Culture pensions

Pensions are regular payments made to people who have retired from work. Many people retire and start to receive a pension when they are about 65. The amount of money they receive depends on how much they have paid into their pension scheme and also on the type of scheme.

In Britain, a basic state pension has been provided by the government since 1908 for those who paid National Insurance contributions while they were working. Pensions for each generation are paid for out of the contributions of people still working. A problem arising from this arrangement is that more people now live longer but the number of younger people in work has fallen, so that there is less money to pay for pensions and the age at which people start to receive the state pension goes up. This problem is likely to get worse in the future.

Some pensioners complain that the state pension does not provide enough money for them to have a reasonable standard of living. People who do not qualify for a state pension, for example, because they have not paid enough National Insurance, may receive income support if they have no other source of money. War pensions for soldiers injured on duty are also paid by the government.

Other kinds of pension pay larger amounts of money, though people have to pay more towards them. By law, employers have to offer a workplace pension, into which both workers and employers pay certain amounts. Company pension schemes are less generous than they were in the past: people are living longer, and it has become clear that some pension schemes have not had enough money paid into them. Some people, especially those who are self-employed, belong to private pension schemes arranged through insurance companies. The money paid into company or private pension schemes is invested in the stock market and the pension funds, the organizations that manage this money, are among the most important investors in the City.

In the US there are three main types of pensions. The US government operates a programme called social security, and people who work have to pay into this programme. The amount of money they get when they retire depends on how much they earned when they were working, but it is never a lot. It would be difficult to live only on social security payments, and so people also arrange to receive a pension from another source.

Many private employers offer a 401(k). This is an account in which an employee can save or invest money for their retirement without paying tax until the money is taken out. In some cases employers will also contribute. A 403(b) is offered for public service employees such as teachers. Many people who want to be sure of having enough money when they retire make their own personal arrangements. One common way of doing this is by opening a special bank account called an IRA, or Individual Retirement Account. With this kind of account people pay less tax than normal, but must agree to leave the money in the bank until they retire.