retiresavvy feedback thread: read the MNers opinion of the new portal from Skipton NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

Skipton asked us to find around 50 Mumsnetters to check out their new website portal called “retiresavvy” and to report back to MN. Selected MNers are from a range of backgrounds and approaches to retirement planning.

Skipton say, “We believe retirement is one of the biggest social issues of today – in terms of improving people’s awareness of retirement planning and also helping then to understand other important issues that may affect them enjoying their retirements. Increasing life expectancy means retirement is no longer a relatively brief period – for many people retirement can last as long as their working lives and many are choosing to do it differently, with set retirement dates becoming less and less common.

Mums are among the hardest hit groups, as we know they often need to contend with all of the above and to also make room for career breaks or reduced hours to make time to be mums. Retirement’s no longer a subject for ‘oldies’, it’s something everyone should be considering, and the earlier the better.

For these reasons, we think retiresavvy is very relevant to Mumsnetters and – given a community forum is the beating heart of the site – we’d hugely value your opinions about our new site, including what you like about the site now, what you’d like us to do differently and things you’d like to read about on there in the future.”

Reviewers: please answer the following questions on the thread below.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

Q7 Any other comments?

Everyone who is selected and who gives feedback as required will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of choice (from a list). Standard Insight T&Cs apply.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

PS: Want to take part in a cutting edge social media campaign? Sign up to support retiresavvy on Thunderclap (best described as an online flash mob) and fight for the retirement you deserve! For more information visit retiresavvy's Thunderclap page.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date.

Hi, I'm 53, home based Mum of two teenagers in Lincolnshire and wife of a London commuter. We're both the same age, looks like retirement planning finances set to kick in about age 66/67.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

I think the articles on retire savvy are readable/accessible without being too complicated. They're informative, a decent length too and, please forgive me, a tiny bit too predictable and similar to other articles I've seen although not in the same sort of collective I admit. Having access to all the information at one point is useful. I think there is scope perhaps for some of the more complex information being given house room, after all - financial planning is vitally important and those folk who truly are interested have had to bed down into the detail of their own pension planning process/endured years of pension statements/employment detail and I think it does people an injustice just to provide them with easy reading documents.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retire savvy?

I'd like to see some harder hitting consumer advice drawn from the perspective of what an retiree may well experience, for example some real life cases of travel insurance where it's gone wrong/where it's been handled beautifully.

How about some articles from well known consumer journalists like Martin Lewis or Lynn Foulds Wood about how they've actually planned for their own retirement, how they've helped family members do the same, what's worked, what they'd do differently.

Would like to see real life cases from recent retirees who are also still caring for their own elders - how they've helped the decluttering process/what the pitfalls were re powers of attorney, how they help set the affairs in order for someone else. What they did, how they did it, problems encountered and solutions.

Would like to read about retirees who've taken on the authorities with valid cases - e.g., health care cases - what happened/who was involved/outcomes.

It would be good to have regional updates from local authorities with maybe some guest appearances from customer service managers and their advice/contact details.

It would be great to hear about retirees who have experienced great service/where/when in order to showcase the good guys!

Similarly it would be helpful to hear about particular websites retirees see as really helpful and useable - consumer websites, holiday websites etc.

It would be fabulous to have access to special early morning/late evening access to exhibitions/events for retirees - a great job for a young new intern to source!

It would be good to have a focus, separate to health, on sex in mature years and all the wonderful advantages.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

I think the site design is ok, a bit forgettable perhaps. Would expect to see all relevant signposting on the homepage along with a really good and switched on advanced search facility. Colours don't grab me, how about looking at some of the contemporary and switched on younger bloggers out there - how about London Beauty Queen (beauty) and Super Lucky Di (competitions) for their content display and colour.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

No real views about more video but 'how to' clips are always useful and could come in handy for issues which are raised repeatedly

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

Forum young and not too populated but good to get feedback.

