Is a pension plan the best way to fund retirement?

Mis-selling, the Chancellor's tax grab and the annuity rate collapse: the fairness of the sector-wide malignment of pensions is assessed

It has become commonplace to malign pensions. I have encountered taxi drivers who agree with celebrities that have said pensions are a bad thing. This is perhaps understandable after the welter of bad publicity the subject has received following so-called pension mis-selling, the collapse of Equitable Life, Gordon Brown's tax grab and the annuity rate collapse - to name but a few. But is it fair? I think not. For many years personal pension plans have been sold as packages by insurance companies, so it is understandable if the public view the contents and the container as one entity. In re...