P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[Angel57]

1 hour ago, kalos said:

And sometimes the machine is rigged ,spare a thought for all those women who thought 

and planned for retirement at 60 only to find they had another 5-6 years to go .

Absolutely Kalos. I am in the middle of having to wait an extra 6 years……..😢

[Peanut006]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Horrible, Michelle. As if the MS isn’t enough. I hope you manage to follow those instructions and make a quick recovery.

Thanks Harry

[DamianG]

6 hours ago, Peanut006 said:

Morning everyone, hope you are all ok today.

 

It must be fairly warm out here today as the bin collection has just been and some of them had t-shirts on.

 

Yorkshirephil, hope you have a lovely relaxing cruise.

 

I had a fall yesterday at home just a couple of steps after getting up off the sofa and twisted my ankle inward, sort of stood on the outside of my foot. A trip to local medical centre and 

x-ray shows I have fractured my fifth metatarsal bone. Foot strapped up and going to fracture clinic this morning. He said it might need a pot or boot. Just what I didn’t need as it’s my bad side anyway so can literally not walk at the moment. Frustrating!!!!

 

Anyway enough moaning from me, have a good day everyone 

 

Michelle

 

Reminds me of when one of our sofas attacked my wife Michelle and broke her toe.

 

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Peanut006]

39 minutes ago, DamianG said:

 

Reminds me of when one of our sofas attacked my wife Michelle and broke her toe.

 

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thank you 

 

Michelle 

[purplesea]

4 hours ago, kalos said:

And sometimes the machine is rigged ,spare a thought for all those women who thought 

and planned for retirement at 60 only to find they had another 5-6 years to go .

 

3 hours ago, DamianG said:

 

Indeed, similarly those who joined their company's final salary pension scheme (35 years ago in my case) only to have it changed to "career average" on a take it or leave it basis.

I could also have left school at 15 and  got caught out with both of the above! It hasn't helped that I was also made redundant at 62 in 2019 and then got hit by the pandemic!! I know employers aren't allowed to discriminate against age, but try getting a job😐

 

[Ardennais]

I will have to claim my teaching pension when I reach 60 but I have no plans to retire from my post-teaching career. I won’t get my state pension until I’m 67. The generation before me fought hard for equal pay and I’ve been paid exactly the same as my male colleagues throughout my working life - the only absences I had were 3x maternity leave of 5 months each. So it’s only fair that my retirement age is the same as that of my male counterparts. 

[Angel57]

9 hours ago, Ardennais said:

I will have to claim my teaching pension when I reach 60 but I have no plans to retire from my post-teaching career. I won’t get my state pension until I’m 67. The generation before me fought hard for equal pay and I’ve been paid exactly the same as my male colleagues throughout my working life - the only absences I had were 3x maternity leave of 5 months each. So it’s only fair that my retirement age is the same as that of my male counterparts. 

I agree with what you say for your circumstances and that men and women should now receive their pensions at the same age.  
But many women now in their 60s we’re not given 30+ years to plan for their retirement being 6 or 7 years later than expected and many were not notified. 

[Josy1953]

12 hours ago, purplesea said:

 

I could also have left school at 15 and  got caught out with both of the above! It hasn't helped that I was also made redundant at 62 in 2019 and then got hit by the pandemic!! I know employers aren't allowed to discriminate against age, but try getting a job😐

 

The problem with becoming unemployed as you get older is that age discrimination is a fact of life but it is near impossible to prove that a potential employer has discriminated against someone based on age and they will never volunteer that information. 

 

[grapau27]

19 hours ago, Peanut006 said:

I just wanted to say many thanks for all your kind messages regarding my recent fall.

 

I am back from the fracture clinic now. They decided against a pot or boot as it would have been too difficult for me with my MS affecting the same side. Instead I am bandaged from my toes to my knees with instructions to rest. Back in three weeks for more X-rays, hopefully it will be healing by then

 

Michelle

 

[mrsgoggins]

1 hour ago, Dermotsgirl said:

The equalisation of male and female state pension ages was made law in the Pension Act of 1995, and was announced in the November 1993 Budget, which is now 29 years ago and was on television and fully reported in the papers. 

 

 

This exactly.  My friends and I discussed this at great length at the time - mainly because we were comprised of those who just scraped in to getting their pension at 60 and those who needed to wait longer as the equalisation process was brought in gradually.  It pains me not to be supportive of the campaign, but really, it was well reported.

[Peanut006]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

 

Thank you Graham 

[kalos]

                       

 

                                                       I WILL REMEMBER THEM 

[DamianG]

15 hours ago, purplesea said:

 

I could also have left school at 15 and got caught out with both of the above! It hasn't helped that I was also made redundant at 62 in 2019 and then got hit by the pandemic!! I know employers aren't allowed to discriminate against age, but try getting a job😐

 

 

You have my sympathy, after being unexpectedly made redundant in 2018 I applied for over 50 jobs without success, with some galling reasons stated such as "over-qualified" and in one instance "you know more about our processes than the staff that we have employed now." Fortunately, I caught a break via contacts at my old employer and a temporary contract eventually became full time. But for that I don't think I would have got anywhere.

