Investment terms trigger stress reaction

The common use of jargon can make investments and pensions seem impenetrable and intimidating. If the thought of words such as ‘Equities’ and ‘Investment ISAs’ gets your heart racing, you’re not alone: new research1 has shown that financial terms really can make people feel anxious. How can this be tested? Researchers used a variation of […]

Climate disclosures top corporate agendas in 2022

Regulators have been urged by the IMF to do more to prevent financial companies from making misleading claims concerning their environmental credentials – ‘Proper regulatory oversight and verification mechanisms are essential to avoid greenwashing.’  To achieve the expansion needed to reach the target of reducing worldwide carbon emissions to net zero by mid-century, will require […]

Gen up to protect yourself from pension scams

With pension scam losses totalling millions each year, good news came in November, when new regulations came into force to protect pension savers and stop suspicious scam transfers. From 30 November 2021, pension trustees and scheme managers received new powers to intervene. Previously pension providers were not allowed to refuse to carry out a transfer […]

‘Special dividends’ boost investor income

In Q3 2021, UK dividends reached £34.9bn, an impressive 89% year-on-year rise1. Part of this rise can be attributed to large one-off special dividends, a trend expected to continue in Q4. Excluding special dividends, the underlying total in Q3 was £27.7bn, a 52.6% increase. In context, this year-on-year rebound, is comparable with a pandemic-stricken Q3 2020, […]