MGM Advantage – ‘Our Retirement Nation’ report
SOCIETY UNDERVALUES RETIRED POPULATION
A new report reveals that the UK’s ‘Retirement Nation, which includes all retired people, saves the state and society at least £25 billion a year through unpaid care, community and voluntary work. But the report, ‘Our Retirement Nation’, which was commissioned by MGM Advantage, warns that the contribution made by this part of society is not fully recognised and that the government and society as a whole need to do more to understand their emotional, health and financial requirements.
MGM Advantage is calling for fundamental changes to ensure that the Retirement Nation gets the respect and support it deserves from society, the media, the financial services industry and the government. Its recommendations and key findings are:
• Respect – A change in attitude towards the Retirement Nation and greater recognition for retired people and what they contribute to the UK – only 14% of retired people feel valued by society.
• Representation – The Retirement Nation is a big part of the UK society for what they contribute (£25 billion through unpaid care, community and voluntary work), but also the help and support they need. The Retirement Nation needs a voice. MGM Advantage recommends the Government creates a Minister for Retirement.
• Education – More done to help people maximise and make the best use of their financial wealth in retirement. The first step is to help people improve their basic knowledge about retirement and finance – 31% of retired over 55s have not heard of the Open Market Option. The financial services industry, government, and media all have a role to play in achieving this.
• Simple products – Financial services and government need to continue to work together to innovate and design new retirement products that meet the needs of the Retirement Nation and are easy to understand, accessible, and offer good value – only 29% of over 55s know exactly what an annuity is.
• Ownership – People need to take ownership of their retirement planning – from building up a pension pot in their 20s and 30s to making the best retirement income decision when they retire – 54% of non-retired UK adults are not at all prepared for retirement3.
The report highlights how the UK’s Retirement Nation is collectively saving the government and society £15.4 billion a year by taking on the unpaid care of grandchildren, parents and other family members. In addition to this, retired people are undertaking voluntary work worth at least £5.6 billion a year and charitable work worth at least £3.7 billion a year.
MGM Advantage, which is a retirement income specialist, warns that the role played by this major part of society is not fully recognised. Almost a third (30%) of retired people think they are undervalued and not respected by society, while just 14% feel valued, while the balance (55%) say that they are sometimes treated badly.
Craig Fazzini-Jones, Executive Director, MGM Advantage said: “This report paints a wonderfully colourful picture of the rich diversity of the 11 million people who make up our Retirement Nation and why they deserve our respect and attention for the contribution they make to the society. However, it also portrays a worrying picture about how these people prepare for and fund their retirement and sends a clear message about our responsibility to do more to support our Retirement nation.”
With the number of retired people in the UK growing significantly, MGM Advantage says that greater consideration has to be paid to their contribution as well as demands placed on society. It also believes there should be a fundamental change to the way that retired people are treated and that more should be done to challenge the pre-conceived notion of retirement.





 
Global Investment Markets – not for the faint hearted at the moment
Global investment markets are not for the faint hearted at the moment.
It is likely more stable conditions will return in due course –when the politicians come back from holiday in September and face up to their issues. Of course volatility is affecting even the best quality holdings as prices are forced downwards by indiscriminate sellers who need liquidity. We’ve seen it happening before not so very long ago.
I like the following commentary by Alan McIntosh, Cheviot CIO, on the latest market conditions.
“Market update – reading the mood music
The recent rally in markets evaporated yesterday on further disappointing economic data. The US Philly Fed survey, which measures business conditions, fell to its lowest in two years, when the US was last in recession. Bear in mind, however, that this survey was conducted while the US was suffering the paralysis of negotiations over the debt ceiling and may be unduly pessimistic. Nevertheless, if the US does go back into recession later this year or early next, much of the blame rests firmly with the ineptitude of the politicians. In Europe, things are not much better. The Merkel / Sarkozy meeting gave us precisely nothing other than the prospect of a financial transactions tax. As they return to the beach, the ECB is left on its own to put out the fires in euro land. Banks were particularly hard hit yesterday. They are seen as a proxy for the woes of sovereigns. Markets are registering the seeming inability of the authorities to grasp the issues facing their economies.
Stockmarkets, if not pricing in outright recession in the US and Europe, are certainly factoring in much slower economic growth next year (and therefore lower corporate profits). Gilts and US treasuries continue to see lower yields, with investors willing to accept substantially negative real yields for “safety”. One can’t help but feel, however, that this will end in tears, since the finances of the UK and US are hardly solid.
Defensive shares are holding up comparatively well, offering solid cash flows and dependable yields. The trailing yield on the All-share index is now 65% higher than that of a 10-year gilt. On any sensible assessment of value, that is surely wrong. Nevertheless, investors are extremely risk averse at present and you would be forgiven for thinking that the mood music was closer to Mozart’s Requiem than Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.”
Last week banking shares suffered the steepest losses on the FTSE 100, on mounting concerns over the eurozone’s debt crisis. Resources stocks also dominated the loser board, amid fears that weak global growth will sap demand. Meanwhile, the yield, or implied interest rate, on benchmark US 10-year treasury notes fell 12 basis points to 2.05%, after touching a record low of 1.98% in an investor flight to safety. Similarly, gold prices jumped 1.7% to $1,819 an ounce, after hitting yet another record high at $1,826.
‘The gold market is telling us that we are potentially heading towards a second and perhaps more damaging economic crisis,’ warned Ross Norman of bullion brokers Sharps Pixley.
You could be forgiven for thinking ‘lets buy gold’, but…. buy gold at its highest point in years? This is very much like all those people who purchased property at the height of the boom or all those people who got on the dot.com bandwagon at its high point. I can’t say for certain you’re wrong but buying an asset as it screams towards a ‘peak’ should be considered with extreme caution. If anything, if you already hold gold, consider taking some profits.
Surely it makes more sense to look out for those so many now undervalued companies that were cheap before and are now at below bargain basement levels. FTSE 100 is at a one year low and it seems more right to buy shares now – that is if you are in it for the long term.
If the Euro fails maybe gold was a good idea, but if, as seems more likely, we bump along the bottom for a while and the Euro survives, then buying and holding gold could cost you dear. Companies as a whole are very profitable; it’s just the lack of clarity going forward that ’causes young men to panic’ as one IFA posted recently on Citywire.
The moral; have enough money to do with in life what you want to do (for the short to medium term). For the rest; have a diversified, risk-rated, managed and monitored portfolio – and pick a team you know to be qualified, licensed and above all that you trust to provide that service for you.