Standard Life Reveals the Most Popular Retirement Top-Up Plans

LONDON, May 18, 2011 - Standard Life research* has revealed the most popular retirement top-up
plans for people who have saved into a pension. Alongside using other
investments (43%), nearly a quarter (24%) are expecting inheritance will help
fund their retirement, while others are planning equity release on their main
home (10%), using rental income / sale of a property (23%) or using a partner
or spouse's income (16%).

The research found that 7% of over-55s don't plan to retire or have a
pension plan (
www.standardlife.co.uk/1/site/uk/pensions/getting-started), even
though they had been saving into a pension (
www.standardlife.co.uk/1/site/uk/pensions). Using the state pension or
other state benefits (76%) was the favoured choice of the majority of people.
23% of women are expecting to receive a retirement top-up from their spouse,
while 13% of men make the same assumption.

John Lawson, head of pensions policy at Standard Life (
www.standardlife.co.uk/) said: "Nearly half a million people in the UK
over 55 are not planning to retire. This shows our attitudes towards
retirement are changing, as people consider the implications of working and
living longer than ever before. We know that many people want to continue
working on their own terms, while some will want to start a new business or
learn a new skill.

"Unfortunately, some may not have got their financial planning quite
right. The realisation of reaching 65 and having to fund another 30 years in
retirement has made them rethink their future plans.

"Relying on certain sources of income, for example an inheritance, could
leave you short changed, so seeking the right financial advice early on and
taking practical steps to ensure you don't have all your eggs in one basket
may prove a prudent move in later years."

To help support people when making investment decisions, Standard Life
has recently launched a range of investment funds (
www.standardlife.co.uk/1/site/uk/investing/getting-started/choosing-funds),
called MyFolio**. The MyFolio funds are a family of carefully
constructed risk-based portfolios that offer clients a choice of active and
passive investment strategies across five risk levels. Three styles are
available to suit each clients' investment philosophy: MyFolio Market Funds,
Standard Life MyFolio Funds and MyFolio Multi-Manager Funds.

About Standard Life:

Standard Life is a leading long term savings and investments company
headquartered in Edinburgh and operating internationally. Established in
1825, Standard Life provides life assurance, annuities, investment funds,
stocks & shares ISA (
www.standardlife.co.uk/1/site/uk/investing/products/stocks-and-shares-isa),
tax efficiencies, pensions including self-invested personal pensions
(SIPP) company pensions and employer pensions, and investment management to
over 6.5 million customers worldwide.

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Notes to Editors:

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample
size was 1,211 adults in the UK who are working and have a defined benefit,
defined contribution pension and / or a personal pension. Fieldwork was
undertaken between 26th-29th November 2010. The survey was carried out
online.

**MyFolio can be accessed via both a Stocks and Shares ISA and Active
Money Personal Pension. MyFolio is a family of carefully constructed
risk-based portfolios, managed by Standard Life Investments. A committee
oversees the fund research process and includes independent experts from
outside the Standard Life group.

    PR Contact:
    Paul Keeble
    Senior Media Affairs Manager
    Standard Life plc
    Level 34
    30 St Mary Axe
    London
    EC3A 8EP
    +44(0)20-7872-4481

www.standardlife.com

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