Financial timebomb for couples without joint annuity

Peter Jordan/PA Archive

Two in every three couples don't take out a joint annuity according to the Association of British Insurers.

Their research showed that of the 366,697 standard annuities sold last year, 220,0181 - more than 60 percent - were single life.

These policies stop paying out when the person who bought them passes away, potentially leaving millions of women with a significantly reduced pension for the remainder of their life.