The pensions crisis

The immediate effects of the current economic downturn are highly visible: rising unemployment and bankruptcies are shaking consumer confidence, while ravaged stock markets and failing banks have damaged public trust in the financial system. But there is more damage yet to come.

The financial crisis has wreaked havoc on retirement plans of all varieties, inflicting particular damage to employer-based and private retirement savings, which have gradually come to replace state pension provision.

Meanwhile workers themselves, who have built up a lifetime of savings in pension funds, are being forced to rethink their pension plans and even defer their retirement.

This FT.com multimedia feature explores the dilemmas faced by individual savers, companies and governments. Our experts advise on how to rebuild depleted pension savings and offer potential solutions to the international pensions time bomb.