New Research Reveals Critical Pension Adequacy Gap: What Financial Advisers Need to Know

Major workplace pensions study uncovers opportunities for advisers to address retirement income shortfalls affecting 15 million UK workers

November 2025 – New research from Royal London highlights a growing disconnect between employees’ retirement expectations and their actual pension savings, creating significant advice opportunities for financial advisers.

The comprehensive study of 4,000 UK employees with pensions reveals that nearly 15 million working-age people are not on track for an adequate retirement income, despite automatic enrolment transforming workplace pension participation since 2012.

How Financial Advisers Can Capitalise on Couples’ Pension Planning Confusion

Recent research from Hargreaves Lansdown has exposed a critical gap in how couples approach retirement planning, revealing that over 70% are financially interdependent for their pension income. For UK financial advisers, this presents a significant opportunity to differentiate their practice, attract new clients, and build deeper relationships through specialised couples’ pension planning services.

The Market Opportunity: £2.8 Trillion in Pension Assets at Risk

The Hargreaves Lansdown survey of 1,300 people revealed striking imbalances in couples’ retirement planning:

IHT on Pensions and Consumer Duty: Strategic Marketing Opportunities for Financial Advisers

From 6 April 2027, most unused Defined Contribution (DC) pension assets will be included within estates for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes, ending their long-held IHT-free status. This significant regulatory shift is projected to make approximately 10,500 estates newly liable for IHT and see a further 38,500 estates paying increased IHT in the 2027-28 tax year alone—with an estimated £3.44 billion in additional revenue over the first three years.