Pensions across the board have been under enormous pressure and the aspect continues to be bleak. It is for this reason that, more than ever before, savers must be prepared to do their homework and to compare pension performance between the available providers to minimise the impact of the current difficulties.

Too often savers will invest in their own company scheme’s default fund. This is in spite of the fact that company schemes of this kind tend towards being overcautious and for that reason are liable to underperform. Such a cautious approach may suit older investors who have to a large extent already built their retirement portfolio and are looking to top it up without undue risk, for younger investors a riskier but potentially more profitable strategy is likely to have more appeal.

Comparison sites that enable one to compare pension performance will enable investors to test their default funds alongside others from outside their own company’s orbit, thereby finding the best option. Some schemes indeed recognise the need for caution as retirement age approaches alongside the desire to maximise potential in earlier life by including an element of both, which switches automatically from one model to the other later in the day.

A good pension comparison site will have a handle on the extent to which each traditional provider has been affected by the economic downturn and will be able to identify those who are surviving the crisis the best and who offer the best prospects to potential investors. Compare pension plan performance online and get free pension plan quotes from the above companies and websites.