The Government has been accused of dragging its heels over plans to encourage more people to save for retirement through a works pension. Steve Webb, the former Pensions Minister who oversaw the introduction of auto-enrolment in late 2012, says the recommendations announced today to extend the regime to more workers are 'shockingly lethargic'.

Would it actually make any difference to my retirement if I upped my pension contributions now? William Burrows of Better Retirement Group, pictured, explains how much you can expect to have in your pension pot at retirement based on different ages and contributions.

Members of the British Steel Pension Scheme are choosing whether to stay with it as it joins the Pension Protection Fund, join a new scheme set up by Tata Steel, or transfer to a personal plan. But the process has descended into chaos after local financial advisors were overwhelmed and rogue pension sharks charging sky-high fees flooded into steel heartlands in a bid to encourage workers to transfer their retirement pots.

On reaching 65 in May 2015, I had a meeting with my financial adviser with a view to investing my private pension which amounted to just under £200,000. During our meeting I was advised the annual management charge would be 1.54% which sounded reasonable but after adding it up, it amounted to nearly £3,000 a year. Could you please advise if the management charges sound fair and if not are you able to suggest any alternatives.

In a significant victory for our Unlock Our Pensions campaign, Phoenix Life will allow savers to swap their lifetime incomes for a one-off lump sum. We can reveal that around 20,000 savers with small annuities will be sent letters over the next six months outlining how much they could get. The offer is being limited to those with small pots providing an income of less than £300 a year and who are between the ages of 55 and 85.

In November 2014, on reaching 65, I deferred receiving my state pension. With the government scheme promising a return of 10.4 per cent on the accumulated amount and a weekly pension, it seemed a 'no-brainer'. I am also receiving a local education authority and teacher's pension. Could you advise me whether to take the three years' accumulated amount as a lump sum or to start taking my state pension at the new rate. Which would be the most advantageous?

Most people looking to pay for their burial or cremation in advance do so to save their families the hassle, expense and heartache in future. But a lack of regulation over these plans and how they are sold has allowed for an eruption of websites claiming to be able to compare quotes. In reality, many are predatory number-catching websites known as 'lead generators'. Telephone numbers entered into the website can then be passed on to companies that deliver a hard-sell. Heather Bridger (pictured) felt pressured.

A new report suggests that although workers usually see their income peak in their early fifties, many fail to put that extra income into a pension, mostly because they don't earn enough or they still have to help out their children. About a quarter of over 50s said they relied on the extra cash they'd get from moving into a smaller home or in a cheaper area to pay for a comfortable retirement, a survey by Aviva has found.

It is one of the most hated taxes - and more and more people are being dragged into it as house prices rise. But couples can give away £24,000 a year without inheritance tax dogging their family. If the total value of your property, savings and other assets is below £425,000 - double that if you're a married couple - there's no need to worry about inheritance tax. But HM Revenue & Customs will levy 40 per cent on anything above this from your estate when you die.

Today, This is Money and Money Mail lay bare the Government's shameful betrayal of savers who are desperate to boost their state pensions. Savers in their 50s and 60s handed over money under the impression that it would boost their weekly payouts, then were told they wouldn't qualify for any extra pension - and refused refunds. John Mullen, pictured, fought to get £3,500 back from the taxman and won his money after our intervention.

In a bold twist, pension scammers are exploiting the warnings the Government and other authorities issue to thwart their activities. 'Watch out for scam sites that dress themselves up with anti-scam messaging to pose as legitimate businesses,' says the Pensions Regulator.

There are many legal ways to dodge the dreaded 40 per cent 'death tax' if you want to pass on the maximum sum possible and are prepared to plan ahead. Here's our round-up of 10 ways to reduce or avoid a large inheritance tax bill, some of which can be undertaken easily by any ordinary person without the need for elaborate arrangements or to pay for professional help.

The crackdown includes a 1 per cent cap on early exit charges for those aged 55 or older who want access to the funds in their occupational scheme. Those that start saving into a workplace pension from now on will not have to pay a penny in exit charges under the new rules.

Building long-term wealth to see you though retirement is an essential part of life. Without doing it, you leave yourself dependent upon a state pension that will probably not kick in until your mid to late 60s. Even then it will not be sufficient to ensure financial security. Thankfully, we now have the tools necessary to accumulate investment wealth so that retirement can be enjoyed rather than endured. These tools come in the form of tax-friendly wrappers that reward long-term investing. If you adhere to our four-point plan, you will not go far wrong.

