Beat the tax chill 

Following his controversial ‘stealth tax’ Statement in November, the Chancellor made a raft of key personal taxation and pension announcements.  The government pledged its commitment to the pensions Triple Lock, which will increase the State Pension in line with September’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of 10.1%. This means that the value of the basic […]

Building retirement resilience in 2023

Although there are many challenges on the household finance front at the moment, the start of a new year always provides the perfect opportunity for a financial health check; and a key element of any finance MOT will inevitably be an honest appraisal of your financial fitness for life after work. Retirement income targets A […]

Anyone can fall victim in an ‘epidemic of fraud’

The latest annual fraud report published by UK Finance stresses the need for an urgent response to ‘the epidemic of fraud’ that the UK is currently facing. The report reveals that £1.3bn was stolen by criminals through authorised and unauthorised fraud in 2021. In total, 56% of UK adults1 have received a suspicious communication or […]

Finding your ‘happy place’ in retirement

If you’re in Wiltshire and about to retire, you’re doing it in the right place.  This is according to an online search engine1 that helps retirees and their families find the best retirement communities and care homes. The research found that Google searches for ‘retirement homes in Wiltshire’ have soared by 150% in the last […]

Pensions update

Recently released research1 suggests UK consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about pensions and prepared to take a greater role in preparing for retirement. Other research2, however, shows significant sums are still sat in ‘lost’ pensions, while experts have warned about potential pension-related problems as the cost-of-living crisis bites.  Pensions knowledge improving  A survey conducted by […]

Trending – ‘living legacies’

Over-55s are increasingly looking to help their families out financially while they are still alive, rather than leaving everything in the form of an inheritance. Research1 has revealed a trend towards ‘living legacies’, due to increased life expectancy pushing up the average age at which younger generations inherit from their parents. People born in the […]

Climate change for investors

As the world continues to emerge from the pandemic, although other headwinds exist, governments, businesses and the financial world are refocusing on what the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) describe as ‘the greatest threat to the wellbeing of humanity and to the ecosystems on which we depend’ – climate change.  According to the PRI, a […]

Steering you through troubled waters

Even experienced investors are likely to find the current investment environment a challenge, particularly when one considers the array of uncertainties in the post-COVID economy which are so fundamentally different to those faced during the last two years. Opportunities, however, are still available to investors who can steer a safe course through choppy waters. Uncertainty […]