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

Helen Morrissey
Author spotlight

Helen Morrissey

View profile
More from Helen Morrissey

The cost of exiting EU pensions

Understanding the impact of ESG factors on credit

More on Defined Contribution

Verity Trustees adds Sharia-compliant fixed income fund for DC members
Defined Contribution

Verity Trustees adds Sharia-compliant fixed income fund for DC members

TPT trustee board selects HSBC Global Sukuk UCITS ETF to expand self-select fund range

Jonathan Stapleton
Jonathan Stapleton
clock 05 May 2026 • 1 min read
PPI: How targeted support could improve retirement outcomes
Defined Contribution

PPI: How targeted support could improve retirement outcomes

Lauren Wilkinson looks at how the FCA’s new regime could help bridge the engagement gap:

Lauren Wilkinson
clock 01 May 2026 • 4 min read
Partner Insight: Making private markets work for members – a guide for defined contribution trustees
Defined Contribution

Partner Insight: Making private markets work for members – a guide for defined contribution trustees

When capturing the potential that private markets could offer defined contribution schemes, trustees need to ensure they have absolute clarity on fees, fund structures and liquidity, says BlackRock’s James Rowe.

James Rowe - Managing Director, Head of UK Institutional DC
clock 01 May 2026 • 7 min read
Trustpilot