Q7 Any other comments? Thanks for initiative and I hope retiresavvy is a real success.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date
I'm 34, work part time (although currently on maternity leave). Am currently in a work place pension, although only joined this fairly recently as the job was supposed to only be temporary (12yrs ago...) Should be mortgage/debt free by 55 and will then be able to save/invest more for retirement.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
I found them quite accessible, none too complex. Some of them were quite similar and nothing new. I think there is potential to have a lot more informative articles with more complex information.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
I would prefer to see much more emphasis on financial planning. Real life stories are nice but not very informative. Perhaps clearer sections for information, then real life/blog separately. It would be good to see more calculators - direct links to state retirement age calculator, possible state pension, investment projections (eg. to have a lump sum of £x, in x years, you would need to invest £x/month)
Would also be good to have more information on how to plan for what to do in retirement (eg activities, hobbies to start well before retirement)

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?
To be honest, I found it all very bland and it all blended into each other. Hard to tell the difference between a blog from a proper article. Titles did change colour when hovered over but would be clearer if they were already a different colour.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
Video doesn't interest me at all and to be perfectly honest, I'm not actually sure what a podcast is!

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
Looks like it has potential, obviously not many comments on it just now so hard to say much on it but definitely looks like it could be good. Again, would be nice to have a bit more colour.

Q7 Any other comments?
Whole site has potential and I think it might be good but currently seems a bit bland with no real identity. Hopefully it will grow and as I say, does have good potential to help a lot of people.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date 52, self employed as well as working a few days a month in a not-for-profit. Very much relying on DH's generous pension plan but with a couple of small top-ups in my name.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short? I find them quite interesting but there wasn't much there I hadn't seen in other financial press.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy? I'd like to see real life stores and also some legal info regarding estate planning.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos? I liked the colours and art style, but a few more less posed photos would be good.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?Some very brief (10 minute max) videos would be good on a variety of topics.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area? There wasn;t really enough there to judge.

Q7 Any other comments?I have to agree with TigerTrumpet.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

I am the wrong side of 40, self-employed and as yet, I haven't really planned any retirement strategy.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

I think they are OK - perhaps a little bit too simple and maybe there are simply not enough articles. I would also like the website to put a little spin on things, as retirement sounds dull and old peopley...

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retire savvy?

Love interviews and would also like 'What I wish I had known' and perhaps 'Twenty things you might not know about me.' Not that keen on the Jenny Bond interview - she holds no interest.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

Visually it is dull - it needs a radical rebranding. Line drawings can be fun done well. Homepage is about right...

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Yes, video would be useful - it livens things up...

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

Yes, useful. Everyone always likes to be part of a community.

Q7 Any other comments?

It needs a few more good writers and some lateral thinking. Unusual ways to earn money. I would just like it to be 'sexier' and less like Yours magazine....

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

I am 32, working part time and have a company pension but am unaware of the details and completely in the dark when it comes to finances.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short? I thought they were easy to access but pretty dry. They didn't hold my attention. Maybe a little too simple.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy? I like interviews and real life examples. Money saving ideas and tips to plan for the future at an earlier age would be useful. Some input from other financial institutions and maybe a time line as to when and what should be put away or considered at various stages of ones lives.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos? I thought it looked too amateur and not serious enough. It was a bit too graphicky and I would trust more professional type work.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there? I prefer literature personally but for others they may find this area lacking.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area? I like the forum. I like forums in general as often life experience and gone through a process can make valuable advice to others.

Q7 Any other comments? I liked the site but would like a straighforward ABC on this is what I have to do with professional evidence to back it up.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date
I'm 37, working full time and have a workplace pension - that's the extent of my retirement planning at the moment.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
I read a few articles, which were nice an easy to read and pretty accessible - which is good given how complex retirement matters can be. A few were informative, but I did find some were a little simplistic and didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. That said, it may be that people with no planning at all would need some of those pages - but then they might not be the people actually looking at the site.
On the flip side, some were a bit jargon-heavy which put me off reading too much of them. So perhaps a balance - the simple articles could have links to more details, and the more complex ones have an idiot's guide to annuities and the like linked from them.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
I would like to see more real-life stories. Everyone is different, but seeing some real examples of Mr & Mrs X who worked doing this, had this income, these pension arrangements, this pension income and now they can do whatever would be really good.

