Live webchat with Prudential's Vince Smith-Hughes, Monday 26 November, 2pm

I am in the lucky position of being able to save most of my salary towards a pension. How much can I put in a year, can I get tax relief on all of it and can I choose how long to leave it in the scheme? I am 55.

I think I have a couple of probably very tiny pension pots from employment much earlier in my life but I have moved several times and I am no loner getting any paperwork. Is there an easy way of finding out whether I am still entitled to any money from these schemes (or indeed if they even still exist!)?

Thanks

I am paying something called trail commission to a financial advisor I employed about five years ago to help me after I had a small legacy. He has done nothing more in that time. Do I have to keep on paying it?

I'm self-employed and haven't paid into a private pension scheme. I'm not 53 and plan to go on working as long as possible. I have a property and could downshift - should I just concentrate on clearing my mortgage or should I start a pension?

Hi Vince As the owner of a struggling small business I am extremely concerned about legislation forcing employers and employees into paying into pension plans that we all know will be useless unless one can pay in huge amounts of money. Our employees are ordinary working guys with families struggling to survive in today's climate already. Do you think that this is fair? I would very much appreciate your opinion. Thanks.

I am approaching retirement in the next couple of years. Do I have to purchase an annuity at the point when I retire? I am in the fortunate position of being able to do without pension income for a few years and would rather purchase an annuity when the rates are more favourable. Is this possible?

Hello Vince,

I am still working and currently have three pensions, none of which I'm paying into at the moment. There's a final salary pension from my old employer, one with Standard Life and one with Friends Provident.

I'd like to start paying into a pension again even though my employer doesn't contribute.

What's the best course of action - do I amalgamate the three and just start paying into one? Or do I leave the three where they are and start a brand new one?

So confusing. Thanks in advance for your help.

I read somewhere that a person in Denmark making the same contributions towards his pension over the same period would have a bigger income when he/she comes to draw the pension. The reason for this is the hidden charges UK pension funds charge- what is your response to this? Are we paying to much for our pensions?

What factors should you take into account when choosing a pension plan? - and how do you know which one is right for you and also what the charges will be over the lifetime of your pension? - I worry that there will be hidden costs.

My mother is 82 and in good health - but is there any way of protecting her home against the possibility of having to go into a care home?

I don't have an occupational pension. I am in a position to save about £200 a month and I am 53. Would I be better off payin off my mortgage (still £110,000 outstanding) or putting the money into ISAs or starting a personal pension?

Thanks

I had a hopeless Equitable life pension - having opted out of SERPS - whatever that meant! (still don't know) . I was out of the workplace having children and then have come back part-time and am almost 50 with no current pension. What can I / should I do. Every time I think about it I panic, but then do nothing. My dh has a pension but he keeps saying it's going to be worth nothing because of current economic climate. Would I be better buying a small flat to rent out (i think I could manage a deposit and small mortgage) and then perhaps sell that when I want to retire (or move into it and sell our house when we retire?)

My mother died young having paid into a pension from which noone got any benefit (don't think she'd signed right forms?). We didn't have much money when I was growing up and I often wonder if she would have been better off having a fun holiday or spending more on herself rather than scrimping to pay into a pension that none but the pension company profited from. So two questions I guess. 1) What can you do to ensure that the money you pay into a pension is enjoyed by someone should you die before you are old enough to claim it and 2) how do you balance how much income you pay into a pension vs how much you spend enjoying your youth while you still have it?

Could you possibly explain the difference between stakeholder personal pensions and sipps and what sort are better for which kind of person?!

Hi Vince, I have several bits and pieces of pensions from various employers over my rather erratic career (some of which has been spent self-employed). I am not yet retired. Should I leave all these where they are (I have lost track of a couple of them) or should I consolidate them? Thanks

When people ask me what my pension plans are, I usually reply "Learning to live on less". However, my question is more or less the same as ticktock's excepting that my Plus 1 has fairly extravagant tastes, and likes to play a lot of golf. Jokes aside - how much would an average couple with no mortgage or debt need to (comfortably) live on per year?

I think, EmiliasNan you are a little previous. You will find them on Monday 26th November from 2 pm

Hi ... where do I find Vince's responses/advice from Monday's live webchat?
Thanks.

I have a company pension scheme but the industry of the company - newspapers - is in steady decline. If the company goes bust do I and my pension have any protection or do I then have to rely on State benefits?