Taking stock with the mid-life MOT
17 April 2019
As part of ‘get to know your pension’ The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a mid-life MOT website showing people where they can receive guidance on their skills, health and wealth.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) portal, working in partnership with Public Health England, the Money Advice Service and the National Careers Service, includes advice for people who want a financial and physical stock-take, at a crucial point in their careers.
Mid-life MOT: take control of your future
We all need to take stock at key points in our life, and the decisions you make now about money, work and health can help you get the retirement you want.
Many of us are living longer, and if we want to enjoy later life, staying healthy and planning to have enough money to live on really matters.
Getting older is an opportunity to focus on what’s important to you, and a mid-life MOT is a good place to start.
Perhaps you’ve been meaning to get to grips with your pension plans, explore working differently or make sure you’re looking after your health?
The mid-life MOT is a package of support that gives you access to free, professional and independent guidance to help you with pension planning, working options and staying healthy.
Guide for SMEs
As well as launching their own site, the DWP has worked with Business in the Community (BiTC) on a guide for SMEs, showing how they can facilitate mid-life MOTs for their staff.
This guide has been designed with small and medium-sized businesses in mind and sets out how a mid-life MOT can help both employees and employers, and where to go for advice and support.
The mid-life MOT is a review that enables employees in their 40s, 50s and 60s to assess their health, skills and finances, so they can better prepare and plan for the future they want. For employers, mid-life MOTs help retain older employees, keeping crucial knowledge and skills within the organisation.
Providing advice and support at this point is important. Juggling work/life balance, planning future finances and considering career and learning opportunities in mid-life can be difficult. Once people reach 50, they are more likely to fall out of the workforce altogether, putting them at greater risk of poverty in retirement.