Letter from the Editor: Could neglecting your pension be the most costly mistake?

It’s been a busy week for us at Investing Insiders. The findings of our ‘2026 Pension Fund Performance Tables‘ have been appearing across the press after an exclusive reveal in the Times on Thursday morning.

It’s been weeks of work as the more than 13,000 funds we’ve analysed this year go far beyond the few hundred we’ve previously looked at. For the first time, we’ve included personal pensions as well as workplace pensions and the results have given us pause for thought.

You can see the full breakdown here, but the headlines can be summarised as:

• 9 in 10 pension funds in popular categories fail to beat the FTSE 100 (The FTSE 100 is an index of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, used as a snapshot of the UK stock market’s performance)
• The worst-performing fund lost over 98% of the money invested over 5 years
• £139,000 has been lost by users in the worst performing fund compared to the best performing over 5 years, based on £50,000 contributions
• Taking a “select and forget” approach to funds may not just mean a slightly smaller pot — it could leave it empty

So what do you do if these headlines have got you worried about your pension. That’s the focus of our newsletter and blogs this week.

Our goal is to change how people feel about their pension – and ultimately more empowered to take the steps that could build a bigger pension pot and a more prosperous retirement.

Far too many people feel detached and disengaged from their pension: feeling confused about where to look for information, and under-qualified to make decisions about their own future. But there is too much at stake not to take an interest in what is often the largest asset you will ever own.

Next steps

Read our Pension Week series of blogs: Steps 1 – 7. They will take you from ‘zero’ to ‘in control’, and you don’t need any expertise in pensions or investing to follow along.

Make good use of our free Pension Performance Checker Tool and get a measure of how your pension is performing for you. And ask questions of your provider or employer if you need help understanding what you’re invested in. Pension companies are not off-limits: they are there to help you identify the right path to the most prosperous retirement.