S1 E10: Pensions dashboards are coming: what does this mean for you?

Richard Smith joins us on ‘Behind the Button’ to share a story that’s both personal and highly relevant.

After losing his wife to cancer, Richard found himself accessing a pension much earlier than expected. It’s an experience that brought home just how important it is to understand what you have in place financially, especially when life takes an unexpected turn.

We focus on Richard’s work on the Government’s new pensions dashboards, as he’s been closely involved in both the design and testing of this exciting initiative. They’re set to make a real difference, bringing all of an individual’s pensions together in one place, including those that may have been lost or forgotten over time. With state pension figures included too, the aim is to give a much clearer picture of what you might have to live on in retirement, helping people plan with more confidence. Richard’s passion really comes through in this episode, bringing to life not just how the dashboards work, but why they matter.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about real-life experience and a practical step forward in how we all approach retirement planning.

Links

Follow Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-smith-b15935/

Richard's blog, 'Dashboard ideas': https://www.dashboardideas.co.uk/about/

MoneyHelper website: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en

Pensions Dashboards Programme website: https://www.pensionsdashboardsprogramme.org.uk/

Retirement living standards website : https://www.retirementlivingstandards.org.uk/

Financial Times 2014 article, 'Retiement Saver Service': https://www.ft.com/content/74bdbe44-0da0-11e4-815f-00144feabdc0

SEI research, 'Creating an ownership mindset': https://www.seic.com/sites/default/files/2022-12/Creating%20an%20ownership%20mindset%20with%20DC%20members_SEI_December%202022.pdf

2026 Standard Life centre for the future of retirement: https://www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-the-future-of-retirement/research-reports