This project investigates the nature of retirement saving. In particular we make use of individual and household level data on patterns of saving and savings. This knowledge will be important to help the government and pensions companies plan their policies. There are four related strands to this project:

• How do saving rates and wealth accumulation change over the lifecycle, and how have these patterns changed in recent years?
• What is the relationship between people's lifetime earnings and their retirement incomes and what factors are associated with high ratios of the latter to the former?
• How many employees might be affected by the move to Personal Accounts, and what are their characteristics?
• How have recent trends in the overall value of pension provision differed between public and private sectors?

Funding for the project comes from a consortium of organisations with an interest in pensions policy.

These are:

• Association of British Insurers
• Bank of England
• Barclays
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Financial Services Authority
• HM Revenue and Customs
• HM Treasury
• Investment Management Association
• Pensions Regulator
• Personal Accounts Delivery Authority
• Scottish Widows
• The Actuarial Profession.