iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Inset Day but the thirst for learning never ends!

Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

First week back at school successfully completed! -Children: 3 -Water bottles: 3 -Water bottles lost: 4* Mission Accomplished! *bottle found and "re-lost"

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Excellent piece from @stephenkb.bsky.social The real world UBI that most people in the UK get on reaching a certain age - the State Pension Revealing when you consider the reasons people give for working just below and above the State Pension age www.ft.com/content/337b...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Cursed headline. Finger closes on the monkey paw as the country enters 6 months of rain from September

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Me trying to downplay the size of my emergency by putting on a whimsical French accent:

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Amazing. Normally they stop working when you leave Zone 3

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Little set of micro screwdrivers from W Germany, many of the things I unscrew would have been utter Sci Fi when they were made On the other hand - often walk around where I live and almost everything man made (other than canal infrastructure) in every direction has been built in last 15 years old

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Reposted by Patrick Thomson

David Sinclair @sinclairda.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

The question this King’s Speech poses – even if it does not intend to – is whether governments are capable of thinking in the long-term demographic timescales that the challenge demands. The answer, on today’s evidence, is: not yet. ilcuk.org.uk/the-kings-sp...

ilcuk.org.uk

The King's Speech 2026: does the government understand demographic change? - ILCUK

The word "ageing" does not appear once in today's King's Speech briefing notes – yet demographic change is the single most predictable force reshaping Britain's public services, economy and society ov...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Worryingly accurate reflection on today's intergenerational situation

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I had been seeing lots of chat about DWP2 being out at the cinema. Ashamed my first thoughts were - do I need to watch the first one? or is it mostly just the origin story of how they merged the DSS and the Employment Service

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Helen McCarthy @historianhelen.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

A graphic from a 1953 government booklet exhorting employers to retain their older employees lest too many of the economically inactive become 'carried' by the producers.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

If I were a government minister and I had a magic wand, I think 'make people more aware of pensions and how they work' is the thing that solves so many political problems.

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Andrew Phillips @andrewphillips.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

This week, the State Pension age started to rise from 66 to 67. Our new research with people in their 60s shows that most people know about this change. However, our research also highlights the issue of pre-retirement poverty among people aged 60 to 65. www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Home Alone Home Alone 2: Lost in New York ...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Things could be worse. Just saw a dad frantically on the phone, with a kid in *FULL DINOSAUR COSTUME* at the school gates who had turned up for World Book Day a week early...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Ooh - handy list of PRACTICAL TIPS FOR WORKING PARENTS for anyone after some childcare hacks for the "summer childcare crunch" Not sure why I hadn't thought of...*checks notes*... the Ritz-Carlton, Gleneagles, Southern California or one in Fiji who actually 'get' what parents need lnkd.in/eRSJVrUN

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

This is the right framing and question. We can learn a lot about the real world experiment of UBI in a socially/politically acceptable packaging (the State Pension) Most agree the State Pension is there to ensure everyone has a minimum level of income in retirement.

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Andrew Phillips @andrewphillips.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

New research from us at the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement: "Decisions in the dark: How the DC pioneer generation are navigating retirement income decisions" Report explores the psychology and emotions of accessing DC pension pots. www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

standardlife.co.uk

Decisions in the dark: How the DC pioneer generation are navigating retirement income decisions

Retirement in the UK is changing. The shift from Defined Benefit (DB) to Defined Contribution (DC) pensions, combined with pension freedoms, longer working lives and a rising state pension age, means ...

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Heidi Karjalainen @heidikarj.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

I had a great time chatting about older people with @timharford.ft.com on BBC4 More or Less. The starting question was – are one in four pensioners really millionaires? Quick thread below: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

More or Less - The Stats of the Nation - Older People, Education, Prisons and the Weather - BBC Sounds

Tim Harford explores the stats on pensioners, exams, justice and climate change.

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Brilliant think tank job opportunity Come work for us at the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement Asking (and hopefully answering) some of the big questions for people, industry and government Closing this Mon 12th Jan fa-enor-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

fa-enor-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com

Policy & Research Manager

We have an incredible opportunity to join us as a Policy and Research Manager with the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement, our in-house think tank.

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Knowing with some certainty that there is a group in society who's rates of poverty will double in the next few years - is that the best outcome we can hope for? That's what will happen to 66 year olds from next April - how can we weather the change? www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

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Andrew Phillips @andrewphillips.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

New report out today "Jam tomorrow? Work, finances and retirement in an era of a rising State Pension age" Higher State Pension age has led to higher employment among people in their 60s. But there are 250k more people in pre-retirement poverty than in 2010 www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

standardlife.co.uk

Jam tomorrow? Work, finances and retirement in an era of a rising State Pension age

As the State Pension age rises to 67, we think the government needs to put in place policies to ensure that as many people as possible have financial security throughout their 60s and beyond.

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Incredible to see how different things were. In the 1970s pensioners were most likely to live in poverty. Pining after lamp shades, butter and barley water... Now a new challenge - 250,000 more in pre-retirement poverty since the state pension age began to rise share.google/9lPMsYNWq0Gt...

share.google

Jam tomorrow? Work, finances and retirement in an era of a rising State Pension age

As the State Pension age rises to 67, we think the government needs to put in place policies to ensure that as many people as possible have financial security throughout their 60s and beyond.