 

Apparently, unemployment levels in the UK are the lowest since 1974 but a large part of that is due to the sharp rise in the number of working-age adults (aged 50-64) considered to be "economically inactive", meaning they are neither unemployed nor looking for work. I think that I would have been classified as one of those at the time of my unemployment even though I was making every effort to find work.

 

 

[zap99]

13 minutes ago, purplesea said:

I was hit twice by the increase. I went from a retirement age of 60 to 65 and then it was upped again to 66!

Same as my wife was. Fortunately we were able to accommodate the change. Many, many thousands of women were not.

[Son of Anarchy]

6 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

It was also the speed of the age increases. A women born before April 1950 could get their pension at the age of 60 but one born in May 1956 would not get it until the age of 66.

 

P.S. I go to pick up my first adult free prescription today, so when they ask “do you pay for your prescription “ I can say “no” ! However there is a government review going on to possibly raise the minimum age from 60 to being inline with the state pension age.

The Ole Lady no longer had to pay for prescriptions last year.  She's reminding me about this review, and wonders whether she will have to start paying again.  

 

I've noticed that outcome of the review has overrun.  Makes me wonder whether it's been shelved/forgotten.  If it hasn't been forgotten/shelved, hopefully those who already are over 60, will continue to not have to pay.

[zap99]

15 minutes ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

It was also the speed of the age increases. A women born before April 1950 could get their pension at the age of 60 but one born in May 1956 would not get it until the age of 66.

 

P.S. I go to pick up my first adult free prescription today, so when they ask “do you pay for your prescription “ I can say “no” ! However there is a government review going on to possibly raise the minimum age from 60 to being inline with the state pension age (in England).

DW was born in February 1956.

[Splice the mainbrace]

1 minute ago, zap99 said:

DW was born in February 1956.

My wife was born in September 1956 and got her first state pension payment last month.

[zap99]

1 minute ago, Splice the mainbrace said:

My wife was born in September 1956 and got her first state pension payment last month.

I'm sure she will spend it wisely.  DW got hers in February and got the letter informing her that she will get the winter fuel allowance. I reckon it will go on a surprise Chrisy present for me.......not🤣

[Josy1953]

14 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

The Ole Lady no longer had to pay for prescriptions last year.  She's reminding me about this review, and wonders whether she will have to start paying again.  

 

I've noticed that outcome of the review has overrun.  Makes me wonder whether it's been shelved/forgotten.  If it hasn't been forgotten/shelved, hopefully those who already are over 60, will continue to not have to pay.

I hope that they don't raise the age for people getting free prescriptions, most people tend to have more medical problems as they age.  I have already seen people in the pharmacy asking the pharmacist which item is the least important because they cannot afford to pay for all of the items. 

[Splice the mainbrace]

12 minutes ago, zap99 said:

I'm sure she will spend it wisely.  DW got hers in February and got the letter informing her that she will get the winter fuel allowance. I reckon it will go on a surprise Chrisy present for me.......not🤣

No first winter fuel payment for my wife this year, she missed the qualifying date by a few days!

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

And I speak as someone married to a 67 year old woman and as a man who worked past his retirement age to save money so that his wife and him could retire at the same time and who saved all of his pension payments to support her retirement at 60 . Read the Turner report.

Whenever there are these sort of changes made by govt or private companies, the new implementation date will always produce winners and losers. It's unfortunate but inevitable and those affected just have to accept it, the alternative only builds up stress and resentment, which is not a very healthy outcome.

[zap99]

13 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Whenever there are these sort of changes made by govt or private companies, the new implementation date will always produce winners and losers. It's unfortunate but inevitable and those affected just have to accept it, the alternative only builds up stress and resentment, which is not a very healthy outcome.

We have accepted it and were fortunate that we could accommodate it. Many thousands of women had to work on if they could.. if not..........

[wowzz]

On 11/10/2022 at 1:59 PM, lincslady said:

I stand to be corrected, but think the winter payments to pensioners are not subject to tax, but the state pension certainly is, so that those who are already paying tax will do so on it - and those on the higher rates obviously lose almost half of it, which does make me feel better about receiving it.  (Though I would struggle without it!)

I think you will find that the OAP amount, even if it increases with the Triple Lock, by 10%, will still be less than your tax allowance, so you will pay no tax on the government pension.

But, the effect of the pension increase will to raise your total income, and therefore your tax liability will increase accordingly. 

[Eglesbrech]

3 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

I hope that they don't raise the age for people getting free prescriptions, most people tend to have more medical problems as they age.  I have already seen people in the pharmacy asking the pharmacist which item is the least important because they cannot afford to pay for all of the items. 

We all get “free” prescriptions up here regardless of age however we pay extortionately high rates of tax for the privilege of this and all the other “free” at point of use services eg further education, dental checks, school meals etc

 

It does however prevent the situation you describe above.

 

 

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

I think you will find that the OAP amount, even if it increases with the Triple Lock, by 10%, will still be less than your tax allowance, so you will pay no tax on the government pension.

But, the effect of the pension increase will to raise your total income, and therefore your tax liability will increase accordingly. 

Yes, a 10% state pension increase will be 8% net  if your total income is over the tax free allowance. This confuses people.

 

I get 13 state pension payments per year of the full amount due. The 20% tax is deducted from my occupational pension with the pension provider collecting the tax. Simple eh!