The Pensions Commission, in 2004, identified a significant gap in knowledge about the UK population’s financial preparedness for retirement. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (which IFS researchers, along with colleagues at UCL and NatCen, had been instrumental in designing, securing funding for and collecting), IFS researchers were able to address many of the questions that the Pensions Commission raised and our findings were presented to ministers at the Department for Work and Pensions and civil servants within other government departments and were influential in informing the recommendations of the Commission and the subsequent 2006 Pensions White Paper reforms.