Makes my blood boil

agarnett

Wild_Rover wrote: »

Odd, isn't it? This is the very site to come to if you want information about loads of things including finances.

Long term users of the site will be happy that they had the sense to investigate their options and make good decisions, saving or making themselves money. When that happens, it's congratulations all round and aren't we all clever.

Yet, when it comes to people's well informed career choices, when folk have clearly made better choices than others, those who don't like the successful outcomes others have achieved do their nut.

I worked in the public sector for over 30 years on a reasonable salary - not "mandarin level" or anything like it - and retired early with my pension lump sum and a pension that is easily enough to live on. I'll not be heading to the Bahamas twice a year, or buying Range Rovers, but I'm ok with that. Mortgage paid off and retired at 53. That will send some folk into an incandescent rage. I knew what I was doing, and followed the Ts and Cs.

There's loads of things I could have put my money into for 30+ years. Maybe even pursued an entirely different career path. I did what I did. Some folk will have done better, some worse. I can't really be too bothered if others made less good choices than I did, any more than I'd expect those who chose better to be particularly worried about the outcome of my choices.

(..... and by the by, I can't honestly remember when my public sector pay received a rise that met inflation; for most of the final few years it was a pay freeze. I do find it a bit ironic that the pension rises by the September CPI rate, even if the actual pay if those still working is frozen...)

WR

So Wild_Rover, you're the clever one ... do enjoy your long long retirement with a life expectancy that should mean you are on a pension with modest requirements at taxpayers expense for longer than you ever worked.

You won't mind then if it at some stage in the near future we reduce your personal allowance to £5,000pa, start taxing your new Mondeo - (oops - showing my worn-out private sector age - i think I mean Ford Focus!) - the modest vehicle you plan to buy every three years - at 150% on a large chunk of the factory gate price beyond that price necessary for the cheapest of four wheel personal transports, and also apply a mansion tax on your £½million home? Yes you heard right. Your Ford Focus will now cost you £25,000. It's to fund the civil service pensions - those clever lucky chaps who had it all logically mapped out when they left school and did sterling work before they'd had enough and calculated they could retire early, so it's a good cause

You could trade down to a VW Ups, or maybe a Kia Picanto - fair enough? Its only tax, and think of it this way you'll be getting it back via your unusually generous type of pension designed donkey's years ago when people lived only half as long in retirement!

PS I note your another one who bemoans lack of salary rises in recent years so does not appreciate that in the context of nevertheless being entitled to public service pensions, the annual increase in notional cost of continuing to promise to provide your sort of pension is far greater than a good pay rise!

Muscle750

Wild_Rover wrote: »

Odd, isn't it? This is the very site to come to if you want information about loads of things including finances.

Long term users of the site will be happy that they had the sense to investigate their options and make good decisions, saving or making themselves money. When that happens, it's congratulations all round and aren't we all clever.

Yet, when it comes to people's well informed career choices, when folk have clearly made better choices than others, those who don't like the successful outcomes others have achieved do their nut.

I worked in the public sector for over 30 years on a reasonable salary - not "mandarin level" or anything like it - and retired early with my pension lump sum and a pension that is easily enough to live on. I'll not be heading to the Bahamas twice a year, or buying Range Rovers, but I'm ok with that. Mortgage paid off and retired at 53. That will send some folk into an incandescent rage. I knew what I was doing, and followed the Ts and Cs.

There's loads of things I could have put my money into for 30+ years. Maybe even pursued an entirely different career path. I did what I did. Some folk will have done better, some worse. I can't really be too bothered if others made less good choices than I did, any more than I'd expect those who chose better to be particularly worried about the outcome of my choices.

(..... and by the by, I can't honestly remember when my public sector pay received a rise that met inflation; for most of the final few years it was a pay freeze. I do find it a bit ironic that the pension rises by the September CPI rate, even if the actual pay if those still working is frozen...)

