The pensions crisis

Just as new pronouncements of the economy being on the "cusp of recovery" are fed to the media, an insidious part of the economic stagnation is generally overlooked. The market "rally" has still left many of these plans significantly below their levels of a few years ago.

The pensions crisis

By Cynthia O’Murchu, Helen Warrell, Steve Bernard and Norma Cohen

Published: May 27 2009 14:42 | Last updated: June 16 2009 10:11

The immediate effects of the current economic downturn are highly visible: rising unemployment and bankruptcies are shaking consumer confidence, while ravaged stock markets and failing banks have damaged public trust in the financial system. But there is more damage yet to come.

The financial crisis has wreaked havoc on retirement plans of all varieties, inflicting particular damage to employer-based and private retirement savings, which have gradually come to replace state pension provision.

Meanwhile workers themselves, who have built up a lifetime of savings in pension funds, are being forced to rethink their pension plans and even defer their retirement.

This FT.com multimedia feature explores the dilemmas faced by individual savers, companies and governments. Our experts advise on how to rebuild depleted pension savings and offer potential solutions to the international pensions time bomb.