![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d8a4dc1ebf4c1f5d52ba3a92a50c83e4.jpeg\")
Image source: Getty Images <\/p>\n Image source: Getty Images <\/p>\n
The UK\u00a0State Pension\u00a0is rising. And following the latest increase, pensioners now receive up to \u00a312,547.60 a year from the government. But by planning ahead, it\u2019s possible to secure a chunkier retirement income stream by leveraging the power of an ISA.<\/p>\n
So how big does an ISA need to be to generate the same amount of money as the State Pension?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n
Running the numbers <\/p>\n
Following the 4% withdrawal rule, an ISA would need to reach around\u00a0\u00a3313,690\u00a0to generate that \u00a312,547.60 a year.<\/p>\n
Obviously, that\u2019s a pretty chunky sum. Yet while it may feel out of reach, even a 40-year-old starting from scratch with just \u00a3500 to spare each month can hit this milestone before turning 60.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how. That \u00a3500 a month invested at a compounded annual return of 10% for 19 years will grow to \u00a3338,007.80. That means at the age of 59, this portfolio would generate around \u00a31,000 more in passive income, landing at \u00a313,520.31.<\/p>\n
So which UK stocks should investors be looking at today to aim for that 10% annualised return?<\/p>\n
Could this overlooked compounder do the job? <\/p>\n
The UK stock market\u2019s home to a growing list of proven compounders that have quietly outpaced the market for decades. And in 2026, one stock that\u2019s started getting more institutional attention is Judges Scientific<\/strong>\u00a0(LSE:JDG).<\/p>\n As a quick introduction, the company\u2019s a scientific instruments group that acquires small, niche businesses making highly specialised laboratory and measurement equipment. Its customers include universities, research institutions, and industrial manufacturers worldwide.<\/p>\n So can it generate a 10% long term annualised return?<\/p>\n There are never any guarantees when it comes to investing. However, Judges Scientific\u2019s bolt-on, acquisition-led growth model is a proven one used by many successful compounders.<\/p>\n By acquiring small founder-owned businesses at sensible prices, keeping existing management in place, and letting the earnings compound quietly over time, the results can be tremendous. And shareholders have already seen a glimpse of the returns this can generate.<\/p>\n Fun fact: over the last decade, Judges Scientific shares have averaged a 12.3% annualised return. The question now is, can it continue?<\/p>\n What could go wrong? <\/p>\n Despite its impressive track record, the company has had its fair share of challenges lately.<\/p>\n The freezing of US federal research grants due to budgetary concerns has taken a toll on organic growth. And with inflationary pressures on specialised components and skilled engineering talent driving up costs, margins have also gotten squeezed.<\/p>\n While frustrating, this does appear to be a temporary problem. But it nonetheless reveals a previously unexpected cyclical element and political sensitivity of Judges Scientific\u2019s cash flows.<\/p>\n Fortunately, some early signs of improvement are emerging in 2026. However, even if the company gets back on track as expected, it nonetheless still needs to find new quality bolt-on acquisition targets to maintain long-term growth. And overpaying for acquisitions that underperform could meaningfully dent long-term returns.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, in my opinion, Judges Scientific offers a genuinely compelling case. It has a proven business model, a fragmented market full of acquisition targets, and a management team seemingly successfully steering the company through a difficult period.<\/p>\n So for a 40-year-old building an ISA to replace or piggyback the State Pension, this looks like the kind of quiet compounder that\u2019s worth considering.<\/p>\n Should you invest \u00a35,000 in Judges Scientific Plc right now? <\/p>\n When investing expert Mark Rogers and his team have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Twelfth Magpie Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets.<\/p>\n And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Judges Scientific Plc made the list?<\/p>\n See The Six Stocks<\/p>\n Zaven Boyrazian does not hold any positions in the companies mentioned.<\/p>\n The post How big does an ISA need to be to replace the State Pension?<\/a> appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie<\/a>.<\/p>\n More reading<\/strong><\/p>\n Motley Fool UK 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Image source: Getty Images The UK\u00a0State Pension\u00a0is rising. And following the latest increase, pensioners now receive up to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500455,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[177],"tags":[52297,79,18,19,17,55535,217614,5231,234,235,4121],"class_list":["post-500454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-annualised-return","tag-business","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-isa","tag-judges-scientific","tag-passive-income","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-state-pension"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116629729891540798","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}