In our Pension Diaries series, we speak to people of all ages in the UK to find out how much or how little they have saved for retirement and the realities of putting money aside for your future.
This week, we speak to Rob Trewhella, 69, who lives in Penzance, Cornwall. Rob lives alone in a privately rented one-bedroom flat and quit his job as a taxi driver just over a year ago for health reasons.
He reveals how after working hard all his life, the only pension he now receives is the state pension. Every month, he has to dip into his savings to survive – but they have almost run out, so he knows he will need to look for a job.
What careers have you had and when did you retire?
I have worked since the age of 18 and have had a variety of jobs throughout my life. I did a year at college, but then I dropped out because I couldn’t stand full-time education anymore, so I went out and got jobs instead.
My dad, George, was a butcher and had his own business. He retired at 61 and lived until he was 92 and had a great retirement.
I worked as a butcher for 14 years and I have also worked for a tree surgery company. I also worked for Royal Mail for nine years and started as a postman and ended up as a manager before I left. I once had a job working for the Ministry of Agriculture sampling fish!
Since the Covid lockdown, I began working as a taxi driver. Some weeks, I was working 50 to 60 hours and it involved a lot of late nights and was taking its toll on my health. I quit on January 1, 2025, at the age of 68 after doing my New Year’s shift as I realised I couldn’t do it anymore as my health was beginning to suffer.
I am diabetic and I have a prostrate issue and I have rugby injuries of wear and tear on my neck and hip problems and can’t sit for long. I have also had my shoulder re-built as a result of rugby injuries, but I try to stay as active as I can.
How many pensions do you get?
The only pension I am receiving now is my state pension and I get £921 a month. I did have a private pension with the Royal Mail job but I started drawing down from it at 55 and used it to live on whenever I didn’t have full-time work and it has now all gone. I took a lump sum from it and gave it to my ex-wife when we split up and she used it for a deposit for a house.
I privately rent my one-bedroom ground floor flat for £700 a month. So my state pension was not even enough to cover my rent and bills – I think I was about £25 short each month. I had some savings, but every month, I have been taking £200 to £250 out of them just to live on and now my savings have dwindled so much, they have almost all gone.
Rob Trewhella retired at 68 after sometimes working 50 or 60 hours a week as a taxi driver – but his savings are now running out (Photo: Independent Age)My car was written off the week before Christmas as it was parked outside my home and someone went into it sideways and wrote it off. So replacing that took a big chunk out of my savings.
Since August, I have been able to claim housing benefits of £498 a month and that has certainly helped. But life is still a struggle financially and I am still having to dip into my savings and know I will need to get a job to earn some money as my savings have almost gone.
What is your spending and life in retirement like?
I worked hard all my life and have paid all my taxes. Years ago, I would go out and buy myself a pair of Levis jeans. Now I am looking in the supermarkets for special offers for a pair of jeans.
I am not frivolous at all. I go out once a week to play in a pub quiz. I don’t drink, so I just have a soft drink. We won the quiz the other night and won £7 each, so that was a nice boost.
I don’t buy takeaways, have to budget and don’t spoil myself like I used to when I was younger. Living on your own, you have to be quite strict with yourself and I am constantly looking for special offers for everything.
We are living in troubled times and everything is going up. Petrol is a nightmare at the moment and everything in the shops is going up, with some things going up by a couple of pounds.
Since retiring, I have tried to keep busy and active and have been doing odd jobs for friends for free. I became involved in campaigning work with the charity Independent Age and they did an ice sculpture of me outside the Tate Modern to highlight the impact of the winter fuel allowance being taken away on older people. It was a victory when that was reinstated.
I have been looking for part-time work using some of my skills and experience. But I have been unsuccessful. Age shouldn’t be an issue, but it is.
Rob realises he needs to get a job to earn more money – but the he says the tax threshold makes it unappealing (Photo: Rob Trewhella)I was thinking I should maybe get a job such as working in a supermarket stacking shelves just to keep busy and earn some extra money. However, with the tax threshold being at £12,570, it does not give much incentive to work for minimum wage jobs.
Last year, I earned £3,500 for the last bit of my taxi driving – but I ended up paying £500 tax on it because the Government includes the state pension in their tax calculations. I think this is completely wrong and unfair as I have already paid tax all my life. At the very least, they need to raise the tax thresholds.
What is your biggest pension regret?
When I was younger, a pension didn’t seem important to me. When I was newly married, then had a couple of kids and then was buying a house, I always thought: “Where is the money for a pension going to come from?”
However, I now realise that if I had started a pension at the age of 18 and paid in the minimum amount and carried on paying regularly into it up until retirement age, I would now be a very wealthy man. In hindsight, I regret not doing that.
What is your attitude to life and money?
I have had a brilliant life and have travelled, met some fantastic people and had lots of amazing experiences. But circumstances have affected my retirement years and money.
George Best, the footballer, famously said: “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.” Well I definitely didn’t squander my money and I actually bought houses – but always seemed to buy at the wrong time.
Despite having owned houses in the past, Rob is now renting in his retirement years (Photo: Rob Trewhella)I have been married three times and I went bankrupt in the early 90s. My marriage had broken up and interest rates were about 16 per cent at that time. We had a joint mortgage. I just couldn’t afford to keep paying it on my own and in the end, I handed the keys in. I had paid £55,000 for that house, and they sold it at auction for £30,000.
I can’t believe the age I am now. In my head, I still feel like I am a 25-year-old, but I have the body of a 69-year-old. I never imagined I would get to my retirement years and only have my state pension and be skint and end up living hand-to-mouth.
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