Season 4 of the Civil Service pensions Podcast is here, with new topics, new guests and some familiar voices too. Discussing everything from retirement living standards, the role of the state pension and retiring abroad, Emily and Rob bring you eight fresh episodes to help you feel informed, empowered and in control when it comes to planning your financial future. Whether you’re approaching retirement now or just getting started with your career, there’s something for everyone.

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For our final minisode of Season 3, Rob and Emily chat to Rosie Geeves, Head of Member Services, and Dean Norman, Senior Pensions Administrator about what happens to your pension when you die.

The idea of losing a loved one, or what we’d like to happen after we die, are difficult topics to discuss - particularly when we need to deal with paperwork, formalities, or even financial complications during an emotional time.

Rosie and Dean talk us through what happens to your Civil Service pension after you die and the benefits available to your loved ones. They explain how these benefits work in various scenarios, and key things to consider if you’re looking to put plans in place.

While you can’t prepare for everything in life or in death, you can take steps now to make life easier for those you leave behind.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• Tell us someone has died
• How to claim death benefits
• Benefits for your loved ones
• Make a death benefit nomination

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In our penultimate episode of this season, Rob sits down with guests to explore the role employers play in the Civil Service Pension scheme.

Andy Jones (Cabinet Office), Louise Ibbetson (DWP) and Lara Muniz Fernandez (MOJ) share their perspectives on the scheme and discuss their experiences of supporting members to get the most out of their Civil Service Pension.

The group explore the role of an employer and their responsibilities, the breadth of careers available within the Civil Service and some of the most common myths and misconceptions they hear when it comes to pensions.

Louise, Lara and Andy also share tips and advice on how to find out more about your Civil Service Pension and make sure it’s working for you.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• Contribution rates
• Pension Power
• Pension Portal
• Annual Benefit Statements
• alpha or partnership
• 2015 Remedy updates
• Employer Hub

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In this minisode, Emily and Rob are joined by Michelle Storer, Training Consultant, to discuss partial retirement.

Partial retirement enables active members to take some of their pension and tax-free lump sum while continuing to work. It’s a great way to ease yourself into your post-work years, or work for longer without needing to work full-time – whatever is right for your circumstances.

Michelle talks us through the partial retirement process step by step, with tips and advice on what to consider if you’re exploring this option.

Listen to this episode using the embedded player on this page, or by searching 'Civil Service Pensions Podcast', wherever you get your podcasts.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• Partial retirement
• Abatement
• Pension Portal

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This week, Emily and Rob sit down with guests to explore the impact that a break in service – whether it’s a career break or a job opportunity outside the civil service – can have on your pension.

Karen returned to the Civil Service in 2014 after a short break. She came back to a new role, and a new pension.

Karen tells us about her decision to come back to the Civil Service, and how the Civil Service Pension was part of that decision. A change in personal circumstances while she was away meant that, more than ever, she needed stability, and she knew that the Civil Service could provide it. With a new role and new terms and conditions, she felt she needed to start paying more attention to her pension.

Louise Kaplan, Employer Relationship Manager, talks us through the more technical aspects of what a break in service could mean for your pension, and how the length of your break can influence this. Some members in this position may find that they ultimately reach retirement with more than one pension from the Civil Service.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• Leaving the pension scheme before pension age
• Redundancy
• 2015 Remedy (McCloud)
• Pension Power webinars
• Increasing your pension
• Pension Portal
• Pension Tracing Service

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In this minisode, Helen Shrimpton, Training Consultant, talks about why it’s never too early to be thinking about your pension, even if retirement feels decades away.

We know that some of our younger, millennial members are less likely to be thinking about this part of their financial future, which is unsurprising given that pensions can feel complicated and not relevant at their stage in life.

Helen breaks down the benefits of the Civil Service Pension in plain-English terms, and why pensions are still relevant for millennials, even amongst other financial priorities.
Read the alpha or partnership? page for more information about the different schemes. 

If you’re interested in transferring an old pension into the Civil Service Pension scheme, you can find more information on the ‘Transferring an old pension into your Civil Service pension’ page. Please consider all the benefits in the scheme you are transferring from and to, before making your decision.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• alpha or partnership?
• Transferring an old pension into your Civil Service pension
• Pension Portal
• Pension Power webinar sessions
• Benefits for your loved ones
• Illness and injury

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Patrick’s journey has taken him from his commute into work, to continuing a beloved hobby in his post-work years – all on the back of a motorcycle!

Having spent his career as a meteorologist working for the Met Office, he’s been spending his retirement years delivering life-saving services as a blood bike rider.

In this episode, he tells us about his career and his work with charity Freewheelers EVS, the charity providing this hidden emergency service to the NHS by delivering blood, organs, tissue, donated breast milk and even specialist surgical tools.

Patrick reflects on his career and shares his experiences in retirement, with some words of wisdom for those approaching retirement in the next few years.

Listen to this episode using the embedded player on this page, or by searching 'Civil Service Pensions Podcast', wherever you get your podcasts.

Useful links:

• Accessible version of this episode
• Transcript
• Partial Retirement
• Pension calculators
• Pension Portal
• Pre-retirement training

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Minisode: New webinar for 2015 Remedy (McCloud)

In this minisode, Emily Wilson, Senior Training Consultant, returns to the podcast to tell us about new training available for members about 2015 Remedy (McCloud).

If you’re impacted by 2015 Remedy (McCloud) but unsure about what it means or how it affects you, the new 2015 Remedy Pension Power webinar is a free, one-hour refresher. It covers what the 2015 Remedy is, how to find out if you’re affected (and the tools you can use to do so), as well as a guide to some key terminology surrounding it.

It also covers the choice you’ll be asked to make when you retire - whether you’d like the 2015 Remedy impacted part of your pension to be calculated in the alpha or in your legacy scheme.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• Register your interest in 2015 Remedy Pension Power
• 2015 Remedy (McCloud) hub
• Find out if you’re affected by 2015 Remedy
• Other Pension Power webinars

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Our latest episode of the Civil Service Pensions podcast is available now.

This week, we discuss what to expect from the retirement process if you’re affected by 2015 Remedy (McCloud). Chris, who recently took early retirement, talks about the decision she made when making her choice for the seven-year Remedy period (1 April 2015 – 31 March 2022). She explains the steps she followed and how Remedy affected her reasons to retire.

We also talk to Kevin Hughes, policy lead for the 2015 Remedy Project, about the technical aspects of the process and what members who are impacted by Remedy can expect as they approach retirement.

If you’re impacted by 2015 Remedy and want to know more, this episode is for you.

To keep updated with the latest information on 2015 Remedy, visit our 2015 Remedy (McCloud) hub on the Civil Service Pensions website.

Useful links:

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode
• 2015 Remedy (McCloud) hub
• How to claim your pension
• Early retirement
• Find out if you’re affected by 2015 Remedy
• Annual Benefit Statements
• Remedy Benefits Illustrator

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This week, we chat to Liliana Gonzalez, Training Consultant, who walks us through the retirement process step by step, with tips and advice on what to consider at every stage. 
 
It’s important to remember that your pension will be your income after you retire, and so you should consider how much you will need to live on. 
 
If you’re approaching retirement  and you want to know about the process involved, we hope you’ll find this minisode helpful.  
 
Useful links: 

• Full transcript of this episode
• Accessible version of this episode 
• Pension tools and calculators
• Pension Portal and Retirement Modeller
• How to claim your pension
• Change of Details and Retirement Form – Deferred Members

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