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“You can’t force people to
be interested in pensions,
but you can talk to them in a
way they understand”
Sarah is now considering taking it all
out and sticking it in the bank so she
can keep an eye on it.”
How much is she likely to have saved?
NEST figures show the average balance
for a scheme member in Sarah’s age
group is £993. Even if her several small
pension pots performed well, the
chances are she would fall short of the
minimum she needs to be comfortable.
The Pensions and Lifetime Savings
Association says a single person needs
an income of at least £10,200 a year in
retirement to be able to meet all their
basic needs and still enjoy life.
Lessons from Sarah’s story
Sarah’s journey tells us a lot about
how ordinary people behave when it
comes to pensions. Dean notes Sarah
is “not an edge case”: she is typical
of NEST members, who are largely
young workers on low-to-moderate
incomes – nearly half are aged under
35 and more than half earn less than
£20,000. “This tells us automatic
enrolment has been a great thing. It’s
popular, it’s got people saving and it’s a
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