Mine's gone totally pear-shaped!

[GarlicJuneBlooms]

Boo hoo. 59, everything (nearly) disappeared into a black hole of manipulative XH and long term illness. Benefits dependent, with a vestigial occupational pension of £1,500 a year, state pension age receded to 67, nothing to inherit.

So that's what goes wrong.

And I get to start the first thread, like a kid jumping on the new snow

How are you planning against a cock-up like mine?

Blimey Garlic

My planning is non-existent thank you for asking (diverted everything to tenuous home-ownership, then divorce, then freelancing and more tenuous home-ownership)

If my taste in men continues to be shit, I might as well maintain the pension fecklessness then? Or am I taking the wrong message too soon in a shiny new thread?

Would you like us to form a posse and hunt down your XH and do painful things to him?

I was surprised to find there was anything at all in the occupational pension, tbh. I'd taken my contributions back on changing jobs every time except once - the scheme I kept was from a job I'd only been in for three years, and there was another one related to a mis-sold scheme that had zero value when I checked on it. The operator must have been made to fix it somehow It's worth little, but it's something.

I had mountains of private insurance. When I did get sick, I soon found out those policies have limiting clauses: by the time I'd been out of work for around two years, none of them would pay out any more.

So I would say: invest in a steady, boring scheme. And separate money from morals & feelings - don't be "nice" to such an extent that you're unprotected.

The scheme that's paying out after the short membership is run by Aviva. They're very efficient.

Yes, Fid, please! He's done very well out of ripping me off. Too late to feel bad about that, really ... but I will supply cake and gin to the fork army

In all seriousness, I am going to go and gather up the paperwork for my different piddling schemes and see where i am with it all. Thanks for the nudge

Cake and gin sounds fair

Sorry to read of your plight, Garlic. Hope there will be some sort of safety net which gives you a decent quality of life when retirement age is reached. I was somewhat 'miffed' a few years back when the age had increased and I'd be unable to get a bus pass (I don't drive and have never been that bothered about it) for a few extra years.

Yes, Fideliny, the nudge is well timed - I moved a couple of years ago, and must contact a pensions firm in Scotland before they lose track of me completely - when I moved before, but was not yet on electoral roll, they refused to believe I was who I said I was, and suggested they would tell me nothing, until I threatened them that if they sent any of my details to my old address, they'd be failing the Data Protection Act as they were now being told my up-to-date address for correspondence. They decided the risk to their reputation might reflect badly, and backed down a bit (we'll tell you this time, but "we must be able to have evidence of your identity before we pass any money to you"... I don't currently have a passport, and obviously have no need for a driving licence, so I guess I will need to get a passport at some point... cannot even open anew bank account, should I wish to, without one... wouldn't mind if the passport was only 20 quid, but it's much more than that now, isn't it!

Don't get me wrong - the amount in is not much, it was from 20-odd years ago when I worked for a small firm {which sacked me at 23 months, while making a number of longer employed staff redundant}. I think I opted for 'Far Eastern' funds, so in theory it could have grown a lot, and would have if it had been more than about 1500 quid paid in... When I can get my hands on it, it'll probably buy a few jars of coffee.

Cheers, NG :) YY, the ongoing destruction of safety nets is a serious concern to everyone in similar positions. I'm currently having the same problem with ID! Passport & driving license both expired, driving license needs a passport ... argh! And a million other little things, which you don't realise are going to become an issue.

I do hope your little fund has turned into something at least useful. If mine managed to go from less than zero to £400 a year's worth, yours might be a nice surprise. Fingers crossed!

Garlic, so sorry that this has fallen at your feet. Boo hoo indeed. As you have ill health will your benefits continue and go some way to supporting you? (I have no idea what ill health benefits provide, but can imagine it's doodly squat). And I am sorry your ex was a twunt.

Any other way of generating an income? Spare room?

I just did a passport renewal and it was £74. £74!. That's a whole lot of money.