I would not be keen on repeats of articles from other sites - if they already exist, a simple link to them is fine!

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?
I like the line drawings - they do remind me of the government financial planning images (which I guess is the point). I like the simple overall design, and the clear break between 'approaching retirement' and 'already retired'.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
I don't listen to podcasts anymore - no time! I'm also not that keen on videos on websites (maybe that is just me, though) as simple text is quicker and easier to absorb than videos. However, some good video to explain the more complex issues could be useful.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
It took me a while to get registered to use it, but got there in the end and left a comment/question. The users seem to be more 'aware' of pension issues than me, which put me off joining in existing conversations.

Q7 Any other comments?
Overall I like the concept of this. I've put through my own details and got a report back with broad suggestions, although these didn't really cover my own situation. I would use the site again with retirement planning, although I'm not sure it would appeal to people with limited forward planning already.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date
I'm 37, working full time and have a workplace pension - that's the extent of my retirement planning at the moment.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
I read a few articles, which were nice an easy to read and pretty accessible - which is good given how complex retirement matters can be. A few were informative, but I did find some were a little simplistic and didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. That said, it may be that people with no planning at all would need some of those pages - but then they might not be the people actually looking at the site.
On the flip side, some were a bit jargon-heavy which put me off reading too much of them. So perhaps a balance - the simple articles could have links to more details, and the more complex ones have an idiot's guide to annuities and the like linked from them.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
I would like to see more real-life stories. Everyone is different, but seeing some real examples of Mr & Mrs X who worked doing this, had this income, these pension arrangements, this pension income and now they can do whatever would be really good.

I would not be keen on repeats of articles from other sites - if they already exist, a simple link to them is fine!

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?
I like the line drawings - they do remind me of the government financial planning images (which I guess is the point). I like the simple overall design, and the clear break between 'approaching retirement' and 'already retired'.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
I don't listen to podcasts anymore - no time! I'm also not that keen on videos on websites (maybe that is just me, though) as simple text is quicker and easier to absorb than videos. However, some good video to explain the more complex issues could be useful.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
It took me a while to get registered to use it, but got there in the end and left a comment/question. The users seem to be more 'aware' of pension issues than me, which put me off joining in existing conversations.

Q7 Any other comments?
Overall I like the concept of this. I've put through my own details and got a report back with broad suggestions, although these didn't really cover my own situation. I would use the site again with retirement planning, although I'm not sure it would appeal to people with limited forward planning already.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date
I'm 50 and working full time. I work in public services and have a work pension through that, although I also have two very small frozen pensions from when I was younger and working in the private sector.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
I think the pieces are easy to read and are informative without being too formal and technical. I quite like the 'real life' aspect of the articles and how people have relayed their personal experiences about retirement and retirement planning. It is easy to navigate around the site.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
I like the real life examples as they are readable and you can relate to them easily, also the comments and responses underneath the articles are useful and add another angle to the article. I also like links to other sites such as comparison websites and pension amount calculators. I would like to see a section especially designed for people in their twenties that I could direct my older children to. It might be nice to have some links to voluntary organisations which welcome retired people so that maybe some voluntary work could be planned in to bridge the gap between work and retirement and make use of skills that people have. I would like to see some links to public sector retirement pensions, as these have also changed recently. I find the whole area of annuities confusing so it would be good to see more information about that.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?
I think the colours are a little drab and anonymous but in a way I quite like the fact that it doesn't look too flashy or like a facebook type of interface. It is a serious subject and I think if it was too bright and gaudy or'busy' it would be distracting. I prefer the line drawings to photos. The font and headings are easy to read and very clear. There could be a better/ wider use of colour to differentiate the different areas of the site.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
Personally I am more keen on reading rather than viewing video as you can easily re-read parts that you are not sure about. I think it is refreshing not to have too much multimedia in it. I find video irritating.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
Well I have joined and contributed! I find forums useful for sharing ideas and they can introduce you to a new point of view or offer a real life experience of something. Obviously the forum is still in its early stages, but I'm sure it will grow and develop in time, especially if it links to other popular forums such as Mumsnet or something like Moneysavingexpert.

