Are self-employed people quietly gambling with their retirement?

[ethanmiller]

No employer auto-enrolling you, no default contribution landing every month — just you, deciding whether future-you gets looked after. Most freelancers I know are brilliant at running their business and strangely avoidant about this one part of it.

A few things worth chewing on:

• If you've gone years without a pension, what's actually stopped you — cost, complexity, or just not wanting to think about it?
• For those with irregular income, how do you make lump-sum contributions feel like a habit rather than an afterthought?
• Personal pension vs SIPP — do you want someone else managing the investment decisions, or do you want full control?

Curious how people here are actually handling this — sole traders, freelancers, company directors, all perspectives welcome. Drop your approach (or your excuse — no judgment) below.

Full guide here if you want the detail:

[Russell]

I think irregular income is probably the biggest challenge for freelancers. Setting aside a small percentage whenever a payment comes in seems more manageable than waiting for a large lump sum. I’d also choose based on how much investment control and responsibility I actually want.