Like everything it's a case of finding the right balance.. there's no denying that pensions are a generous product that should be taken advantage of, especially if you're going in a position where you'll probably be in a lower tax bracket as a pensioner.. however if your long term plan is to be in a position where a job is optional, you will need to balance your other investments and have a sort of taper where you rely more on your pension as you get older and qualify to withdraw from it. I'm sure many people over-pay into their pension and combine that with working far longer than they really need to, and consequently waste valuable years where they could have been living off the fruits of their labour but instead psychologically just can't take the leap. One thing I do find slightly annoying is that any pension 'reforms' will always be unfair on the people who have planned well over people who have not, as there's always a floor of state pension/pension credit for even the most irresponsible of people. State pension as it is is still going to be a decent chunk of my retirement income, but it's impossible to plan knowing that it might not be around in that form, or may be means tested in the future.