Q7 Any other comments?
I think that this is a very important subject for people my age and especially for younger people. There have been a lot of changes recently and I'm really unclear about what this might mean for my retirement. There are useful links on the site so you can follow particular areas of interest. I like the fact that information is in one place and that the site isn't just about financial information but also makes you consider retirement lifestyle choices and health, so it takes a more holistic approach to a major turning point in your life.
The idea of pension freedom sounds great but I feel that many people are going to get caught out by this or scammed if they are not careful so it is important to get this information out to the public.

I think that retirement needs to be addressed at a much younger age as well, but would imagine that the site might have to look a lot different to attract younger people to interact with it, including more video content.

Reviewers: please answer the following questions on the thread below.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

39
Work full time. two young children aged 2 and 4 so currently coping with childcare costs foreshadow any financial planning for retirement.
I have a pension with my employer but don't understand (more accurately I am guilty of ignoring) the details. Currently worth £5k a year which is terrifying. I haven't seriously thought about how much longer I want to work but as long as I can can I imagine. My husband is self-employed and does not have a pension.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

A good tone is struck - informative and interesting, not too dense or complex. Some articles are quite long. The real life stories really drew me in. The jargon buster is very useful as these are words that I've been ignoring for years. I also found the "Pensions Explained section" very useful.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

I liked it all really - it's a good mix of fact, clarifying and real life experience

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

The colour scheme is dull, could do with warming up. Also the home page is busy with lots of blocks. The article pages are better though some are long. Nor do I like the font. Having said that, it's straightforward to navigate with plenty of content. I prefer the line drawings to the photos. I always love reading other people's comments.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Not especially - most of my internet use is during downtime at work so I don't like to watch videos or listen to podcasts as am often picking up the phone. At home, the kids would just be too interruptive.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

Really good, interaction with real life people is much more meaningful then just articles though obviously there isn't much comment there yet.

Q7 Any other comments?

Great idea and I feel more confident thinking about our family's financial future.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

I'm 49 and work part time. The only step I have taken towards planning for my retirement is to send off for a pension statement to see if I have enough N.I. contributions.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

They are very readable and accessible. I think if anything they seem a bit short to me, but I read very quickly and enjoy reading.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

I always enjoy real life stories and interviews. It's interesting to read about how people keep themselves occupied during retirement. I also found the financial planning articles helpful. I wasn't really aware of the tax implications regarding pensions before, so that was informative. Also, the practical help about how to check if you qualify for a full state pension was very useful. I would be interested in seeing more suggestions for financial planning with actual figures and examples of how best to make use of pension pots.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

I didn't especially like the site design. I'm not totally sure why. It felt a bit amateurish and rather bland. The colours were boring. I think a mixture of the drawings with some photos for variety would be better.
Some of the links under the main headings didn't work very well. I had to click at various places within the box before it worked.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Brief videos can be useful, but I probably wouldn't listen to podcasts.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

The forum is too new with hardly any content to really give an opinion. But I like forums in general...I find reading questions and answers that other people have posted very useful.

Q7 Any other comments?

