Retiring is supposed to be the time when you can sit back and relax after years of hard work, but for some people retiring is not plain sailing. As it has been reported in the news recently, there are a growing number of people struggling to survive on their pensions.

Although many people will have paid in to a company or private pension plan over the years, some pensioners are finding it increasingly difficult to survive financially on their current income.

There has been talk of increasing the retirement age of 65 up to 70 as life expectancy increases and people need their pensions for longer than ever before.

So what can you do if you are worried about retiring? Well there are ways to guarantee you will have a sufficient income for retirement. For instance, if you have a large amount of capital gaining very little interest sitting in a current account, consider investing it to get a monthly or annual income.

You could put your money in to an ISA which allows you to invest up to £7,200, providing tax free returns on your capital. And if you are over 50, from October you can invest up to £10,200 from participating financial providers.

If you need easy access to your savings, then a savings account could suit your needs. You can get competitive rates of interest on many accounts from various providers and if you need your savings unexpectedly, you are not tied down to a long-term agreement.

An alternative way to provide an additional income could come through property investments. Although house prices have fallen in the last year, there is still money to be made in renting, if you have the hard cash available to buy a property this could be a profitable investment.

For those who have recently entered the world of work in the last few years, it is imperative you start thinking about your retirement now because the earlier you save, the easier your retirement will be.

It is likely your state pension income will not be sufficient enough to maintain the lifestyle you have been accustom to when you have been earning money, so consider an additional private pension plan.

Many companies offer employees the opportunity to pay in to a company pension plan, but there are also many other pension plans on offer from financial providers, so do your research before making a decision.

It is vital you do extensive research before deciding what financial route you are going to take.