Pensions Explained

To afford the lifestyle you want when you retire, you need to do something about it today - the buts stop here. It may be tempting to say, "But retirement is a long way off", yet it's never too early to start investing in order to protect your future. To find out more, read our 'Pensions Guide' section by clicking 'Open Guide'. Once you have read that, why not view our 'What is a Pension?' video, presented by Lisa, our online guide.

Pensions guide

Our easy overview introduces you to the basics of pensions, provides information on the products available and gives you helpful hints on things to consider.

If you want to know how much you could get from the state pension you can use the Government State Pension forecast. Knowing how much you'll get from the Government may help you decide whether you're investing enough for your retirement.

The State Pension forecast tells you:

  • How much State Pension you've already earned.
  • How much State Pension you can expect at State Pension age. This is based on what you've earned already and what you might earn before you reach State Pension age

To get your pension forecast you'll need to know the following:

  • Your National Insurance (NI) number
  • The NI number for your spouse or civil partner
  • The type of NI contributions you're paying (this depends, for example, on whether you're employed or self employed)
  • Details of any marriage, civil partnership or annulments
  • Details of any time you spent working abroad
  • Details of your current salary if you're paid by an employer (rather than self employed)

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Learn more with the 'What is a pension?' video

In this unique video guide, Lisa helps you to fully understand what a pension is all about. Please remember that this is based on our current understanding of pension rules which may change in the future.

As a pension plan is a long term investment, you need to be aware that the value of your investment can go down as well as up and the value of your/the pension fund may be worth less than has been invested.

  Watch Lisa explain pensions

Non-javascript users or those with slow connections can view the full transcript here (PDF 30KB).

Pension Tracker via My Account

Pension Tracker is an exciting way for you to take control of your Aviva pension plan. It's an online service that helps you manage your pension arrangements any time that suits you, much as you can with internet banking.

  Already registered? Log in now
  Find out more about Pension Tracker

Let us help you sort out your finances

Again if your response is, "But I don't really understand how to plan my finances better", we're here to help. It's all about getting the information you need to make the right decisions. Our tools and calculators can help you get to grips with your finances and plan for the future.

Pension calculator
See whether you're on track to fund the retirement you want.

What Next?

Now you've learnt more about pensions, you can compare the features of Aviva's pension plans, or apply for your chosen option:

Stakeholder Pension

You can start a Stakeholder Pension plan with as little as £20.

It's a tax-efficient way of investing for your retirement, but bear in mind that you won't have access to the money in your pension fund until you retire.

  Get a quote for stake holder pensions insurance

Find out more about stakeholder pensions

Personal Pension

You can make regular or one-off payments into a Personal Pension plan and stop, restart and change your payments to suit yourself.

It's a tax-efficient way of investing for your retirement, but bear in mind that you won't have access to the money in your pension fund until you retire.

How to apply for a Personal pension

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