You might be tempted if someone offered you an investment guaranteeing a secure income that would cover all your regular bills until the day you died. After all, that's the Holy Grail for savers trying to make their pensions last into old age. But would you be as keen if you heard that the name of the investment was ... an annuity? Possibly not.

By the  time you retire you should really have mapped out how you'll get an income that'll last as long as you'll need. Ideally, that means sitting down with a financial adviser and plotting a course for your investments before you stop work. But there is nothing stopping those who've already started dipping into their pot from coming up with a masterplan now.

Pension and insurance deals could enter legal limbo, leaving British expats and other EU residents facing financial hardship if their payouts are cut off after March 2019. The threat to UK expats has prompted influential House of Commons Treasury committee chair Nicky Morgan MP to throw her weight behind industry calls for the issue to be addressed in the Brexit talks.

EXCLUSIVE: Leah Gray, 29, was initially refused her company contributions on the grounds she hadn't acted on a letter giving a three-month deadline, but Reckitt Benckiser relented after our investigation. The hospital doctor protested she never received any communications, despite putting her new forwarding contacts in her notice letter.

My daughter is gifting her son £100,000 to help him buy a house. We are concerned that, if he marries and then dies, 'her' money in the form of the house may disappear to a third party, her son's widow. Which is the best way to safeguard the money? Lawyer James Antoniou, pictured, of Co-op Legal Services, replies.

I am convinced there is going to be a major stock market correction in the next 12 months, at least in the UK, Europe and USA. Is it silly to tinker with how my pension is invested on the basis of trying to read the market?

James Hawken, 48, condemned Phoenix Life for levying hefty charges on a pension with zero growth for years - and demanding a quarter of the fund if he moves it before he is 55. He is among hundreds of thousands of savers left out of pocket after taking out 'with profits' products, which were touted as 'smoothing' returns during the ups and downs of financial markets.

Horrified saver, Russell Jones, pictured, discovered he faced a 78% exit penalty to move an old Friends Life pension pot built up through work. It exposes the large loophole in the Government's drive to stamp out excessive fees. It banned exit fees on all new pensions and capped them at 1 per cent for over-55s, but the cap doesn't apply to older pots held by younger savers.

If you are in your mid-40s, it will cost you £3,340, or £21 a month if you set aside money gradually, to build up an extra £10,000 lump sum before you hit the new state retirement age.That assumes 5 per cent investment growth, net of fees, over 22 years. The Government announced last week it was bringing forward a rise in the state pension age to 68 by seven years. That means the increase will happen in 2037-2039, affecting everyone currently aged 46 or under.

Young workers must save a fifth of their wages to achieve an 'adequate' retirement income - 70 per cent of your average earnings over the course of a working life, according to think tank ILC-UK. People retiring today are doing so on incomes worth 76 per cent of their average earnings, because many still get generous and guaranteed final salary pensions not available to most younger workers.

Grappling with the benefits monster can be daunting, particularly for those struggling with common side effects such as nausea, fatigue and chemo brain. But making sure you get the support you need and deserve while you beat your illness is hugely important. Here's everything you need to know.

How do you rescue your retirement if you've hit middle age and saved nothing into a pension yet? Ed Monk, associate director for personal investing at Fidelity International, says people in the 'squeezed middle' can still retire with peace of mind about their finances. He explains how an average earner in their forties can build a pot of well over £100,000 - or even double that if they try a bit harder - over the next couple of decades.

I pay into a pension at work and won't retire for ages. Can I not think about it for a few years or is there something else I should be doing? Richard Parkin of Fidelity International offers a handy checklist to help ensure your pension keeps ticking along nicely over the years until you retire.

Half of workers are unaware the Government helps people save for retirement by not taxing pension contributions and could be missing out on free cash paid into their pension as a result, a new survey reveals. Anyone making the UK average wage of £27,000 a year and putting 2% in a pension would get £5,400 from the Government over 40 years. But throw in 5% of your salary, and it would give you £13,520, says fund manager BlackRock.

Over 20 years ago, my parents gave their home to both me and my brother. My mother has now passed away and my father is deceased. What happens with the selling of the property? So we have equal rights and what can I do about my brother changing the locks?

An opt-out system - placing business profits straight into a pension - is being pushed for because only one in seven of the UK's 4.8million-strong self-employed workforce is doing this at present. That means many will simply be unable to afford to retire, warns a report by pension giants Aviva and Royal London, which arrives as the Government confirms plans to include self-employed savers in the auto-enrolment system for workers.

