Should I stop contributing when financial markets are uncertain?

Although it can be worrying to see your pension affected by global markets, it’s best to think of your pension savings in terms of decades, rather than months or even years. Most Nest members are unlikely to experience a significant impact to their final pension pot from shorter-term market falls.

If you’re young enough to ride it out, you’ll have many more years to save into your pension and benefit as the markets recover. If you’re close to retirement and saving into one of our main funds, we may have already automatically moved your money into safer, lower risk investments to protect you from this kind of risk. We’ve published some further information on our website so you can stay informed about how we manage your pension as you get closer to retirement.

You can visit our help centre article on uncertainty in financial markets for more information. 

Our investment strategy accounts for short-term uncertainty, so your savings are in a strong position over longer periods of time. Continuing to contribute to your pension means you’re investing in your future and taking full advantage of our award-winning investment approach. 

You may also currently benefit from employer contributions and tax relief every time you pay into your pension pot. Stopping your contributions means you’ll no longer get these extra savings.

You might want to discuss your options with an independent financial adviser. You can also get impartial guidance from MoneyHelper – a government-backed scheme from the Money and Pensions Service - by visiting their website or calling 0800 138 1677.

If you still feel that you want to pause your payments, you can find out what to do in our help centre article on stopping contributions.