In this special episode of the Deep Dive podcast, Tom is joined by AJ Bell’s head of public policy Rachel Vahey and head of technical Charlene Young to answer listeners’ most pressing pension questions. They discuss why it can pay to start saving even when retirement feels distant, how tax relief works for higher earners, what inheritance tax changes could mean for SIPPs, and whether ISAs can offer extra flexibility. The episode also covers pension access age changes, state pension entitlement, pensions dashboards, retirement living standards and why age 75 matters for retirement planning. 01:05 – Is it worth paying into a pension when retirement feels a long way off? 04:18 – Salary sacrifice and making pension contributions work harder 08:14 – SIPPs, ISAs and planning ahead for inheritance tax changes from 2027 12:33 – Taking tax-free cash gradually and using Stocks and Shares ISAs 15:14 – Pension access age: what happens if you take money at 55 before April 2028? 20:25 – Why 35 years of National Insurance does not always guarantee the full new state pension 27:50 – Pension tax relief for additional-rate taxpayers: what is automatic and what must be claimed? 33:14 – Pensions dashboards: what they are, when they might arrive and what savers could see 41:03 – Retirement living standards and how much people may need in later life 43:12 – Why age 75 matters for pensions and tax planning 48:01 – The pension questions Rachel and Charlene think more people should ask

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