general enquiry about Pensions and Life Savings (and stuff)

[Harry Genshaw]

I tend to bury my head in the sand a bit with this though I do know I shouldn't, particularly since it feels like I'm galloping towards 50 now.

Savings are about a grand. Mortgage will be paid off in 7 or 8 years all being well. At the moment I have a final pension thingamy jig which amounts to about £5k a year with a one off lump sum of £13k. By the time I retire (in 22 years at current Govt estimate) I expect it will be much less. The Mrs has about 3 pension schemes all amounting to feck all

Thing is, I've met & heard of too many folk who were saving madly for retirement only for em to kark it. So I intend to keep on spending now while I can enjoy it. Unless the Govt of 2035 decides on compulsory euthanasia for the elderly they'll still be paying some sort of manageable state pension out. Wont they?

It'll be reet

Too many jokes, must be good...

You aint that far behind Mrs

[Montreal Wanderer]

Are they stillnoffering defined benefit schemes there? I doubt youd find any open to new members here.

The large majority of pension plans over here are defined benefits. Theoretically the employer should be putting in money all along to cover liabilities but sometimes plans become dangerously underfunded. Worse, bankrupt companies mean employees only get a fraction of what they were promised, if that. With defined contribution plans like mine the money is always in my name but I have no protection against it being poorly invested. Fortunately it has always done well except 2008 usually with generally an asset mix of 67% equity 33% fixed income.

[Salford Trotter]

I'm one of the lucky ones and I opted to join a final salary scheme and it was still open when I was made redundant in October this year after 25 years service. Thankfully the scheme allowed me to take my pension at 50 (with penalties) along with a lump sum so this coupled with the redundancy monies and savings we've been able to buy several houses on buy to let mortgages. I managed to get a job almost immediately on similar money so we intend to use the house income to reinvest in even more houses. It does help when the kids are all earning so we don't have to fund them in the same way we have done when they were growing up. The plan is that we should be in a position to retire at 55 but we will have options to stay in work should we want to.

[Prufrock]

So if you're a chain outlet, that outstrips the opposition on performance, you're considered the bad guy? I'm just trying to get my head around the attitude that people have to successful businesses..

The beer in my nearest spoons is better than any other in the area (including the posh ones that fleece you for double the price of a bottle of beer) and it has a decent clientele

Whether a business is successful or not is incidental to whether or not I think it's a 'good thing'.

It's what I was getting at when I had a rant the other day about the value of everything being defined by its profitability, particularly short term. I don't blame Wetherspoons. They set out to make shed loads of cash, and are doing well. They aren't part of the community like a good pub is though.

No one goes to church, no one has a 'local', no one has a butcher. Instead we drink at home or in Wetherspoon's, buy everything from Tesco under one roof, drive to a retail park to eat at one of Chiquitos, Ask or Frankie and Benny's. Every high street looks the same. I don't blame people, I do all those things, I don't blame those companies, they're doing their best to make cash for their shareholders in a 'smaller' world. I just think its a bit shit.

[thebish]

So if you're a chain outlet, that outstrips the opposition on performance, you're considered the bad guy? I'm just trying to get my head around the attitude that people have to successful businesses..

The beer in my nearest spoons is better than any other in the area (including the posh ones that fleece you for double the price of a bottle of beer) and it has a decent clientele

Whether a business is successful or not is incidental to whether or not I think it's a 'good thing'.

It's what I was getting at when I had a rant the other day about the value of everything being defined by its profitability, particularly short term. I don't blame Wetherspoons. They set out to make shed loads of cash, and are doing well. They aren't part of the community like a good pub is though.

No one goes to church, no one has a 'local', no one has a butcher. Instead we drink at home or in Wetherspoon's, buy everything from Tesco under one roof, drive to a retail park to eat at one of Chiquitos, Ask or Frankie and Benny's. Every high street looks the same. I don't blame people, I do all those things, I don't blame those companies, they're doing their best to make cash for their shareholders in a 'smaller' world. I just think its a bit shit.

incidentally - and at a slight tangent... I don't know if it is still true, but a couple of years ago I read a statistic from a reputable survey which declared that more people go to church each week than go to football, rugby, cinema and theatre combined...

[Bruce Rioja]

No one goes to church, no one has a 'local', no one has a butcher. Instead we drink at home or in Wetherspoon's, buy everything from Tesco under one roof, drive to a retail park to eat at one of Chiquitos, Ask or Frankie and Benny's.

What complete and utter bollocks. Don't judge others by your own (in)actions.

[bobo the clown]

I think he was talking about Pru World.

I have a butcher I use ( indeed, I have a farmer I stock up with from time to time), I have a local ... I don't go to church but mrs. bobo does, and I have a few good lical restaurants I frequent more readily than using chain groups *except for Nandos.

Middle England, even in Wales, thrives young man. Just because you're all cosmopolitan just presume everyone is.

[Prufrock]

No one is hyperbolic. 'Far far fewer than used to' doesn't flow as well.

[boltonboris]

incidentally - and at a slight tangent... I don't know if it is still true, but a couple of years ago I read a statistic from a reputable survey which declared that more people go to church each week than go to football, rugby, cinema and theatre combined...

Does that include weddings, christenings, funerals etc. or just mass?

[bobo the clown]

No one is hyperbolic. 'Far far fewer than used to' doesn't flow as well.

Which is quite close to the word Bruce used, to be fair.

[Prufrock]

So if you're a chain outlet, that outstrips the opposition on performance, you're considered the bad guy? I'm just trying to get my head around the attitude that people have to successful businesses..

