Last month, Liz Jones asked in the CIEP forums for editors’ thoughts on preparing for the future, from a financial point of view. Liz mentioned pensions specifically, but it became clear from the responses that the picture is more complicated than that.
Some people described how they were able to save a good chunk of their earnings each month or year. For many others, especially when working freelance, earnings can fluctuate, so it can be difficult to save a fixed amount per month, or to save as much as we think we should be saving! This article considers the different approaches editors have, and also provides a list of useful links recommended by members.
- Starting to save
- Dividing up earnings
- Pensions
- ISAs
- Other investments
- State pension (in the UK)
- Financial advice
- Not stopping
- Summing up – there’s no one size fits all, but make a start!
- Useful links
Starting to save
One point that came up again and again was that it was more important to make a start with saving for the future – any kind of start – than it was to be able to implement the perfect retirement plan right away. It turned out I wasn’t the only editor who, until recently, had been burying their head in the sand, hoping the future wouldn’t apply to them. Obviously, there are ideal levels of savings to aspire to, which might keep us in the style to which we’ve become accustomed. But if that isn’t achievable right now, because of fluctuating earnings and other financial commitments, it’s still better to start saving something than nothing at all, and then build things up over time.
A tip I heard was to frequently (say, every six months) raise your pension contributions by £5–10 or so. You won’t feel it, but it all starts to add up.
– Sophie Playle
Dividing up earnings
Various editors who responded said that they saved 30% or even 50% of every single invoice, putting aside this money to cover tax, National Insurance, pension(s) and other savings. However, this is clearly not possible for everyone to achieve, and a lot depends on levels of earnings, stability and regularity of earnings, other sources of household income and other financial commitments. A clear theme was that everyone’s circumstances are different, and no advice can apply equally to everyone. Others explained that they set aside fixed amounts each month to pay into pots to cover tax and savings. Any surplus left over in the business account in good months could then be invested in one-off payments to pensions or to buy business equipment.
Pensions
Most of the editors who responded were thinking in terms of pensions as the main way to save for their future. Obviously this is a huge and complex subject, and off-putting to many, and John Firth has written a useful introduction to this topic here. Many editors reported that they had small pension pots (sometimes several) from past employers, and some had decided to consolidate these to make them easier to manage. Several people shared useful links to advisory services (see the ‘Useful links’ section, below).
The key was to stop thinking, ‘Well, I haven’t got enough time left to accumulate a sensible pension’, and start thinking, ‘Where is the money I am able to spare likely to grow best?’ From this point of view the label ‘pension’ is incidental (although obviously the attached rules and regulations still have to make sense for the individual’s position).
– Kersti Wagstaff
ISAs
The other main type of savings account people mentioned, apart from pensions, was the Individual Savings Account, or ISA, which is relevant to savers based in the UK. Some people had ISAs as well as pensions, while others were saving only into an ISA. This is an example of where taking professional financial advice can be crucial.
I followed the advice of a financial adviser about 11 years ago, and set up an ethical stocks and shares ISA … I pay into it every month, and it has performed very well indeed during that time … I’m really glad that I got the advice at that point.
– Hester Higton
Other investments
Aside from pensions and ISAs, people also mentioned factoring the value of property they owned into retirement plans. Other suggestions included investing in businesses via crowdfunding appeals, and even investing in art.
State pension (in the UK)
Editors based in the UK mentioned the state pension as forming an important part of their retirement plans, even if they did not expect to be able to live on it on its own. The benefit of the state pension is that it is protected from inflation. However, receiving the full state pension does depend on a record of National Insurance payments. Several editors mentioned that because they had lived outside the UK for periods earlier in their lives, their state pension had been impacted. You can check your UK state pension entitlement here.
Financial advice
Another common theme was the importance of taking professional financial advice. Many members commented on how pleased they were that they’d consulted a financial adviser over retirement planning (even if that wasn’t what they’d originally approached the adviser for). Others wondered if they had enough to approach a financial adviser to talk about. The general feeling was that retirement planning was such a big and important subject – with such far-reaching significance for most of us – that it was well worth consulting a professional. Just as we would advise people considering editing their own books or getting their mates to do it …
Anyone who is considering moving overseas would be well advised to do their research. I had a small personal pension and planned to move the money to an Australian fund but was caught out by a change in UK law after I moved here. It prevents me from moving the money until I turn 55.
– Kerrie-Anne Love
Not stopping
Not all members who responded were counting on retirement, or expecting to stop editing completely. Some members wrote that they positively wanted to continue working because they enjoyed it, while also managing to save more now they were older.
Summing up – there’s no one size fits all, but make a start!
In summary, it’s clear that planning financially for the future is a very individual decision, and there’s not going to be a solution that suits everyone, or indeed is possible for everyone. But the most important message seemed to be that it was better to get something in place to help manage your finances and support yourself in the future than nothing at all – and that it was never too late to do this.
Useful links
- All-Party Parliamentary Group on Frozen British Pensions Inquiry Report 2020
- Boring Money
- Money Advice Service
- MoneySavingExpert – Lifetime ISAs (LISAs)
- Pension Wise – for over 50s
- Pensions Advisory Service
- Retirement Planning Made Easy – OpenLearn, free course
Thanks to the following contributors
Louise Bolotin, Catherine Booth, Margaret Christie, Hannah Close, Louise Duckling, Catherine Dunn, Kate Haigh, Jane Hammett, Kay Hawkins, Hester Higton, Gerard M-F Hill, Andrew Hodges, Margaret Hunter, Sue Littleford, Christopher Long, Kerri-Anne Love, Sarah Lustig, Kathleen Lyle, Hetty Marx, Christina Petrides, Sophie Playle, Abi Saffrey, Cory Stade, Melanie Thompson, Kersti Wagstaff, Anna Williams.
About Liz Jones
Liz Jones has been an editor since 1998, and freelance since 2008. She works on non-fiction projects of all kinds, for publishers, businesses and independent authors. She’s
also one of the commissioning editors on the CIEP information team.
About the CIEP
The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) is a non-profit body promoting excellence in English language editing. We set and demonstrate editorial standards, and we are a community, training hub and support network for editorial professionals – the people who work to make text accurate, clear and fit for purpose.
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Photo credits: hazy mountains by Simon Berger; growth by Micheile Henderson, both on Unsplash.
Posted by Abi Saffrey, CIEP blog coordinator.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the CIEP.