Not really, except I think the site has potential and could be very useful for people looking for information about retirement.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date.
I am 46, work part time in two jobs, have a local council pension - I am not certain of the details, I just know it won't be much.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
Yes I think they are very readable, and not too 'wordy' - if there were too many financial terms in the articles, I would give up very quickly. I think they are short and to the point, as I probably wouldn't read them all if they were longer.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
Real life stories would be good, especially with the planning stage - people who left it late but have done well etc. This would give me encouragement to lift my head out of the sand! Maybe more links for ideas for voluntary work would be good.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?
I like the art work, not too simple or cartoon like. I don't mind the lack of colour too, sometimes information gets lost if there are too many colours and patterns. It is a simple, easily accessible site, it was easy to register.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
I wouldn't really access the videos as I prefer to read and browse articles. That way I can re-read items/lists/ideas and research them more thoroughly if I choose.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
The forum area is easy to navigate, it is easy and quick to add a comment, the threads are obviously new, and therefore not very 'chatty' as yet. However the issues are relevant and interesting, even for me - someone who lacks a lot of knowledge in this field!

Q7 Any other comments?
It has made me feel a bit more positive about my pension status, and has made me want to investigate taking on a private pension to top up my situation...if I can afford it! It has also made me feel a little less disorganised than I first thought, and realise that many many people are in the same naive situation.
So, all in all, thank you for that!

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date
40 sahm for last eight years. Old work place pension which isn't worth a lot!

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
I found them to be easily accessible and just the right length.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
I like the real life stories as it gives you something to relate to. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything on how sahm's are supposed to pension contribute.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?
I like the general look of the site. A mix of photos and line drawings works well.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
Don't like to watch videos I just find I retain and understand better if I read the information.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
Obviously the forum is new so not much going on there. Useful to have though especially if you can get expert replies.

Q7 Any other comments?
Pension planning is probably not on most parents minds especially when you have young children and struggling to survive on the here and now! I would like to see more advice on how sahp's can manage their future pension.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

35, housewife, planning on returning to work soon after more than a decade at home with the children, aiming to work again soon and would like to retire at 65.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

They were fine, for somebody who doesn't want to make concrete plans for retirement. Short and snappy, with nothing too in-depth. I would like to see links at the end of these articles to more involved pages, should something particularly interest me.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

I liked the real people items. I liked the article by the man who has taken a break from work to raise his children especially, as I could very much relate to him. There isn't much information available for parents who no longer pay into work pensions, and I felt relieved that I'm not the only parent who has been skirting around the issue of planning for my old age. I would have liked there to be a link at the end of the short piece that would take me somewhere where I could get some suggestions for practical 'what next?' moves.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

I liked the relatively uncluttered look of it. Compared to sites like Money Saving Expert that bombard you with colours, images and text, it was pleasant to look at. I liked the line drawings, they're simple and clear.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

I wouldn't be interested in watching videos. I find reading at my own pace allows me to take in more information.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

Very simple and sparse, but early days of course. It could be very useful once it's up and running. It's easy to register to become a member, and easy to add comments.

Q7 Any other comments?

Just to reiterate, I think links to related but more in-depth pages would be useful - 'Next step' suggestions.

Just one more thought I'd jotted down but forgot to mention.

There are two tabs to select from on the home page - 'Approaching retirement' and 'Already retired'. Well I'm thirty years away from retirement, so not exactly approaching it! Would 'Planning retirement' be a better label? It might seem to some people, like me, who have few plans in place, that there isn't anything for them there, only those who are ready to or who have already retired.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

55 with dh 55. Freelance part- time with final salary pension scheme from public sector career pre dd17. Small private pension. Dh final salary pension.
We hope to have the option to retire at 60 but will probably work some part time stuff after that.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

Interesting- the lifestyle articles are interesting but fairly lightweight. More detail and specifics would be helpful. Budget tools etc would be of use- terms are very general ie regarding risk on various investment products-

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
I always enjoyed money makeover articles featured in the times where case studies were worked through. Also signposting to useful organisations- ifa register/ volunteering option etc etc

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

Clean,uncluttered and plenty of white space and line drawings work well. Direct gov is a good role model.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Too much bells and whistles. Keep it simple and clean. Not too many click throughs.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

Good set up. Looks easy to use.

