Nearly two out of three over-55s couples have never had retirement planning advice, according to a new survey.

The survey also found that one in four over-55s have not discussed how much their partner has in pension savings.

Research on 1,010 adults in October for advice network Openwork suggests only a minority of couples seek or get retirement planning advice.

The nationwide study found that 64% of over-55s couples had never sought advice on their retirement plans and one in four (25%) have not discussed how much their partner has in pension savings.

Nearly one in five (17%) admit to never having discussed Financial Planning.

Three out of four (76%) of over-55s couples said they did not have an “approximate figure” in mind on how much they will receive in retirement income.

Three quarters of adults (73%) said they had never spoken about Financial Planning with their children, parents or other relatives.

On the positive side, the research found that couples were at least talking to each other with 61% of over-55s couples discussing Financial Planning for retirement in the last year.

Mike Morrow, wealth & platform director at Openwork, said: “Much more needs to be done by the financial advice profession, regulators and the Government to ensure that families are taking a more proactive and positive approach to Financial Planning as well as ensuring that couples in particular discuss their retirement plans together and with a qualified financial adviser.”

Openwork claims to be one of the UK’s largest advisory firms with more than 3,900 financial advisers operating across the UK. It operates as a directly authorised, multi-panel network offering restricted advice.