savings built up over the years<\/a>.<\/p>\nAlthough she and her husband have always tried to save, persistently high energy bills and food costs have left her worried that savings alone will not be enough.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cFor me, the biggest impact has been on confidence. I didn\u2019t want to retire and then constantly worry about whether we could maintain our lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy income comes from a combination of what we\u2019ve built over the years and my ongoing work.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving that additional income stream gives me confidence and peace of mind in day-to-day life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many people across the country, she feels a growing \u201cpressure\u201d to keep working. For some, she believes, it is not about wanting to continue but feeling they cannot afford not to.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never set a strict retirement date, but I probably assumed I would slow down around this age.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I got closer, I realised I didn\u2019t feel financially confident enough to stop completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cDelaying retirement felt like the sensible decision. For me, retirement doesn\u2019t have to be a sudden stop; it can be gradual, especially when financial security is a concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her two young grandsons are a powerful motivation for maintaining stability, so she can \u201cenjoy life with them without constant money worries\u201d.<\/p>\n
For now, her flexible work allows her to prioritise family time, and she has no plans for a dramatic change.<\/p>\n
She explained: \u201cI\u2019d rather gradually scale things up or down depending on how life feels. That balance gives me security without pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Ambery, retirement savings director at Standard Life, said it is \u201ccompletely natural\u201d for people to question their financial plans when the world feels \u201charder to read\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur findings reflect that sense of unease, but it also shows something positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people are using this moment to pause, reassess and take steps that give them a greater sense of control.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether that\u2019s building up savings, revisiting their retirement plans or simply checking in on where they stand, these small actions can make a meaningful difference over the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n
Uncertainty does not have to mean standing still, he added. If anything, it highlights the importance of understanding your options and making decisions that fit your circumstances.<\/p>\n
Taking time to seek advice or guidance, review your pension and think about what you want your future to look like can help people feel more confident, better prepared and equipped for whatever comes next.<\/p>\n
How to feel more confident about future finances<\/p>\n
According to Ambery, these are the best ways to reduce your money worries:<\/p>\n
Check pension plans to help bring clarity about the future<\/p>\n
Keep a long-term perspective and review progress against goals<\/p>\n
It is important to understand retirement options before acting, as there are different ways to take income from a pension<\/p>\n
Balance savings and investments, with cash savings for short-term needs and investments offering more potential for growth over time<\/p>\n
Seeking guidance or regulated financial advice can help you make informed decisions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Persistently high energy bills and food costs have left Wendy Rogers worried that her pension savings alone will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[72,176,61,60,4160,1558,174,175,1611],"class_list":{"0":"post-313607","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-finance","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-pensioners","13":"tag-pensions","14":"tag-personal-finance","15":"tag-personalfinance","16":"tag-retirement"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}