FDS Research Report Shows Confusion With Pensions Among Singaporeans

New research released today by FDS Research reveals the extent of confusion about the pensions and savings system in Singapore and how unimportant tax relief is to an individual's decision making. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) June 04, 2016 - The research shows that the majority of workers aged 18-64 find it difficult to understand where it is best to save for retirement, how much they should save, when and how they can access their money and what income they will need in retirement.

• Just under two thirds (64%) of respondents find it difficult to understand where it is best to save their money for retirement.

• 63% say it is difficult to know how much to save regularly in order to get the income in retirement that they need.

• Meanwhile 54% of respondents find it difficult to understand when and how you can access the money you pay into a pension scheme.

• 22% say they do not know what income they will need when they retire.
With people struggling to navigate the system, it is perhaps unsurprising that 23% of those surveyed do not have any form of savings.

The survey also reveals that one of the key measures which could emerge from the Government's consultation on the pensions industry will not affect savings behaviour. The consultation asks whether tax relief on contributions should be scrapped but more than two in five (43%) of respondents currently saving into a pension said doing so would make no difference to the amount they save.

The survey does highlight though that employers have an important role to play in encouraging saving with nearly half (49%) saying higher contributions from employers would encourage them to save more.

Head of Retirement Savings at FDS Research, Alan Winkleman commented: "As a nation we are bewildered by the pensions system with people not knowing how much to save or even where to save it. The government's current consultation recognizes the problem but it's unclear that tax relief changes are the key to encouraging more saving. What is clear is the importance of the employers' role: if companies contribute to an individual's pension it incentivises that person to save more. That makes it critical that we continue to build a workplace pensions system for all."

###

space

Other Related Press Releases