30% of people feel uncomfortable talking about pensions with family – Standard Life

Millions still avoid talking about pensions with family, research from Standard Life’s Retirement Voice 2025 found. 

Only a third (33%) of people spoke to relatives about pensions in the past year, compared with 48% who discussed household bills and 41% who spoke about inflation. 

47% of people aged 55 to 65 had spoken about pensions with family, while this dropped to 18% among 18 to 24s and 29% for 35 to 44s.

Nearly a third (30%) said they felt uncomfortable talking about money with family. 

This rose to 37% among 18 to 24-year-olds. 

A quarter (25%) of those aged 55 to 65 and 22% of people aged 66 and over said the same.

Mike Ambery, retirement savings director at Standard Life, said: “Many families will soon be coming together to spend some quality time, perhaps catching up on how the year has gone, any holiday plans, or family life in general… Money, however, can feel like one of the hardest subjects to bring up, but keeping your financial life to yourself can make future decisions much more difficult.

“Talking about your long-term finances – as well as shorter-term priorities – can have both emotional and practical benefits.