June Brown's plight a lesson to us all

Eastenders' June Brown recently admitted she had to keep on working after the financial crisis slashed her pension income. As many people in a similar situation face working well into their retirement years Helen Morrissey says we need to learn some hard lessons.

Helen Morrissey
clock •

The problems facing our retirees can be summed up succinctly in the plight of June Brown, otherwise known as Eastenders stalwart Dot Cotton.

Despite being a regular fixture on our TV screens for 30 years the 88-year old actress has said she has to continue working after the financial crisis cut her pension income by 50%. To add to this ...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Pensions

Become a Professional Pensions Lite Member today

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis and opinion from the industry
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our two daily news alerts
  • Hear from industry experts and other forward-thinking leaders

Are you a trustee, investment consultant or in-house pension and benefit scheme professional? You can apply for full complimentary access here

Join now

 

Already a Professional Pensions
member?

Login

More on Defined Contribution

Partner Insight: From gilts to grids - Five themes shaping the U.K. investment landscape

Partner Insight: From gilts to grids - Five themes shaping the U.K. investment landscape

Sophie Ballard, Nuveen
clock 28 September 2026 • 3 min read
Partner Insight: Closing the gap - why UK pension schemes can't afford to sit out private markets

Partner Insight: Closing the gap - why UK pension schemes can't afford to sit out private markets

As policy tailwinds strengthen the UK's private markets opportunity, Federated Hermes' private markets specialists explain why they believe pension schemes are still leaving returns on the table.

Federated Hermes
clock 28 September 2026 • 4 min read
Partner Insight: Good governance in an AI-enabled world

Partner Insight: Good governance in an AI-enabled world

Sharon Bellingham, Master Trust Lead, Scottish Widows
clock 25 September 2026 • 6 min read
Trustpilot