We Asked People To Guess How Much They Should Be Saving For Their Pension

Do you know how much you should be putting away each month?

Ben, 23

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I don't really know anything about pensions. I just think of my grandma in line at the post office, and £100 seems like a good amount of money.

"I'm really not thinking about it right now to be honest."

Ruth, 23

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I'm definitely not putting much money away for my pension, but I don't have much of a choice because of stuff like rent and keeping myself alive."

Nick, 27

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"'For me, a pension is a long-term investment, which I won't likely see the benefit of for 40+ years. As such, I quoted £100, as that is an amount I could reasonably put away each month, and, after 40+ years of employment, this would amount to a reasonable sum of money. Particularly with a matched pension scheme from your employer."

Mike, 29

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I'm pretty sure that however much I save for my pension now, things are still going to be tight when we get there. Our parents' pensions will be a thing of the past when we hit 66/67/68/whatever the age of retirement will be then.

"Therefore, it's my priority to save as much as I can now, to ensure I can actually get out and see the world when I retire, rather than being kept housebound by my finances."

Antonia, 27

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I'm pretty sure I saw something on TV about pensions, where a figure was said, and I was in disbelief about how much I should be saving.

"I remember it being a lot more than I already am saving, and £200 is something that I would struggle with, especially when trying to pay for rent and save to buy my own home. It scares me to think that my struggle now to set myself up for a somewhat comfortable future will not actually be enough."

Joe, 35

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I think it just seems like the kind of amount that I should save. It's also probably the most I can save, with having a mortgage and a baby."

Roxy, 28

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I honestly haven't a clue. I read somewhere that it was supposed to be £800 per month, but that sounds pretty insane.

"I'd say £200...but I haven't started saving yet, so it's probably £400 for me. Although, isn't your national insurance supposed to go towards your pension too?"

Brandon, 35

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"My answer came from years of reading books telling me that is what I should be doing. Sadly, it seems fairly unattainable, but it is a goal that I shoot for."

Mel, 26

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I have always been conscious about saving money, though I have absolutely no idea how much of that should be going into my pension.

"£200 a month sounded like a good amount to save while not having to live pay cheque to pay cheque, and some wiggle room to continue separately saving for emergencies or have-to-splurge-on-this experiences.

Amanda, 27

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I basically guessed how much I could (or wanted to) live without from my pay cheque.

"I don't want to give up too much now to save for my pension, so I just picked a number I thought was reasonable. I'm sure there is an amount you SHOULD put away, but it's probably more than I am willing to."

Ayesha, 24

Ben Armson / BuzzFeed

"I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to be putting away for my pension, but I just know it's probably way higher than I'd like it to be. £100 seems manageable enough for me – it's enough that'll it'll add up and make difference, but not so much that I will need to change any lifestyle/social habits."

How much do you think you should be saving for your retirement?

Use Aviva's Shape My Future interactive online tool to build your future life and discover how much you might have to live on in retirement.