What would it cost to replace the State Pension yourself?

This is a guest article by Sam Parkinson, the creator of Pension Sprout. A recent Monevator piece about Gen Z and pensions quoted a young reader stating flatly: “I don’t believe that I’ll be a recipient of a State Pension.” I’ve read a lot of responses to that sort of line. Mostly they’re some variation of “don’t worry, it’ll be fine”, which is unconvincing and slightly patronising because nobody actually knows the future. Indeed while the recently-mooted shake-up of the State Pension’s triple-lock from 2030 is pitched as making it more sustainable for the long run, some people will instead see it as proof that politicians will always be tempted to tinker it away, or at least introduce means-testing for what’s now a universal benefit. So let’s take concerns about the future of the State Pension seriously. Because if you genuinely think the State Pension won’t be there for you, the useful question is what your alternative plan will cost you if you’re proven right. Work that out and…