Hoard your pension and spend other cash and investments first, to keep your money away from the taxman. That's the advice experts are dishing out to retirees worried about inheritance tax.

It may not seem like a grand romantic gesture, but making sure your spouse is financially comfortable in retirement, will go a long way towards securing your future happiness together.

My husband died very suddenly three months ago. He had changed his pensions over for me to be the beneficiary. His ex-wife has now contacted me. Can she have a claim on his pensions?

The couple managed to convince HMRC they were unaware his filling in the child benefit form could result in her losing state pension in old age, in a case that could help many other parents.

Thousands are facing a poorer retirement as a result of innocent mistakes over paperwork. Nandia Needham, pictured with husband Martin, could be £20k out of pocket over a 20-year retirement.

My ex-husband says he has left me to inherit his NHS remaining pension in case he dies. We both have never remarried and have two children in university. Lawyer Jacqueline Major replies.

Hundreds of thousands of grandparents and other family members could be missing out on valuable credits towards the state pension worth around £250 a year in old age, new research reveals.

We explain forthcoming changes to the state pension age, so you can find out when you will be allowed to retire

This is Money columnist Steve Webb and lawyer Fiona Wood jointly tackle a reader question about shamming a divorce to dodge tax. Find out the pitfalls here...

Gaynor Seymour, pictured with husband Andrew, lost state pension credits over an innocent paperwork error - but she can prove she looked after their daughter during the disputed period, she says.

In a stinging report, tax officials said people 'can easily disadvantage themselves' in a system that 'appears illogical', and told the Government to find a way to restore lost credits to parents.

How much do I need to be saving into my pension to achieve this, assuming I achieve returns of 7% a year and that I live until 85. Financial planner Kay Ingram (pictured left) replies

I had an £84k pension but cashed it in when I was 55 to pay off debts. Since then, I have come into an inheritance so I have £420k in savings and have rejoined my company's pension scheme.

Workers have lost their savings after transferring their nest eggs to rogue schemes because they were enrolled with the UK's HMRC and Pensions Regulator - making it appear above board.

Financial services firm Responsible Life submitted a Freedom of Information request and learned the DWP does not keep track of how many people fail to claim the state pension.

Getting your head around how your pension works, whether you're saving enough and finding out about how your money is invested can be a daunting prospect for young workers.

Standard wording should be adopted and made compulsory to prevent firms using 'obfuscatory' jargon that baffles savers, argues Lady Altmann

The newly re-elected Government now has a majority that gives it the opportunity to solve major issues affecting retirement finances. Here's what you need to know.

HMRC refused to warn people it had launched investigations into fraudulent pension schemes registered with it, enabling the scammers to continue to fleece hundreds more victims.

After meeting workers fleeced of their futures in the scandal, the now Prime Minister, pictured with victims with David Burgess, left, Sue Flood and Micky Nettle, pledged to take up their case.

Thousands of taxpayers are not including correct information about their pensions on their annual returns, according to mutual insurer Royal London.

Pat Savage, 73, has been waiting since October for a compensation payment of around £3,500. The retired construction health and safety manager bought a standard annuity with the Prudential when he retired.

If I accept my husband's offer I would have less than half of the income that he is receiving, along with a five-year wait for my state pension. Lawyer Fiona Wood, pictured left, replies.

The Treasury is reportedly considering raising a key threshold where the controversial 'taper' kicks in from £110k to £150k, but pension experts think this will be ineffective or 'a sticking plaster'.

Pensions Minister Guy Opperman and shadow pensions minister Jack Dromey have called for for a new independent 'arms-length' government body in a think-tank report.

Reputable firms don't encourage savers to take money out of pensions before they are 55, in the form of a loan or any other kind of cash payout, due to the stiff tax penalty.

Sweeping reviews of pension calculations have uncovered tens of thousands of errors that have seen pensioners overpaid, and underpaid, for decades.

We reported last week how Peter Burgess (pictured) had been unable to access his pension pot, while Pat Savage had been waiting for a compensation payment for nearly three months.

Lorraine Johnson-Rosner, 70, makes £10,000 to £15,000 a year selling similar rooms and gardens for dolls, plus vintage dolls and clothes for them.

Of those who start drawing an income, just two out of five do so immediately. Among those who wait, 40% put it off for at least half a year, and 24% delay for more than a year, says Hargreaves Lansdown.

People aged 39-54 who suffered compulsory redundancy have average pensions savings of £120,634 - while those who avoided being laid off have £202,017.

The withdrawal agreement under which the UK exits the EU on January 31 provides certainty on future state pension rises for current EU expats.

Former prison officer Paul Davidson, 62, pictured, was forced to retire early in 2012 after he suffered a breakdown. He spent a month in a clinic and his wife had to give up work to care for him.

Some pensioners, such as Royal Navy veteran Arthur Mullett (pictured) and former Royal Mail delivery driver Chris Slaytor, have refused to accept the huge shock bills, they received after mistakes were made.

Some 54% said they were unaware of the current size of their pots, and a further 8% couldn't answer, while 38% said they did know.

I have been a permanent resident in Canada and had dual citizenship since 1977. I have opened a sterling bank account with HSBC in Canada - can my British state pension be paid into it?

Savers who want to ease into or delay retirement should be allowed to take part of their state pension and put off drawing the rest, says Aviva.

Former Army Major Adrian Furnival, pictured with wife Sheila, will soon have £70 stripped from his £260 weekly pension - yet was only told about the cut in February 2018

A raid on popular pension tax breaks to drum up cash for other Government projects is reportedly on the cards at the upcoming March Budget.

Moves such as cutting higher rate tax relief are often depicted as hitting the wealthy older generation, but that's disingenuous.

With the smell of a spring Budget in the air comes the rumour of yet more restrictions on the tax relief available to boost our pension saving. But how will Mr Sunak treat pension savers?

This case highlights how complicated the rules on final salary pensions can be to navigate. Find out what you should ask your scheme before triggering payments here.

One financial advice firm has told how its premiums rose from £3,700 in 2009 to £45,000 in 2019. Another adviser says premiums jumped from £22,736 in 2017 to £112,000 in 2018.

Vanguard says the new self-invested personal pension scheme is designed to cut the 'cost and complexity' of saving for retirement.

Rookie Chancellor Rishi Sunak was given a month to prepare for the Budget on March 11. Will Government top-ups into retirement savings pots be lowered to the 20 per cent basic rate for everyone?

What is to stop my ex-husband converting everything to useless shares that are falling in value? Barrister Rhys Taylor explains how pensions are handled when couples divorce.

'Cash today, poverty tomorrow must be avoided, as large withdrawals from pension pots could mean later life hardship for many,' says the Association of British Insurers.

Five years after the introduction of pension freedoms, the Association of British Insurers is warning that many middle-aged savers may not be doing what's best with their pension pots.

A selection of Steve's top columns can help you avoid being scammed, understand the mysteries of the new state pension, and gain peace of mind by making the most of your pension savings.

Pension credit is a benefit for the poorest pensioners, and a surge in applications is likely to be underway due to the decision to means test pensioners for the free TV licence.