I paid 18% of my salary into a pension – it’s now worth £500,000 and I can retire at 60

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She decided to take stock of her finances in 2025 and realised she could afford to start her own event, after saving as much as 18 per cent of her salary into her pension, building a pot now worth £500,000. Obviously the compound interest of your employer also paying you more increases your pension pot over time,” Kelly explains. After moving jobs, at her maximum, she was putting 18 per cent of her salary into her pension. At the time, her pension pot was worth £460,000, and it has now gone up to around £500,000. “The position I am in with my pension buys me more agency in how I spend my time until I retire.