Keep the plan funded: Protection that prevents the pension pause – Scottish Widows

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Protection buys breathing space, so saving does not switch off.

‘We’re on track for retirement, right?’  

How many times do your clients ask you that question?

You can build a solid retirement plan – clear targets, sensible contributions, regular reviews. 

Then life turns up uninvited. A spell off work. A diagnosis. Burnout. An injury. Caring for someone.

Income drops and the plan starts to slip. 

If you were to say to the same clients: “It’s all on track at the moment, but if you were off work for six months, what would you stop first? Spending, pension contributions, or both?”

The pause from the client tells you everything, because retirement plans don’t only drift off track because of markets. It’s income shocks that tend to do the real damage.

Why this is a protection issue

The Scottish Widows Retirement Report (2026) puts numbers on what advisers already see. In the last five years, a third of working-age adults have had their work or earnings affected by physical or mental health issues.

Almost a quarter worry they may not be able to afford to retire because poor health could affect their ability to work.¹

If income is what keeps the plan moving, protection is the back-up that keeps it moving when health gets in the way. 

The report also suggests that among people whose physical or mental health affects day-to-day life, around half are projected to face pension poverty, roughly double the rate for those in better health.¹ That gap is often driven by disruption, not disengagement.

The restart problem

Most clients think a pause in pension saving is temporary. They fully intend to restart, but the data suggests it rarely bounces back.

The Scottish Widows Retirement Report (2026) shows around a quarter of people have reduced or stopped saving for retirement because of short-term financial pressures.

Only a quarter of those who reduced or stopped saving now save at least as much as they did before.¹

Protection matters here because it gives clients more room to decide what to keep going when income drops. It can help keep the bills paid so the pension doesn’t become the thing that gets cut first. 

Scottish Widows research (2025) shows 22% of people do not have enough savings to cope with a financial emergency.

For those households, one shock can force a choice between today’s costs and tomorrow’s plans.²

Later in life, the stakes are higher

Disruption at 30 is painful. Disruption at 60 can be decisive. 

Closer to retirement, there is less time to rebuild earnings, catch up contributions, or replace savings used to keep the household going. 

The Scottish Widows Retirement Report (2026) highlights that disruption can be more severe later in working life. For those aged 60 to 64, it shows a notably higher likelihood of having to stop work completely.¹

This is when protection becomes about keeping options open. Can the client reduce hours, delay retirement, or stop if they have to?

Protecting income protects those choices.

The backdrop is changing

The Scottish Widows & Macmillan ‘Living with and beyond Cancer in 2045’ report (2026) projects cancer prevalence rising by 58% between 2025 and 2045, from 3.4 million to 5.4 million people living with and beyond cancer.³

This isn’t about turning every review into a heavy conversation. It’s about designing plans that still work when life is messy.

What can we do?

A small shift in how the conversation starts can change how the plan holds up later.

Alongside asking, ‘how much do we need to save?’ ask: ‘What keeps the saving possible if your income changes?’ 

Then ask three quick questions:

• “If you were off work for six months, what would go first… bills, pension contributions, or both?” 
• “What would cover that in real life – savings, employer support, anything already in place?”
• “What gap would be left, what would that gap force you to change about the plan?”

By asking these questions, you as the adviser can help ensure your client’s plan stays on track no matter what life throws at them.

This is where protection earns its place, as the foundation of a plan that lasts. 

Find out more about how Scottish Widows Protection products can support your client’s future plans.

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^{1 Scottish Widows Retirement Report, 2026. 
2 Scottish Widows & YouGov research, 2025. 
3 Scottish Widows & Macmillan, Living with and beyond Cancer in 2045 Report, 2026.}