ICR061: Property as a pension, our ageing population & moving everything to cash

In this episode of the Informed Choice Podcast, Martin answers a listener question about moving the entire value of her pension pot to cash ahead of retirement.

He takes a look at a new survey from Barings which suggests property is growing in popularity as a retirement income option.

And he talks about an open letter from 40 charities to Prime Minister David Cameron calling on the government to take more seriously the issue of our ageing population.

There is also a roundup of the latest personal finance and investing news.

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-Interest rates in the UK have been kept on hold at 0.5 per cent.

-New government figures suggest the majority of people will benefit from changes to the state pension being introduced in April.

-Oil prices have risen slightly after reaching a 12 year low this week.

-The FTSE 100 index of leading UK company shares has fallen to its lowest level in nearly five months.

Listener question

Mary emails the show to ask, “I’m planning to retire within the next six months, should I move my pension into cash?”

Do you have a personal finance or investing question for Martin?

Email martin@icfp.co.uk or ask on Twitter @martinbamford.

You can call our dedicated podcast voicemail line on 020 8144 2745 with your question or visit www.speakpipe.com/InformedChoicePodcast to leave an online voicemail.

Main topics

How are you planning to fund your retirement?

New research from Baring Asset Management, around one in twelve people – the equivalent of 3 million people – plan to sell their primary residence to fund their retirement.

How can we ensure the NHS and social care system can handle an ageing population.

Nearly a quarter of the population will be over age 65 within the next 20 years.

Charities have written an open letter to prime minister David Cameron urging him to establish an independent commission to review the NHS and social care system, making sure it is fit for ageing population.