You really do need to save for a pension. Now.

Pensions crisis: You really do need to start saving for a pension now - at Moneyweek.co.uk - the best of the week's international financial media.

There was something quite extraordinary about last weekend's pensions protest outside Parliament: joining those near retirement age were also hordes of young people - 25 to 35-year-olds already saddled with student loans, mortgages and credit-card debt - who can see no way of paying off their debts and providing for their old age. And their worries are understandable, says Ian Cowie in The Daily Telegraph. Faith in pensions is at an all-time low thanks to a combination of misselling, poor investment returns, low annuity rates and a £5bn-a-year pensions stealth tax. At the same time, many firms have closed final salary pension schemes and replaced them with money-purchase, where the money you receive in retirement is at the mercy of stockmarkets and annuity rates. As a result, only one in four of us is saving into a pension scheme. But the protesters should not look to politicians for help; the only way out is to start saving more - now.

If you think you've covered your back by property investments, think again, says Deborah Hargreaves in the FT. The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has warned that few people have invested enough in property to make it a substitute for pension saving. And those who believe house prices are more stable than pension funds are overlooking the fact that pensions have outperformed property since 1970, according to the PPI, largely because of the late 1980s housing slump.

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MoneyWeek is written by a team of experienced and award-winning journalists, plus expert columnists. As well as daily digital news and features, MoneyWeek also publishes a weekly magazine, covering investing and personal finance. From share tips, pensions, gold to practical investment tips - we provide a round-up to help you make money and keep it.