State Pension rant

[CageyH]

I wouldn't bank on it ... I worked in Holland for 15 years and paid into their pension scheme thinking that I would get a (proportional) Dutch State pension on top of my UK one.

When I retired it turned out that it doesn't work like that and the Dutch contributions were simply used as credits towards my UK one ... paid at the UK maximum either way (which I would have got even if solely based on my UK contributions)

I don’t think that is going to happen after Brexit. I still have about 20 years to go before I retire.

[Pigmy Pony]

I don’t think that is going to happen after Brexit. I still have about 20 years to go before I retire.

Hmm, I think it could be more than 20 years for you - I'm sure the retirement age will have been moved back some more by then. Still, life expectancy is increasing all the time, so you should still get some pension before you peg it.

Future shortfalls in pensions will be all the fault of the government and the nutri-bullet botherers - they should have kept their gobs shut regarding smoking, excess alcohol, cholesterol, trans fats, sugar, sugar substitutes, red meat, sunbathing and NCap rated cars.

[spendorman]

Not much is said about the second state pension that "ended" in April 2016, but If one had earned contributions to that up to that date, you will still get benefit from this. It's called a protected payment. In my case, I became of pensionable age in May 2016, so get close to all my "second state pension" in the form of a "protected payment" every pension payment day, I chose weekly, not the more usual bi-weely or monthly payment dates.

[spendorman]

Another thought, Mum got her sate pension for over 40 years, great one might think, when she passed away, guess what, they took a load of it back in inheritance tax. One way of looking at it, it was a loan!

[Macca]

Future shortfalls in pensions will be all the fault of the government and the nutri-bullet botherers - they should have kept their gobs shut regarding smoking, excess alcohol, cholesterol, trans fats, sugar, sugar substitutes, red meat, sunbathing and NCap rated cars.

yes but then they wouldn't get the satisfaction of telling people how to live their lives and that's very important to them.

You'd think they would make booze and fags as cheap as possible, and legalize hard drugs. If everyone dies by the time they are 70 then no pensions crisis, no NHS crisis, it's a win-win.

So instead they do the opposite so we can all sit around in nursing homes until we're 90 with absolutely no memory of who we are, being looked after by half the population of the Phillipines, whilst our offspring work 60 hour weeks to pay for it.

[ianlenco]

.................So instead they do the opposite so we can all sit around in nursing homes until we're 90 with absolutely no memory of who we are, being looked after by half the population of the Phillipines, whilst our offspring work 60 hour weeks to pay for it.

Indeed. I've often thought that when we reach pensionable age (I already have) we should be given the option of a considerable lump sum or life extending NHS treatment if needed. I know which one I'd opt for - jam today and little likelihood of being in that nursing home at 90. Do the sums right and the government would save money!

[Macca]

The whole thing is just a nonsense, like those pension adverts where you see them touring the world or painting with oils in Tuscany or something equally improbable. Unless you are in a very lucky 0.0001% you're going to be too tired or too ill to do much other than sit in the warm with a cup of tea and watch the telly.

Was talking about this with some friends recently, one was banging on about pensions and how much he would get when he retires in 15 years. This is a bloke who is very overweight, so unfit he can't walk a mile without being knackered, and who has drunk (at least) a bottle of scotch a day for the past 25 years.

[struth]

The whole thing is just a nonsense, like those pension adverts where you see them touring the world or painting with oils in Tuscany or something equally improbable. Unless you are in a very lucky 0.0001% you're going to be too tired or too ill to do much other than sit in the warm with a cup of tea and watch the telly.

Was talking about this with some friends recently, one was banging on about pensions and how much he would get when he retires in 15 years. This is a bloke who is very overweight, so unfit he can't walk a mile without being knackered, and who has drunk (at least) a bottle of scotch a day for the past 25 years.

if he's married, then she will enjoy it... maybe get herself a toyboy.

[Pigmy Pony]

Indeed. I've often thought that when we reach pensionable age (I already have) we should be given the option of a considerable lump sum or life extending NHS treatment if needed. I know which one I'd opt for - jam today and little likelihood of being in that nursing home at 90. Do the sums right and the government would save money!

Yes I too would choose the big cash sum. Then I would go out to India (or somewhere else cheap) to get my body fixed up, then over to Thailand with the left-over money for a shitload of lady fun (no Marco, not ladyboy fun) or maybe the Phillipines. When the money runs out I'll return to Old Blighty to be looked after by...yes some more Fillipinos (Hey you look familiar, does your sister work in a strip club back home?)

[Macca]

I agree, you have a point. Looking at things a bit more globally, who'll be looking after the old folks in the Phillipines? That's the one issue that's never considered when people talk about the NHS. We import lots of staff from Spain etc. who have been trained at Spain's expense, then leave the Spanish with no nurses. Might be good for us - not so good for Spain (or whichever country it is).

I think in the Philippines they still have this thing where the family look after the older members directly. Obviously as they get more westernized they'll start putting them in care homes like we do. Which presumably will be manned by people recruited from whatever country is further down the food chain from the Philippines.