One in six parents 'may need to ask their children for cash to fund retirement'

One in six over-40s are concerned they will need to ask their children for financial support in retirement, a study has found.

Some 16% of people in this age group with children worry they will need to ask their offspring to bail them out financially as they will not have saved enough for a comfortable retirement, MetLife found.

Nearly one in three (30%) said their retirement saving is not on track, according to the survey of more than 1,100 over-40s.

Some retirement savers may be falling short as they have dipped into their savings to give their children a hand, perhaps helping them on the housing ladder or through university.

But MetLife's research suggests that when some parents retire, it could be time for their children to pay the "bank of mum and dad" back.

The new pension freedoms launched in 2015 have given people approaching retirement a wider range of options over how to use their cash.

MetLife said it is supporting moves to ensure savers understand the choices available to them.

Its research found nearly half (45%) of those surveyed worry about the financial risks they may have to take to guarantee an income for life when they stop work.

Simon Massey, wealth management director at MetLife UK said: "Parents will have worked hard to support their children so perhaps they should feel entitled to rely on them if they need financial support in retirement.

"However, it is a bit of a role reversal when it's retired parents banking on their children for money. It will also have an impact on how much the children can save for their own retirement which in turn can cause problems.

"Planning for the long-term and reducing the risk of running out of money in retirement is one of the key challenges for savers."