Q7 Any other comments?

A good idea- more specific on numbers, case studies and practical tools will improve it further.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

I'm 41, part-time employed, I pay into a workplace pension and my company also pay into it.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

Personally I liked the look of it. The front page was not over complicated and yet had all the headings to be able to access the relevant information.
I felt that the articles were written in a way that made sense to me and enabled me to understand pensions in a straightforward way without baffling me with jargon.
I thought the articles were about the right length with links available to do further reading / research if you wanted more information.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

I liked the real life stories from people in a similar situation to myself. I also like the FAQs which featured a question about tracking down lost pensions as I have often wondered how I could access this information and had no idea where to start.
I also like the jargon buster. I have no parental advise regarding pensions due to illness and family situation and so it is useful to find a website that gives me straightforward, uncomplicated information.
I also found the article about the general election and what the different parties had to offer very useful.
I assume that the forum would be a good place to ask for more information if it were needed.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

I am not a particularly technical person but I navigated my way around this website with no problems whatsoever. The colours were a little dull and personally I would appreciate seeing a few more interesting colours in the homepage. I would imagine the current format may appeal to men but I would like more colour. I don't think photos are necessary but maybe a few more line drawings would be good.
Overall the homepage does not look too appealing and possible a bit dull. If you're talking all things pensions (which may not always be everybody's cup of tea) it needs a more vibrant homepage to draw people in.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Personally I am not very technical and I can only speak for myself. I would not be worried either way. I suppose podcasts on various topics may be useful but not essential in my opinion.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

I think this area is a good place to share experiences and circumstances. It is also a good place to read up on situations/options that you may not have considered before.
It also gives you the website provider an insight into the sort of information that the general public want.
Again it looks a little dull and could do with a splash of colour.

Q7 Any other comments?

To be honest I didn't sign up to this project expecting it to be the most interesting that I have been involved with. However, having looked through the website I found a lot of information relevant to me and useful links that I personally need to access to help my retirement planning.
I found the general election pledges from the major parties extremely interesting to read and it was useful having them in one place to be able to compare. I will certainly be referring back to this website and will mention it to friends.

I am 37, work full time and have paid into a pension ever since I started work, so 15 years.

Articles - these are OK, but not in depth enough for me. However I think this is really tricky to get right - anyone really into this would need a very technical area because it is quite complicated. And this would be risky for Skipton to provide because it would need updating, and would need not to be advice.

Range of content - I am interested in technical articles, not so much the 'real life' stuff, although a bit of that is useful.

Site design - looks great to me!

Multimedia - I would never watch a video. I might listen to a podcast but would probably prefer to read.

Forum - you need quite a critical mass for this to work well. It is obviously early days at the minute.

Other comments - not really clear what this is aiming to be. Is it a 'tied' thing to Skipton, or aiming to be stand alone but sponsored, or what?

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date
53, work part time for NHS so have around 5 years pension there and a couple of bits from previous part-time jobs but not much due to career break, locum work, etc. Relying on DH's pension to an extent.
DH's company allow retirement from 57 but 62 for the full pension so we are thinking about 5 years time but I may stay on longer (technically NHS retirement age is 66 for me) as he may do some reduced hours consultancy work after that point and my part-time hours might fit in with that.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
They were ok and very readable but some of them are too simple and predictable, e.g. living on a budget has been done to death elsewhere. I would like more in-depth stuff about how to plan, when best to use pension/ISA/other way of saving and why, tax implications of AVCs, what to do if your pension scheme doesn't support AVCs, etc

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?
See previous question. I would like more about the financial planning, products available, when to get professional advice, etc
Possibly it would be useful to include information about travel or living abroad (even if just for short spells or long holidays), healthcare provision, etc for when retired. Maybe even hobbies, courses, etc

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?
I'm not hugely observant on these things, as long as I can find my way about I'm happy, but it looked fine to me

