How well can individuals approaching retirement estimate their future pension benefits?

In this article, we examine the pension benefit expectations of employees who are over 45 years old and compare them with already accrued pensions. The results show that, in general, people have reasonably realistic expectations of their pensions. Overly optimistic or pessimistic expectations are rare. When requested, 62 per cent of those not retired will give an assessment of the size of their future pension. An ample third of those approaching the retirement age are either not able or do not want to assess the size of their future pension