Comparing the 9 to 5 Working Life Vs Investing in Property

Analysing where we are likely to end up if we work the 9 to 5 and pay into the average pension rather than taking control and investing in the property market for income.

Traditionally we are told to pay into our pensions and buy our own home and then live a happy life, but what if we actually took a moment to realise that just doing average is just not good enough when it comes to the point of retirement.

With the national average wage currently set at £27,600 a year, those who save the 8% minimum pension contribution would have to work until age 77 in order to achieve what is coined as the Gold Standard pension of two thirds of their pre-pension salary.

Even if you were to achieve the Silver Standard of half your pre-pension salary you would still have to work until you are aged 71 with no breaks.

This no doubt paints a rather bleak picture for most of you. Of course those calculations are based on today, who knows where the goal posts will be in 20 years’ time.

The idea of winding down as we get older appears for many as an unachievable ideal. If you are banking on your pension giving you a retirement of comfort it could be wise that you now, consider other alternatives to boost your savings so that you are ultimately taking control of your financial future and perhaps setting yourself up for a more ideal retirement.

Even investing in property can lead to a situation where you find yourself with the option to move away from employment altogether and become financially free and independent of relying on the need to actually go to work.

Property values are continuing to increase, bank savings rates are continuing their declines, pension pay-outs are falling but the buy-to-let residential market is booming here in the UK and perhaps now the market is primed for a stretch of growth.

An average rent is now £743 a month and with the population in the UK rising rapidly we are seeing internal migration increase along with people living longer. This means that currently an investor purchasing a property at the right price in the right area is able to see a good 9 to 10% NET from the rents whereas the return from a pension averages an abysmal 4.3%.

FJP Investment is a team of investment specialists sourcing a wide range of investment opportunities both in the UK and overseas, including buy-to-let property investments.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Four in ten homes see asking price reduced

More than four in ten homes currently listed for sale across England have already seen their asking price reduced, according to the latest market analysis by eXp UK, with the number of reduced properties climbing by 3.6% since August. eXp UK analysed property listings across England to establish how many have undergone an asking-price reduction.…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 19/10/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Last week Sourced Living began rolling out Genifea across its branches, the platform’s first commercial CRM integration. By Author Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR Andrew Stanton spoke to founder Pragati Dhingra about what the Genifea platform actually does, where AI fits in an estate agency,…
Read More →
Breaking News

Mixed signals in UK construction as contract awards rise, but starts fall

Detailed planning approvals declined 16% against the preceding three months and fell 28% lower than last year, a warning sign for future work. Main contract awards dropped 19% against the last three months but climbed 25% year-on-year, a sign that major schemes are being committed. Project starts took the steepest fall, declining 26% against the…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Estate Agents Brace for Rising Compliance Costs

Nearly two-thirds of compliance leaders in estate agencies and property firms expect budgets to increase amid growing pressures Just 6% expect cuts, down from 31% last year, while 63% now work weekly overtime on AML The majority of senior compliance professionals in UK property firms and estate agents expect their budgets and teams to grow…
Read More →
Breaking News

The £2m Mansion Tax, ‘Renting for Now’, and Life Under the Renters’ Rights Act

Leading estate agency Winkworth has released its Autumn Report on Prime Central London, highlighting the key trends that shaped the third quarter of 2026. The report provides exclusive analysis of how the incoming High Value Council Tax Surcharge, the so-called Mansion Tax, is already influencing pricing around the £2 million threshold, and how the market…
Read More →
Breaking News

Rightsizing Revisited: Homeowners seek £100k profits from downsizing

A new Barclays policy snapshot, Rightsizing Revisited, finds a quarter (24 per cent) of homeowners are open to downsizing However, seven in 10 (71 per cent) homeowners cite financial risks and upfront costs as barriers to making the change Homeowners say they would need to release an average of £108,516 from their property sale for…
Read More →