Experts say pensions to fund matters other than retirement
Nearly 90% of key annuity providers and pension experts believe that pensions will be withdrawn as lump sums for purposes other than retirement income following the Budget reforms.
That was the conclusion of research by Equiniti Pension Solutions, whose analysts said, based on this assumption and knowledge of what currently happens in the drawdown market, it is reasonable to assume that property will be a direct or indirect beneficiary.
Over 50% of the 40 key annuity providers and pension experts approached for their views on saving habits believed the housing market could be impacted as more people choose to drawdown their cash rather than lock it up in an annuity. Only 8% did not think so.
Just 18% expected a buy-to-let boom and 36% expected no change but 46% were undecided.
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Brian Please, business development director at Equiniti Pension Solutions, said: "Whilst the immediate focus for the customer approaching retirement, providers and advisers is to anticipate the direct impact on the retirement market there will inevitably be significant knock-on effects to the property and other markets as a result."
Many respondents raised concerns that an increased use of drawdown could mean pensioners exhausting their retirement funds, with 46% believing that over 20% of pensioners may use up all their funds.
Just 3% thought no one would exhaust their savings.
Talk of reckless spending, the so called Lamborghini Budget, was dismissed by half of the respondents, though 35% were of the view that some people would spend their money recklessly.
Some 97% believed that there will be an increase in the number of pensioners cashing in their small pension pots.