Dunham Toll Bridge, I'm surprised you weren't aware of it.

Only when half a mile away







I normally head to Lincoln from the north rather than from the east, decided to go a different way today just for the hell of it, grrrrr...



Its not even an impressive bridge.

It was even worse pre 1975 when it got upgraded carriage-wise.

Ah, pensions. I've been looking into getting one of these (I'm 24), but no idea where to begin and what's best for me.

Don't worry, what's best for you will be decided by a totally impartial advisor.

Then your fund will not be be seen as a cash cow and the investment performance will not be dismal and finally at the end of it all the annuity rate will not be poor.

Your pension will be one you can depend on and your retirement will be comfortable ... trust me I used to be a financial advisor.

lol

You left out the bit about a retirement spent cruising the world on your pension.

I didn't think my wife would approve.

Beware of anyone offering independent financial 'advice'. They will probably recommend the policy that makes them the most commission. 25 years later you will be trying to track down them / their insurer to bring a claim for a mis-sold policy.

Take out a SIPP and do it yourself without the need of an advisor.You will need to do some research though , dont do it blind.

Funny things personal pensions. The big selling point is if you are / become, say,a 40% taxpayer you get £100 of savings for each £60 you contribute. The downside is your money is locked up and no longer belongs to you. Not only that but when you take an annuity you lose the capital you saved (which an annuity provider - insurance company - swipes).



To save for a decent pension you'll need to contribute c. 20% of your gross pay through your working life (which most people can't afford).

I was told 12% (for my age, and obviously the later you leave it to save the more you'll need to contribute in the future - source: BBC News or DWP) but basically the advice is to avoid at all costs and drop everything into a savings or ISA?







What is one of those?

Grrrr ... don't get me (or Jerry Chicken) going on ISAs.





With having largely had irregular earnings over the last 15 years, I opened two ISAs – one, an ordinary one, and the second, taking a bit more of a gamble.



The former got the point, a couple of years ago, that it was gaining me something like £10 every six months. It's taken seven years or so for the second to even get back to what I'd put in.



You're better with an ordinary savings account, frankly – and fortunately, since the crash, those seem miraculously to have become available again.



One of the things I most detest about today is that you're expected to be an expert in every damned thing you need, because so many companies have utterly ditched real ideas of customer service.