Who is going to pay for your state pension/ care in old age?

[itsadlibitum]

Apparently birth rates are falling, and this is putting future pensions (and I would imagine general tax income) in jeopardy as the population will proportionally age.

What's the solution? Should we just write off our paid for "right" to a state pension and state support for care in older age?

Does this change your view on public investment in supporting people to have children if you otherwise thought this was a personal choice and you should support/ pay for your own children?

AIBU to think that NI contributions for "pension" is essentially government mandated mis-selling and state pension will go out the window in the next few decades?

It would be bloody hard if you’re single. Our council tax alone would be £225 with the 25% single discount, water charges £60 a month and electricity and gas another £100. That leaves less than £500 a month for food, clothes, broadband, transport and everything else. I wouldn’t fancy trying it.

Why don't we transition to a system where we all privately save up? Like Singapore?

😂 no

because that would mean businesses pay proper wages

Again. Are you telling me everyone working in the UK can't afford to save privately? To put a small % aside each month that gets matched by the employer? That everyone is just scraping by in NMW?

£30k is enough in London if you don't have any dependents. Yes you'll need to flat share, cook your own meals and budget. But it's enough to live off and have some fun. Pooled together, DH's and I's incomes is around £170k. I think I'd consider that a proper wage.

Living Wage Foundation’s 2025 analysis says that 91.2% are on or above the living wage threshold.

Given that I started my working life three weeks after my 16th birthday and worked right through to retirement forgive me for not being particularly concerned about generations who left school later and often spent a few years at uni before starting their working life. Boo hoo that they might have to wait an extra few years to retire.

Your original post never mentioned future generations btw, it was all about how YOU had been ROBBED apparently. Now you seem to have changed direction and are on a crusade to help future generations 🙄

As I have already pointed out, like you when I started my working life the retirement age was 60, when I retired it was 65. Unlike you I couldn't have cared less and could understand why, and didn't spend my last few working years boring everyone about how I had been ROBBED!

you need better sources why not ask all on mumsnet

after all you could write a thread about it

Birth rate is down, below death rate. Luckily, population is growing, due to immigration. The whole uk social security/state pension system (and arguably half the rest of our economy and asset stripped infrastructure due to privatisation) is a giant Ponzi scheme. That's why government and many of the population are so pro immigration, because they've realised that's the only way to keep the gravy train flowing.

If I don’t have enough money to live then I will go down the assisted dying route. Not working is really dull, so I’d need a reasonable pension to live on to make it worthwhile. My mental health has never been good either, life is a real slog. I will at least leave the house to my kids. I’d rather they enjoy the life that money has to offer.

No idea who you're waffling about " future generations who spent years at uni"
I had my first job at 14, started work at 16 and will not have the same opportunities as you to retire at 65.
I will work longer than you.
I will contribute longer than you.
So why should I be told to "stop whining" by you?

My first post about feeling robbed obviously was a short answer to the OP. And let me tell you that post has had a LOT of positive reactions .
So there are many, many of us who feel that way. But hey, you're alright Jack, you've already retired, you keep on telling the people behind you to "stop whining"

On further posts I expanded my position.
It's ridiculous, and an extremely unintelligent, cheap shot to accuse me of being selfish and only caring about myself when I have literally campaigned on this matter(and others) for years, motivated by the inequality I see now and for future generations. I care about my children's and grandchildrens future working life. I care about other people's children and future working life and will continue to do so.

I hope I never, ever end up being retired, looking behind me and telling others to "stop whining" from the comfort of my own retirement.
There is always change for the positive to be made in society and it's never made by the people telling those less fortunate to stop whining.

But can't you see there is nothing especially unique about living through hard times and changing pension rules?
I suppose that's what annoys me about posts like this - you seem to think that your generation (i assume you are 30-40) has been shafted in a way no other generation has and your hardships are somehow worse than any other.
Endless threads on MN at the moment about struggling families as if no generation has ever struggled before and when I pointed out life was not a bed of roses in the 1980s-90s was accused of 'cherry picking' 14% interest rates and three months maternity leave as if they were inconsequential compared to the hardship of working families today.
I started work with a projected retirement age of 60, i will retire at 67 and that is brushed aside too, as if anything that happened to someone over 45 is not even worth consideting as it cannot possibly be as bad as what is happening to today's me, me, me generation.

I suppose that's what annoys me about posts like this - you seem to think that your generation (i assume you are 30-40) has been shafted in a way no other generation has and your hardships are somehow worse than any other

But things are harder for younger generations. My parents had it easier than me & my dc will have it harder than me. For one we have never had these demographic changes before.

There's a checkout assistant at a local supermarket who looks to be in her seventies. She looks done in. Doesn't look like she is there because she wants to be and I bet she is wasted when she gets home. I really feel for her. And apparently I have to work to 68...

Errrrr ....

In my first post I've said I'm 58.

when I pointed out life was not a bed of roses in the 1980s-90s was accused of 'cherry picking' 14% interest rates and three months maternity leave as if they were inconsequential compared to the hardship of working families today.

It was me who accused you of cherry picking & I never said it was easy just easier because it was….

I find it so odd some posters want to deny the hardships facing the youth today & put their legitimate problems down to todays me, me, me generation. 🤷🏻‍♀️

You think someone prioritising secure housing over a pension must not understand compound interest? weird take.

I'm 59 and always had a retirement age of 65, so don't know why you thought yours was 60. Obviously mine has changed to 67 but I don't feel robbed, just a bit frustrated.

👏👏

Housing, the absolute deal breaker for most, was considerably lower in the 80s and 90s.
Interest rates at 15% were a one off a few days, if that, in response to the ERM fiasco, yes they were higher following the Lawson (tory) boom, at 10% but did quickly drop back to the decade average of 6%.

Final Salary pension schemes were very common as were earlier retirement ages.
Further and Higher Education was free, in fact with mtce grant, people were paid to study.

Anyway, back to the OP, UK has quite low overall taxation (in comparison to other European economies) this will have to increase to pay for what we want or we go without.
The idea we can have low taxes with excellent public services, inc pensions is for the birds.

It was 60 for women and 65 for men.

When I started working in the early 1980s it was 60.

It was 60 until 1996.

I think we can acknowledge the challenges of today without needing to suggest every previous generation lived challenge free. It's so common to talk about how hard now with no knowledge or recognition how things have improved.

....and those who own their own property are the pensioners who might be managing on £12.5k a year (see upthread).