The beer in my nearest spoons is better than any other in the area (including the posh ones that fleece you for double the price of a bottle of beer) and it has a decent clientele

Whether a business is successful or not is incidental to whether or not I think it's a 'good thing'.

It's what I was getting at when I had a rant the other day about the value of everything being defined by its profitability, particularly short term. I don't blame Wetherspoons. They set out to make shed loads of cash, and are doing well. They aren't part of the community like a good pub is though.

No one goes to church, no one has a 'local', no one has a butcher. Instead we drink at home or in Wetherspoon's, buy everything from Tesco under one roof, drive to a retail park to eat at one of Chiquitos, Ask or Frankie and Benny's. Every high street looks the same. I don't blame people, I do all those things, I don't blame those companies, they're doing their best to make cash for their shareholders in a 'smaller' world. I just think its a bit shit.

incidentally - and at a slight tangent... I don't know if it is still true, but a couple of years ago I read a statistic from a reputable survey which declared that more people go to church each week than go to football, rugby, cinema and theatre combined...

Ha, I thought I'd read that that survey was dodgy as they'd deliberately done it on Easter weekend or something. I do remember reading that. I know two people who regularly go though, and one does the same job as you!

[thebish]

incidentally - and at a slight tangent... I don't know if it is still true, but a couple of years ago I read a statistic from a reputable survey which declared that more people go to church each week than go to football, rugby, cinema and theatre combined...

Does that include weddings, christenings, funerals etc. or just mass?

i doubt it includes those - i think it includes those who go weekly (a lot more go infrequently) to the ordinary sunday service (not just mass as that would only be the catholics..)

if you counted up those who go to church at least twice a month and those who go to their own team football league and premiership home games (which might be about twice a month) - there would be massively more people going to church still...

[Lost Leopard Spot]

incidentally - and at a slight tangent... I don't know if it is still true, but a couple of years ago I read a statistic from a reputable survey which declared that more people go to church each week than go to football, rugby, cinema and theatre combined...

Does that include weddings, christenings, funerals etc. or just mass?

i doubt it includes those - i think it includes those who go weekly (a lot more go infrequently) to the ordinary sunday service (not just mass as that would only be the catholics..)

if you counted up those who go to church at least twice a month and those who go to their own team football league and premiership home games (which might be about twice a month) - there would be massively more people going to church still...

Have you thought, say, of contacting Etihad with this information...
I reckon you could design a very fetching silk chasuble with Etihad/FibrLec/QuickQuid* embroidered tastefully into the cross and fishes logo...

*delete as appropriate

[thebish]

Have you thought, say, of contacting Etihad with this information...
I reckon you could design a very fetching silk chasuble with Etihad/FibrLec/QuickQuid* embroidered tastefully into the cross and fishes logo...

*delete as appropriate

if we did that then Pru would be on at us for commercialisation of the community (from his seat at Wetherspoons...)

[Prufrock]

No one is hyperbolic. 'Far far fewer than used to' doesn't flow as well.

Which is quite close to the word Bruce used, to be fair.

Although I said no one, I didn't mean no one! I'm sure there are people who do use them, but I'm not sure the well-to-do middle-aged men we tend to get on here are truly representative. Blackrod at one point only had two open pubs (I think one was reopening) Adlington doesn't have a butchers anymore. Chiquitos is always rammed. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I'm right .

I don't go to church coz I'm an atheist. I do have a local which I love back home, but haven't found one down here yet (I do have the choice of several Spoons), I dont have a butcher because all of the ones in my area are halal and I'm uneasy about the methods used to kill the animals and (probably the real reason ) the main things I'd want a butchers for would be bacon pork and lamb, and I can't be bothered going for just lamb. I can't remember the last time I ate in a chain restaurant, but then I have plenty of choice in this shithole I call home.

I just worry in 20 years time the only shop will be tesco and the whole world will look like middlebrook.

[Prufrock]

Have you thought, say, of contacting Etihad with this information...
I reckon you could design a very fetching silk chasuble with Etihad/FibrLec/QuickQuid* embroidered tastefully into the cross and fishes logo...

*delete as appropriate

if we did that then Pru would be on at us for commercialisation of the community (from his seat at Wetherspoons...)

Damn straight! I'm not sure how relevant a comparison with football is (holding back my reservations on the veracity of those numbers!). My point is it seems far far fewer peoe go to church than used to. Maybe that's what's wrong
Maybe the idea that the while village would all go to church together on a sunday is a romanticised fiction. If so, I blame Tango!

[thebish]

I dont have a butcher because all of the ones in my area are halal and I'm uneasy about the methods used to kill the animals

are you not uneasy about the methods used to kill animals for a non-halal butcher?

[thebish]

Damn straight! I'm not sure how relevant a comparison with football is (holding back my reservations on the veracity of those numbers!).

i was responding to your claim that nobody goes to church. yet you would not (presumably) say that nobody goes to watch football - would you? despite the fact that massively more people go to church than go to watch football in the UK.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Damn straight! I'm not sure how relevant a comparison with football is (holding back my reservations on the veracity of those numbers!).

i was responding to your claim that nobody goes to church. yet you would not (presumably) say that nobody goes to watch football - would you? despite the fact that massively more people go to church than go to watch football in the UK.

This cannot be true. There are a minimum of 12,000,000,000 Manchester United supporters. If only one percent of them went to home matches that's more than the combined total of pew inches in the universe.

[thebish]

if you think as many as 1% of them go to matches - then you're a dirty manc and I claim my £5...