WR

Well done to you sir however do you not agree at least to a point you wouldnt be in such a postion if us in the private sector hadnt given you this opportunity and will you not agree that we cant all work for the CS etc some of us have to actually get our hands dirty for example.

tigerspill

Muscle750 wrote: »

I did by joining the final salary scheme which was pulled from under my feet throu no fault or lack of investment from me. I like how im told ive squandered my salary and should have put more spare funds into my pension we are not all earning £40k a year plus and ive had one pay increase in 10 years. The company keeps dangling Bonuses in front of us to acheive and get 3% every 6 months however the figures we need to hit are far beyond reach so we never get it " Sorry lads we just missed it.................keep trying".

So why didn't you move jobs?

The world isn't fair. Life isn't fair. Some people get sick, Some people die young, Some are rich, Some are poorer etc.
Also, you choose what you spend your own cash on - obviously topping up your pension wasn't a priority. Some would say "pay yourself first" every month and live on the remainder.

Well done to the guy getting 100K pension.

Muscle750

Prime example Wild Rover will more than likely have his pension paid longer than hes actually worked to earn it ...................one word...........................JOKE

agarnett

tigerspill wrote: »

Well done to the guy getting 100K pension.

Yes my first reaction this afternoon, but then I was reminded - so who's paying it?

Shouldn't we just tone his pension down a bit one way or another because HMG clearly got the rules wrong and never intended for him to be such a burden on the state in the second half of his life - or did they?

[Deleted User]

Muscle750 wrote: »

Prime example Wild Rover will more than likely have his pension paid longer than hes actually worked to earn it ...................one word...........................JOKE

Maybe you'd like me to go back and rewrite the rules of my pension scheme?

My one word? I'd prefer "sensible".

WR

Muscle750

Wild_Rover wrote: »

Maybe you'd like me to go back and rewrite the rules of my pension scheme?

My one word? I'd prefer "sensible".

WR

Ill think of that when im sat winching some Doris off the side of the motorway in the rain .
It makes sense that us in the private sector have enabled you to have the retired lifestyle you have im so pleased tell me if youve done the same for me when i retire. I wouldnt use the tewrm sensible i would say "unsubstainable".

[Deleted User]

Muscle750 wrote: »

Well done to you sir however do you not agree at least to a point you wouldnt be in such a postion if us in the private sector hadnt given you this opportunity and will you not agree that we cant all work for the CS etc some of us have to actually get our hands dirty for example.

Well, although I didn't do so, I can assure you that a great many people in the public sector get their hands very dirty indeed!

I worked reasonably hard at school, obtained a degree and looked at my career options. I chose a career that had a good pension scheme. What do you want me to do - shoot myself? (No, don't answer that :cool:)

I wasn't aware that the private sector had "given" me "this opportunity", unless you count the private sector actuaries who regularly audited the pension scheme and advised the employer on the affordability of it and its benefits.

It's hardly my fault if central government decided on my pension arrangements over many decades. The government has recognised the issue on comparison with present day private pensions, and has changed it, so the scheme is not not as good now - career average instead of final salary and higher contributions. Still quite good, but it has changed. Some will say that it hasn't changed enough!

WR

Andy_L

Muscle750 wrote: »

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/may/31/senior-civil-servants-salaries-data

Click on the A Z listing and see where the government get their £200k a year of only 56 from .......................total garbage
I fully appreciate that these are at the top and not everyone in the public sector are earning this but it shows what a load of rubbish the figures by the government portray

Why do you think its total garbage? Remember its only looking at the CS, as was the OP, and the CS is a small part of the whole public sector (10%ish IIRC).

Andy_L

agarnett wrote: »

And GunJack you don't really believe that 56 number? We have over 600 MPs for goodness sakes - don't you think there are at least 56 support senior civil service staff in and around Whitehall on £200K plus? Let alone those dotted around the country and floating about in embassies and other government representative organisations, the secret services, the police of course, GCHQ, other listening stations, etc. etc.?

CS only support Ministers not back benchers
The police aren't CS, but the salary for a chief constable tops out at £185k so still below the 200k mark.