Catherine Foot

New research out today

"Retirement Voice 2025: How an era of uncertainty is affecting our attitudes towards retirement"

We used a new 6k survey of the UK population. I had fun designing the charts! Find out how people feel about finances, work and retirement

www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

A Pensions System Fit For the 21st Century: The stories behind pension gaps What does the ideal pension system look like in the 21st century?

Very much looking forward to this today: www.ipsos.com/en-uk/pensio...

To all who think capitalism can drive progressive change, it won’t – and here’s the shocking proof | Polly Toynbee Asset manager Aberdeen’s surprise cut to funding research into inequality has left those that used its grants for good work reeling, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

Such short-sighted behaviour here www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Standard Life Centre for the future of retirement We’re a think tank with a bold ambition to help everyone achieve long-term financial security

If you’re interested in the future of retirement - sufficient occupational pensions, decent employment, sustainable state pension, that sort of thing - the work of my rebranded think tank might be of interest: www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

Charts showing data on employment rates over 50 from the last 50 years

It is a great piece. This is the brilliant set of charts I always go back to in conversations about our trend towards working longer, from Jonathan Cribb of @theifs.bsky.social. The length of our working lives over the last 50 years has not grown steadily, and it’s hugely gendered.

When is 'old' nowadays? Denmark is the first country in Europe in modern times to decide to increase its state pension age to 70. If the age we get 'old' keeps increasing, we will be able to keep working longer?

open.substack.com/pub/catherin...

This is an excellent Lords Select Committee session - nominally on the economics of ageing - but opens up all the big topics: ageism, productivity, career change, fertility, social care, and the 'nastiest, hardest problem in finance' @csfoot.bsky.social

parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

If she’s considering a shift in career there are some great organisations like Brave Starts and CareerShifters who I would highly recommend: www.careershifters.org and www.bravestarts.com

Focus on the causes, not the symptoms The forthcoming disability benefits green paper could exemplify a new approach to welfare — instead it is likely to apply the same old…

This is the best thing I've read on the debate around disability & incapacity benefits

Clearly sets out the reality of the current system, the challenges it faces, and what might actually help address them

Brilliant work from Citizens Advice's
@craigpberry.bsky.social medium.com/@craig.berry...

Who's helping you work out what you want to be when you grow up? The hidden power of adult careers guidance to boost economic growth

New post from me on Substack arguing that it's high time for adult careers guidance services to be part of the solution to economic growth. open.substack.com/pub/catherin...

Work in Progress: Unlocking the value of adult careers guidance The careers landscape is changing

Our new report out today makes the case for a secret weapon in efforts to get more people into good jobs and boost economic growth: adult careers guidance services. www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi...

How to defeat populism Spoiler alert: it won't be easy

One of the clearest pieces on this I read so far. open.substack.com/pub/kellnerp...

There’s been some great stuff this week on the “what is Labour’s approach to growth” question.
You’ve probably read or ignored it all by now, but worth a quick recap?

Promising if temporally vague news that DWP Minister Baroness Maeve Sherlock said in the Lords yesterday “we are committed to a second phase focused on retirement adequacy, of which we will provide further details in due course”. Can almost hear Nigel Hawthorne adding “in the fullness of time…”

Sandy you can reach me on phoenixinsights[at]thephoenixgroup[dot]com

A roadmap to adequate retirement incomes for all We recommend five priority areas to be included in the government’s review of retirement outcomes.

We published a roadmap for how to approach this promised review here: www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi... We’ll keep it warm while we wait for when Gvt are ready…

Following through on a commitment for a review to plan and commit to a timetable for incremental change is hardly kicking business when it’s down today. I know the Government must see that, so I continue to hope that progress proves possible soon.

Clearly there are valid concerns about increasing costs to business. But at the very least that surely needn’t postpone some independent analysis and consensus-building on how & when to incrementally start to address what will be a serious problem for individuals and the state in the years to come.

Bar chart showing peak of UK pensions adequacy crisis coming in years 2040-2044

Our own analysis suggests this problem will peak in the early 2040s. www.thephoenixgroup.com/media/sjodud...

Analysis of future pension incomes

For those not familiar with the issue, this review matters because it has been clear for some time that future generations of retirees look in very large numbers to be set for inadequate pension pots. www.gov.uk/government/s...

Rachel Reeves puts pensions review on hold to avoid extra burden on UK business Some experts argue current savings rates will leave people without adequate retirement pots

Colleagues in social care will be grimly familiar with the idea of a Gvt review to put off taking action. In pensions world, news over the weekend came that the Gvt is even thinking of postponing a review… “Rachel Reeves puts pensions review on hold” on.ft.com/3DtfYir via @marymcd.bsky.social

Sandy that sounds awful. I have checked and for Phoenix Life the route is to email them at phoenixcustomerrelations@thephoenixgroup.com

Feeling a bit low and perimenopausal tonight. But had a hot shower of managed decline and feel much more comfortable.

YouTube video by Anna Dixon Anna Dixon MP for Shipley speaks in debate on the assisted dying bill - 29/11/24

So proud of my friend Anna Dixon MP today for her impassioned, eloquent and deeply thought contribution to today’s incredibly difficult vote on assisted dying. youtu.be/C-X3ySsNks8?...

Political blather about conditionality aside, what are we expecting to see from the Employment White Paper?

Personally, my expectations have been successfully managed: I’m expecting a direction of travel but not much else.

Things I’ll be keeping an eye out for…🧵

Ahead of the Get Britain Working White Paper, here's 5 things you need to know. 1. 80% employment rate would mean 1.5-2.5m more people in work. Other countries have done it & we can get there by narrowing gaps between groups. 3.5m out of work but want a job. learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...

Liz Kendall says young people who won’t take up work will lose benefits Work and pensions secretary says she will transform opportunities as Starmer bemoans ‘bulging benefits bill’

Despite the inevitable promise to ‘crack down on benefits cheats’, next week’s white paper could set out plans for a much more positive and much more meaningful effort to rebuild our public employment service www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Map of UK showing how our population has aged between 2001 and 2021

And our population is ageing faster than the US, a sometimes under-appreciated factor in debates about economic growth. (Chart from a new report of mine here if interested: www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi...)

Publications Browse our recent reports, blogs and policy responses.

This is great, I was hoping someone would do this. Please could you add me? My think tank works on employment and pensions: www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi...

Thank you!