The chance to pocket a tax-free 25 per cent lump sum from your retirement fund when you stop working is one of the most popular perks of saving into a pension. But there is another option - to not take the lump sum, but leave your pension alone to continue growing or provide a higher income over the course of retirement. We look at what to weigh up when you are deciding to take some, all or none.

The huge overhaul allows older savers unrestricted access to their whole pension pots, and removes the need to buy an annuity to provide guaranteed income for life. But pension experts warn freedom reforms bring big and serious risks, like fraudsters stealing people's life savings, baffled retirees paying far too much tax, and the possibility of some treating their savings like a cash windfall and blowing them too fast.

It's taken 20 years of campaigning by this newspaper - sometimes against governments of the day, other times against big corporate vested interests in the financial world. But after all the battling - and going a little greyer on top - it's time to raise a glass of prosecco and toast a new era. The great pensions revolution has arrived: goodbye unwieldy, straight- jacketing pensions; hello pensions fit for a modern, flexible Britain. From April 6, the pension pendulum swings firmly from provider to you, the consumer, the investor. Rejoice.

While many people dislike the idea of an annuity, the alternative means keeping your pension invested in retirement and managing it yourself - a process that can be confusing and full of pitfalls. So here's a checklist, from investing, to income, taxes, the state pension, inheritance, illness, financial advice and much else.

Inheritance is an area of personal finance that can get very complicated, very quickly and what might seem relatively straightforward at first glance, often isn't. Worse, getting it wrong could have a big impact on the amount of money your family actually receives when you die. We've put together a comprehensive Q&A to help you navigate the rules.

Modern family dynamics are also causing more rows, with divorce, second marriages, stepchildren and half-brothers and sisters now common. The more extended the family, the more likely it is that arguments will arise. One of the most recent high-profile cases is a dispute over the legacy left by Lynda Bellingham, who starred in the Oxo adverts in the Eighties.

Instead of being stuck with stingy annuities, retirees now have the freedom to dip into their pensions using income drawdown. These schemes allow you to take sums out of your pension pot while the rest stays invested. So what are the advantages and risks of doing this, and what schemes are on offer? We run through the main options now, and look ahead to what might become available in future.

People nearing retirement traditionally switch savings out of risky investments and into safer assets, but pension freedom reforms are likely to prompt a big rethink of this practice. That's because derisking - or 'lifestyling' as it's also known - is normally done in preparation for buying an annuity, but many more people will be opting to stay invested an draw down an iincome in future.

Pension freedom reforms will give people more decision-making power over their retirement savings from next year. The options to access your money, spend or invest it will widen - although your choices will still largely depend on the size of your pension pot. Financial experts Mark Stone of Whitechurch Securities and Ben Westaway of Jessop Financial Planning explain both your opportunities and the limitations on them.

My mum and dad are separated and living apart now for years. Dad was emotionally abusive and unfaithful to mum for years. She now wants rid of him from her life - through divorce. But she is retired and lives off her pension, plus her state pension. Can my dad potentially make a bid for mum's pension if she were to divorce him? Jacqueline Major (pictured), solicitor and Partner at London law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, replies.

On a recent trip to South Africa my mother requested that my aunt give me my grandfather's war diaries. She refused. As far as I know these were not specified in any will. Is she entitled to them because she has power of attorney for my grandmother? Can I make her hand them over because my mother is the oldest and so she should have claim to them?

My father passed away in 2010. His second wife is 85 and still living in the house they bought. My father's half was left to myself and two sisters, possibly grandchildren. Now my father has passed away my stepmother is saying we will not get anything and everything will go to her two adult children. Is there anything we can do?

My husband and I made joint wills. We are divorced and he remarried three years ago. He has recently passed away and didn't make a will with his new wife. I made no changes to my will and I only have my ex-husband's copy. Is the will valid?

Legal expert Nigel Shepherd, national chair of family law organisation Resolution, explains what a partner can claim from an estate, and how the cash machine withdrawal might affect this case. Shepherd also looks at how to avoid legal costs swallowing up a small estate in disputes like this one.

I want to ensure that if I die before my husband he gets the money, but if he remarried and then died my half would end up with my children not any new spouse or her children. How can I safeguard so that any new wife would not reap the rewards of what we have built up and at some point my children will get something from my estate?

He suddenly kept turning up on my relative's doorstep prior to her death after ignoring her for years, redid her will to leave all assets to his own wife and appointed himself executor. By the time family members had been informed of the death, he and his wife had the house cleared out and all family items sent to an auction, and had a fast funeral with no announcement or attendees apart from him and his kids. We have no idea how much the assets were worth but there were valuable paintings, antiques and at least £50,000 in cash. Is this legal and what action can be taken?