Dilemma
Pension is not a popular subject. From the Public monitor Pensions It appears that only two in five people in the Netherlands annually check how much there is in their pension pot. Many employees trust blindly at the pension scheme of their employer, but do not know exactly how much they build and what possibilities offers the increasingly popular ‘third pillar’, in which employees and self -employed people can organize their pension provision themselves. How can employers better involve their employees in all considerations and possibilities?
Ensure good information
“I often get the question why I like my work,” says independent pension consultant Dirk-Jan Plate, who repeatedly notices that people are not happy to deal with pensions. “Pension is also often presented boring. A shame, because it is interesting and very important: it gives a basis so that you know that you are doing well for later. ” That is also relevant for people who want to stop working earlier. “The more you build up in your working life, the more freedom you later have to determine when you stop,” says Plate.
To make that relevance clear, Plate his presentations at companies or for groups of self -employed people often start with the following questions: How much do you think you need per month after your retirement? How much have you built up according to the website mijnpensioenoverzicht.nl [een optelsom van wat de AOW en verschillende pensioenpotten je bieden]? And how do you want to solve the difference between the desired and the accrued amount? “Often there is a difference. That may not be nice to hear, but it is the honest message. This way you get people involved immediately. ”
The Dutch pension system consists of three pillars, Hendrik Meesman explains. He is director of Meesman Index investing, which offers, among other things, pension accounts. The first pillar is the AOW. The second pillar is the collective scheme that applies to many employees. The third pillar is the individual solution. “Formally this is called an annuity product, but it is often called a pension account. It is actually an investment account where you can invest with tax benefits for your pension. The accrued capital is fixed until the retirement age. You can decide up to a certain amount yourself how much you put in and how much risk you take. ”
In which pillar a company organizes a pension solution depends on the situation, says Meesman. Companies often have to join a pension fund. But even if that is not necessary, many companies opt for a collective arrangement because this is the standard image of a pension and they think it is a bit scary to deviate from it, says Meesman. Whether a solution in the second or third pillar is cheaper for an employee depends on the conditions of the financial product. A combination could also be.
But whatever regulation an employer offers, it is important to take employees with you, says Meesman. “You have to guide people. Explain why you opted for a certain arrangement, how that arrangement works and where they can go with their questions. ”
In the third pillar, involvement comes naturally
The third pillar is becoming increasingly popular, Meesman sees. Not only independent entrepreneurs, but also many young companies and companies, for example in the tech world, opt for a pension scheme within the third pillar. “Collective pension schemes are often complicated, these companies don’t feel like it,” says Meesman. “That is why they often choose to support their employees through the third pillar in building their retirement.” An additional advantage is, according to Meesman, that employees are more involved in this pension solution in this way, even before their retirement age comes into view.
Yet there are also risks involved in the third pillar, says Plate. “Facilitating a third pillar account As an employer, you have to arrange very well legally: you are not allowed to pay this premium for your employees. What companies can do is to give their employees an extra reward, with which they can organize their own pension provision. ”
The disadvantage of this is that employees often spend the extra budget in practice on something other than their pension pot, says Plate. He therefore finds individual regulations within the third pillar especially appropriate for independent entrepreneurs.
But even if your pension is arranged through a collective regulation of the employer, it is important for employees to stay involved, says Plate. “Even with a collective scheme you have to pay attention to whether your pension is sufficient – for a good income, the deposit must be on average around 15 to 20 percent of the salary – or whether you have to save. This is often also possible within the collective schemes. Fortunately, people understand how important this is, but employers must continue to communicate about that. “
So
Pensions are a complicated, but also important topic. It is a shame if employees or self -employed people only delve into it at a late age: any pension holes are then still difficult to repair. People who have an individual pension account are more involved in pensions, but such a solution is not beneficial in all cases. In any case, it is important that the employer provides good information on this subject, so that the threshold for employees to delve into this is as low as possible.