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
Personally I hate videos and like things written

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
Obviously quite new as there is not much on it. An "I'm On" search would be useful to find previous posts, I posted on something that sounded interesting about would people blow their pension pot then run out of money and could never find that discussion again so don't know if it had moved or if I just looked in the wrong places

Q7 Any other comments?
It's a good site but how do you plan to get the number and range of participants to keep it vital? Marketing just through Skipton is not likely to do it. Could it be marketed to people in the big schemes, like teachers, NHS, civil service who may not get much advice

Q1: I am 34, currently on maternity leave but in FT employment usually. I have a workplace pension which I have been contributing to for the last 12 years.

Q2: the length of the articles is ok, and they are relatively informative. However I felt that they didn't really helped answer the questions I have. I want to understand whether the provision I am making is sufficient. So I would like to see something like a ready recliner to understand what I need to be saving to have the retirement I want. Also I found there was a lot of information on ISAs, but the government'srecent announcement on taking some savings income out of tax would have an impact on my future plans, but I couldn't see anything on that.

Q3: on content I would like to see more to help me do the maths around what I need to be saving now. So the articles are ok, but I feel like there is some practical help I would want from a website like this. I didn't identify with the real life stories, but maybe that's just me.

Q4: the site design was fine - I can't say it "grabbed" me but it worked well on the mobile phone which was great as many websites are still a bit dodgy for their mobile sites.

Q5: multimedia - I don't really ever use internet video or podcasts, and also on retirement stuff I would want something to refer back to.

I will come back on 6 and 7 as my baby has just woken up and needs a feed...

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

Around 40. I have 2 part time jobs and usually do overtime to take me up to full time hours. Have a very small pension from a previous job and I save a very small amount each month. I am well aware that I need to be saving a much larger proportion of my salary, but our expensive before and after school clubs take a huge chunk out of my pay.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

They are perfectly accessible. I've read up on pensions before (bank website) and there was far too much technical jargon. This was easy to understand, thankfully.
I like how you can select where to go for pension advice depending on current circumstances.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retire savvy?

Some real life stories with numbers and calculations would be motivating for me to save and plan more. But for this to be relevant to me it would need to be a person who has lots in common in terms of financial planning and income.
I don't think i'd like to see anything from non financial sites. But perhaps something on how to cut monthly outgoings in order to save more could be useful.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

I like the site design. I think it's simple and I like the font and artwork. I like the line drawings the best. Dh said something a bit more colourful would grab his attention more - I disagree because bright flashy colours give me a headache!

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Dh listens to podcasts but I don't. Not my cup of tea.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

It's a good place if you have specific questions. There's not too much on it as yet.

Q7 Any other comments

Reading about pensions has got me into a slight panic. But it really is better than putting my head into the sand. One comment on the forum was that a pension is your future salary. That's a good way of looking at it.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

My age is 42, current working status is "stay-at-home" mum, and regarding retirement planning, solely relying on husbands private pension plan through his job, around 65-70 years, he's 40 currently. We had savings, but they have been gradually eaten away just by trying to survive on a daily basis.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

I found them very readable, but a little too simplistic and didn't go into the kind of areas deeper that I was interested in. They were informative, perhaps a little on the short side being quite simple. It's hard to get the balance right, I have seen the same sort of information on other sites presented in a very confusing manner, so it's difficult I understand to provide everything for your audience.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

I really enjoyed the real-life stories, it was useful to read other people's circumstances, and relatable stories.
I would be interested in migrating after retirment, and advice regarding that, or taking a part time job after retirement.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

I wasn't struck on the design, the colours felt washed out and didn't draw me in at all or make me feel compelled to stick with the site really, and I'm not a fan of line drawings, it felt a bit "high school project" for me - sorry.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

Videos are great, not really into podcasts as much, but certainly like to see more done in a video format.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

It was interesting, I really like forums for asking questions I'd never thought of, so it was interesting to get other views.

