Saving stories

I’m quite conservative about money – I’m very conscious about how I spend and save it. The industry I work in is changing and I have to think about what would happen if my skills weren’t needed. I don’t want to fritter anything away and I always research deals and saving. I like saving with Aviva because I can look at everything I’m saving online. It’s easy to think about my options that way.

There’s never been a huge amount to put aside after paying rent and bills. I started putting a little bit extra in my pension a few years ago and it’s good to see it looks like it might help me later.

I’m still responsible for a lot for the next six or seven years and then I think I’ll start to be more carefree. Once the kids have left home and I’ve paid off the mortgage, I can start to enjoy myself. Retirement is the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve worked hard and put quite a bit aside in my workplace pension– it gives me peace of mind to know it looks like I’m on track to have a comfortable retirement.

I couldn’t start planning for my retirement until later in life – I’ll stop work soon and I’m budgeting for how much I’ll need to get by. I use the retirement planning tools to get an idea of how much income I’ll have. I like the fact I can see how much my small pension pot and state pension will be combined. I can work out how much the different retirement options will get me and if I’ll have enough to cover the basics.