From the Torygraph
This pensions change is not a social disaster, but a wonderful opportunity. It is a chance for the older generation to find that sudden wodge of dosh that will enable them to help their children or grandchildren find a deposit and get on the ladder; and the existence of those new deposits will give developers even greater confidence to build more homes – and faster than they are now. I am not saying all pensioners will follow such a path of enlightened self-interest; but many will.
So, let's follow the money here. Forget the "homes for their kids". People won't have income from pensions if they do that.
What we're talking here is people sticking their pensions into buy-to-let empires, because rather than doing something sensible like sticking their pensions into a variety of stocks, the brainwashed masses of homies will put it into something they see as safe and simple, and that will be buy-to-let homes. Along comes a bubble, maybe during this parliament, probably the next, and everything will kick off again. It'll be seen as easy money, like all housing bubbles - stick your money in houses as they'll rise plus you'll get an income (ha ha).
And then a decade from now it'll all come crashing down again, and a load of pensioners that should have stuck their money into various tracker funds will find themselves holding onto a couple of worthless apartments.
That's not to say that the current annuities thing isn't bad, but this is going to happen, and I'm not sure it's going to be any better.
Any tips on an estate agency that I should buy some shares in?
