Eleanor Hughes
Editor, Retirement Planning
Eleanor Hughes is editor of RetirementExpert. She has spent more than 15 years writing about UK personal finance, with a particular focus on the State Pension, defined contribution pensions and the choices retirees face at decumulation.
Before joining RetirementExpert she worked as a senior writer at consumer money titles and as a freelance contributor to national newspapers, where her reporting on pension freedoms helped readers navigate the post-2015 rules.
She is committed to plain English: if a guide cannot be understood by a reader without a finance degree, it gets rewritten.
Credentials
- Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning (CII)
- NCTJ-trained journalist
Contact: eleanor@retirementexpert.co.uk
Recent articles by Eleanor Hughes
- State Pension age UK 2026: when can I retire?
Work out your State Pension age in 2026 and beyond. The UK State Pension age is rising from 66 to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028.
- How much State Pension will I get in 2026/27?
The full new State Pension for 2026/27, how many qualifying National Insurance years you need, and how to check your forecast on GOV.UK.
- State Pension deferral explained
How deferring the State Pension works under the new rules, how much extra you get, and when deferral is — and is not — worth it.
- Pension Credit eligibility 2026/27
Pension Credit tops up low retirement incomes. See the 2026/27 rates, savings rules, and how to apply through GOV.UK.
- Can I get Pension Credit if I have savings?
How savings affect Pension Credit, the £10,000 threshold, deemed income, and worked examples for couples and single pensioners.
- What benefits can pensioners claim in the UK?
A plain-English checklist of UK benefits older people may be entitled to — from Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance to Council Tax Reduction and the Winter Fuel Payment.
- Pension drawdown explained
What flexi-access drawdown is, how it differs from an annuity, the tax rules, and the risks of running your pension pot down too fast.
- £100,000 pension pot: how much income will it give me?
Indicative income figures for a £100k pension pot using drawdown and annuity, plus what a sustainable withdrawal rate might look like.
- £250,000 pension pot: how much income?
How long a £250,000 pension pot might last in drawdown, plus example annuity rates and how the 25% tax-free lump sum changes the maths.
- £500,000 pension pot: how much income?
Worked examples for a £500k pension pot: drawdown income, annuity rates, and the tax you might pay each year.
- Drawdown vs annuity: which is right for you?
A side-by-side comparison of pension drawdown and annuities — flexibility, longevity risk, tax and what happens to your money when you die.
- What is a safe withdrawal rate in the UK?
The 4% rule, why UK retirees may need a lower figure, and how sequence-of-returns risk affects how much you can draw each year.
- Taking your 25% tax-free pension lump sum
How the pension tax-free cash works, the lump sum allowance, and worked examples of taking it all at once vs in slices.