The end of the 2024 also marks the end of our year-long focus on financial literacy, which looked at concerns around the lack of financial literacy and understanding, delving deep into the many issues and challenges the industry faces in tackling this issue.

Launched amid growing concerns about the need to “urgently” improve financial understanding to ensure savers are making the right decisions for their future, the special focus aimed to shine a spotlight on financial literacy struggles facing many savers.

A matter of increasing urgency, the campaign featured insight from across the industry, including The Pensions Regulator, the Money and Pensions Service, pension providers and more.

The Pensions Age team kicked off the year by examining the current state of play, looking at the average level of financial literacy in the UK, and offering industry readers the opportunity to try their hand at s Financial Literacy Benchmark quiz.

We also received crucial insight from key players in the drive to raise saver awareness and understanding, as April saw us sit down with Money and Pensions Service new CEO, Oliver Morley, about his plans for the service and the efforts to improve financial literacy levels in the UK.

Diving into more of the technical details and psychology behind the lack of financial awareness, February saw a focus on how the way we think sometimes stops us doing the right thing when it comes to retirement saving.

The focus also took a closer look at why pensions are so much harder for savers to get their head around, and what factors are contributing to savers’ confusion and potential industry strategies.

Despite the enthusiasm to talk money at Pensions Age, Brits are not the best known for talking about money, so our summer feature looked at the different attitudes towards talking about money around the world, and the lessons the UK could learn from abroad.

But solutions and change are needed, and March saw a focus on the steps the financial industry can do to help, as well as the efforts needed from other parts of society, such as schools, government and parents, to make real improvements.

Some have already taken action though, as our May magazine highlighted, looking back at some of the initiatives the industry is taking to increase people’s understanding of their pensions.

And improving financial literacy won't only help to encourage better saving behaviours, as our September feature looked at how improved understanding can also help to protect savers from falling prey to bad actors.

Whilst the Pensions Age financial literacy focus may be drawing to a close, the need to improve financial literacy is still as pressing as ever, and urgent changes are needed to improve the support savers are getting.

Take a look at the full Pensions Age financial literacy special focus articles below:

- Financial literacy in the UK
- Behavioural Finance – the challenge of saving for our future self
- Educational responsibility
New thinking
- A helping hand
- Pensions versus other long-term saving options
- Money talks (but not in Britain)
- Increasing Financial literacy; lowering scams
- Empowering financial futures
- Online learning
- Lessons learnt

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