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There will be a short wait - a year, to be precise - before savers are finally able to dip into all of their pensions for however much they require, whenever they please. That dramatic relaxation of government rules, which ends the compulsion to turn a pension fund into small monthly payments during retirement, was the highlight of the Budget 11 days ago. The Government will now give pension providers time to adjust their systems and practices. However, many of the 320,000 people preparing to retire over the next 12 months need not delay their plans. Last Thursday a number of temporary measures were introduced that will give pensions freedom to tens of thousands of people. These new rules are particularly beneficial to those with small subsidiary pensions of less than £10,000 which were saved alongside a final salary pension. The over-60s can now cash in up to three pensions of this size, taking a quarter of each tax-free. Several other measures, detailed below, also give savers greater choice over how to use money reserved for later years. They will enable some to clear mortgage debts or fund activities or gifts to children that were previously thought to be out of financial reach. The Budget changes also represent a call to action for workers in their 50s. Many pension plans are designed specifically to be converted into an annuity when the saver retires. In addition, the City watchdog will this summer initiate an inquiry into old pension plans and other investments sold before the turn of the millennium, which could offer an escape route to those trapped in high-charging policies. However, some older policies contain perks such as guaranteed payout rates that turn each £100,000 into as much as £11,000 a year. Read full: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/10730617/How-to-tap-into-your-small-pension-pots.html

Asian stocks slipped in early trade on Monday and the dollar stepped back from its recent highs as disappointing Chinese trade data and uncertainty over the crisis in Ukraine kept risk appetite in check. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS lost 0.2 percent, and Australian shares .AXJO shed 0.5 percent. U.S. stock futures fell 0.2 percent from their record closing high on Friday. The euro remained near recent highs, with bulls still heartened by the European Central Bank's reluctance last week to take further policy action. For more online publication of latest news, visit the following: http://deepbluegroup.org/ http://deepbluegroup.org/about.html