Employee benefits like pension schemes ''as important as owning property''

A property expert and an insurance company spokesman have said that pensions should be considered alongside property ownership as a vital way of saving for the future, highlighting a possible need for suitable employee benefits.

Housing specialist and television presenter Sofie Allsopp said that attitudes to saving had changed since the recession and while property still represented a good investment, more people were looking to other areas, such as pensions.

Aviva''s head of pensions Paul Goodwin also claimed that more people were looking for a cross-section of savings options when planning for the later years of their lives.

"Since the downturn we have seen that three quarters of people are saying that actually just relaying on property alone to secure your retirement is just too risky," he added.

Last month''s Aon Consulting European Employee Benefits Benchmark survey indicated that only 12 per cent of UK workers were taking an active interest in their pension.

Around 18 per cent of respondents said they could not afford to pay into a scheme, while 12 per cent claimed they had simply not got round to it yet.
Back