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Reposted by Patrick Thomson

Andrew Phillips @andrewphillips.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

New research out today "Retirement Voice 2025: How an era of uncertainty is affecting our attitudes towards retirement" We used a new 6k survey of the UK population. I had fun designing the charts! Find out how people feel about finances, work and retirement www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

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Andrew Phillips @andrewphillips.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Good piece in the FT which cites our research from the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement on the demographics of the Industrial Strategy workforce.

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Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Interesting chart from this @stephenkb.bsky.social piece. Should be viewed alongside the birth-rate chart (see next post). www.ft.com/content/107a...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Ahead of the Euro 2025 quarterfinals... How would you feel if the officials added an additional 14 minutes of injury time at the end of the 90? That's how much longer women in the UK need to achieve pay parity. In Belgium it's just 1 extra minute

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

Who do you picture working in the high-growth, high-tech sectors of rhe Industrial Strategy? These sectors are older than average and all have a higher rates of early retirement. We estimate this costs economy £31bn - we need to plan for this www.standardlife.co.uk/centre-for-t...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

2 year old who loves nothing more than stickers and rainbows devastated when I come home from work wearing a rainbow sticker that wasn't for her...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Policy thinking on a topic like the State Pension helped by clear A/B choices even if cost neutral Raising the AGE hits lower earners (most rely on it /feel effect of longer wait) Limiting it's VALUE hit higher earners more (live longer and get more over lifetime) academic.oup.com/oxrep/articl...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

In terms of retirement savings we have a definite group who missed out on DB pensions, and a big chunk of auto enrolment. What's worrying is the number who still think that their retirement will 'turn out ok' because their parent's did

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Surprising fact to me: Environmental Taxes in the UK are lower now as % of GDP as any point in the last 25 years Average household paid less in 2022 than they did in 1999. Not inflation adjusted - in actual £ terms Taxes raise money but they also shape behaviour www.ons.gov.uk/economy/envi...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

This is an excellent Lords Select Committee session - nominally on the economics of ageing - but opens up all the big topics: ageism, productivity, career change, fertility, social care, and the 'nastiest, hardest problem in finance' @csfoot.bsky.social parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

So pleased to have Andrew (one of the best brains in the Think Tank land) joining the team at Phoenix Insights. We've got lots of exciting working in the pipeline and exciting to be tackling some of the big questions of the day www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi...

thephoenixgroup.com

Publications

Browse our recent reports, blogs and policy responses.

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

New research out today looking at the potential economic benefit of better adult careers guidance. £70bn mismatching between people's skills and their roles 4.5m people who either want to move jobs, are unhappy at work or at risk of automation www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi...

thephoenixgroup.com

Work in Progress: Unlocking the value of adult careers guidance

The careers landscape is changing

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

For anyone interested in careers advice, skills, and productivity. We have exciting new research out with Public First on Thursday with an event on 5th March Modeling the potential benefit of better skills matching through the lens of the new National Jobs and Careers Service Watch this space...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Interesting article on changing pension landscape Wealthier /well pensioned people may end up shifting behaviour for tax reasons But as our Phoenix Insights research shows - for more than half of people retiring between now and 2060 that's academic if they've undersaved on.ft.com/4hCi1zJ

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

(Newspaper Headlines): Zombie Apocalypse Set To Reduce YOUR Mortgage Rates

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

Think Tank job - Phoenix Insights are hiring a policy and research manager Really exciting and interesting work across a range of big policy areas, making the most of longer lives Deadline is 10th Jan fa-enor-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

fa-enor-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com

Policy and Research Manager

We have an incredible opportunity to join us here at Phoenix Group as a Policy and Research Manager with the Phoenix Insights team, our in house think tank team.

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Been a good lesson in empirical process for our 6 & 8 y olds. Clearly know the whole thing is INSANE but no benefit in not believing. Questions on physics of sleigh travel/toy production. + an obvious one that caught me out: How do we know what father christmas looks like if no one's seen him?

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Excellent piece from @sarahoconnorft.bsky.social Why the public doesn’t buy the idea of a ‘green jobs’ bonanza - on.ft.com/415lCB7 The Northvolt example is v good. We ran focus groups with mid career workers - career change already seen as risky, to green jobs more. Perceived security matters

on.ft.com

Why the public doesn’t buy the idea of a ‘green jobs’ bonanza

People understand that transitions are hard — politicians need to as well

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Today is Carers Rights Day Only a quarter of people think they will be a carer before they reach state pension age. In reality half of people become an unpaid carer by the age of 50

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Fascinating new stats looking at how working interacts with age and how that's changed post pandemic. Previously mostly linked to age with oldest workers working from home. But now those in their mid careers most want to (or most able to?) work from home www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi...

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Patrick Thomson @patrickjthomson.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

It's #equalpayday The average woman in the UK never earns more than £20 an hour at any age. Average man earns more than £20 /hr each year from their mid 30s to 60. It impacts day to day and over a lifetime www.thephoenixgroup.com/phoenix-insi...

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