The beginners guide to pensions

Beginners guide to pensions with Dev and Robin

You know you have a pension from work. You get a State Pension from the government too. But what’s the difference – and what’s the point?

Welcome to Pensions made simple with Dev and Robin, where we break down the basics.

In a nutshell

Most people don’t want to work their whole lives, so a pension helps make sure you’ve got income in the future to help for when you want to stop working. You’re essentially paying wages to your future self.
The State Pension is a benefit provided by the UK government to everyone eligible over age 66. It provides £11,973 a year, as of 2025/26.
All other pensions are designed to top up the State Pension. The amount you get from these pensions depends on how much you pay in.
Paying into a workplace pension like Nest means every contribution you pay in could be doubled at no cost to you, thanks to tax relief from the government and contributions from your employer.

Meet Dev

Dev has a refreshing and modern take on money, encouraging her followers to think practically about their pennies rather than jumping onto the latest trend to save your cash.

As an award-winning creative, ex-accountant and tech consultant turned financial influencer, she’s on a mission to help her 130,000 followers on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to think smarter about their money choices.

She’s just as passionate about helping people feel empowered with their money as we are about pensions – which is a lot. She’s helping us make pensions simple, breaking things down for you in a way that’s easy to understand.

Meet Robin

Robin leads the Business to Business team at Nest with responsibility for Nest’s relationships with all our employer customers and the various third parties who support them. He has over 25 years’ experience in financial services and has been with Nest since 2012 helping deliver the scheme’s success to date.

Robin is passionate about financial inclusion and the role of Nest in ensuring that those in the UK who, prior to automatic enrolment, had largely been excluded from high quality pension schemes have access to great places to save for a better future. The desire to ensure that Nest is delivering for our millions of members and the employers they work for provides Robin’s motivation at work.

Outside of work Robin spends most of his time with family, supporting the many activities of his two teenage sons including helping run a junior football team. When he has time to spare he also enjoys cycling, attending music gigs and following Preston North End FC.

Our pensions made simple series:

Episode 2: Your pensions explained

Episode 3: How your pension is invested

Episode 4: How your money and pension shapes the future

Episone 5: It’s never too late to take control of your pension

Episode 6: How women can take control of their pensions

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