. That leaves the vast majority of us having to make significant financial decisions with no access to guidance or support.

Your Pension Your Planet is aiming to provide that missing support by making easily understandable information about pensions accessible to all.

Whether you are part of a workplace pension, have an individual pension or even both, the underlying structure is the same with the main purpose being to provide a source of income in retirement.

At the same time pension funds are invested, with very little say from savers, into global markets and companies. There is £3 trillion in the UK pensions market which is our money. Invested in such a way that it will have huge influence on how companies behave, on levels of social inequality, and on environmental outcomes.