Q7 Any other comments?
As I mentioned, it's difficult to please everyone, but I definately think the website could do with an overhaul in terms of its appearance. Subject matter simple but that can be a positive in a lot of cases. Didn't help me in my situation but I don't think I'm going to find our answers on a website.

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

40, SAHM, no planning so far. Reliant on DH's pension.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex? Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?

Very readable and accessible, easy to understand and informative. However I did feel some of the articles I read were almost truncated to fit the shorter style and could have been longer with more detail. Nothing over complex that I saw.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

Not too interested in interviews, but some real life stories are good. Would be interesting to see some stories from people who feel they could have planned better for their retirement, and what they would have done differently.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

Really liked the site - like the line drawings and the muted colour scheme. Could possibly go for a few more muted colours so all writing not grey, but wouldn't change much. The photos look almost jarring next to the line drawings so would try to go for one or the other on home page.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?

To be honest neither are for me - I prefer to read text on a website, if I wanted to watch something about retirement I would watch a TV program not a video on a website.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?

There is not much here to comment on really so hard to give an opinion. I don't know what draws people in but the forums on some sites eg moneysavingexpert are one of the best places to get advice etc. Perhaps some people working answering questions on the forum which then form part of your FAQS would make it more useful. At the moment everything I saw was mentioned on the website already. It is difficult because each person's case is different and requires tailored advice.

Q7 Any other comments?*

I am aware my planning for retirement is lacking, and I know there is not much anyone can suggest to help this. The reason I have no retirement planning is because I have no income so no way of saving, and you can't have a pension without money!

Q1 Please give your age, current working status and status of your retirement planning to date

Age 44 Working full time with a two year old son and hoping to retire in ten years time. Not a massive amount of planning done but i have paid into a pension since i was 18, 3 work and 1 private.

Q2 Thinking about the articles on retiresavvy - do you think the content pieces are readable and accessible enough without being overly complex?

Are they informative? What about the length of them? Too long or short?
The articles are fairly short and could maybe do with a little more information, some are little more than magazine type articles. Interesting though and spark further questions.

Q3 In terms of the range of content – what interests you? eg financial planning, real life stories, interviews etc? What would you be interested in seeing more of? What sorts of things from other (eg non financial sites would you like to see on retiresavvy?

I would like "real" examples from lots of different types of families showing there financial planning, possible income and outgoings depending on their situation, basically something to read and compare myself too.
Also some example monthly incomes that i would need to be comfortable in retirement. I havent written a will yet so a list of companies in the region and fees would be great.

Q4 In terms of site design – this is under review, what did you think worked/ doesn't work – What would you expect to see on the homepage? Does the range of colours they’ve chosen grab you/ your DH/DP? What about the art style – do you prefer line drawings or maybe photos?

I like the style of the website, happy with the colours and its simple design.

Q5 Multimedia – are you keen on more video on the portal or maybe a podcast etc? if so, what sorts of things would you like on there?
No im not keen on videos or podcasts, id rather read.

Q6 Forum: please let us know what you thought of this area?
I like the forums, its my sort of thing. I love reading other people's dilemmas and joining in

Q7 Any other comments?
It made me think about digging out my pension stuff and writing a will so that has to be a good thing.

I'm 31, working and have a workplace (DC) pension which I/employer contribute to. I think I'll be 70 odd when I retire!

I like the articles, I've mainly read the preparing for retirement ones. I think it would be good to have some (not all) articles a bit more detailed.

In terms of topics I'd like to see more about the effect of starting to save early, eg figures demonstrating compound interest. That was massively eye opening for me and its not something you're taught at school. I like to see real examples for a range of situations and detail on the options when itcomes to financial planning.

I also like the simple look and design of the site. I like the line drawings.

Im not keen on podcasts because I prefer to read. I probably wouldn't watch podcasts.

I like the forum as its interesting to read other people's situations. I would tend to lurk rather than join in but that's just me!