News Articles
Maximising Your Retirement Income: What You Need to Know
Maximising Your Retirement Income: A Guide for Those in [...]
Step into Financial Independence through SIPPs
Step into Financial Independence through SIPPs Empowering Your [...]
2024’s Major Update in UK State Pension
2024's Major Update in UK State Pension Understanding [...]
Understanding UK’s National Insurance Contributions
Detailed Insights into UK's National Insurance Contributions Understanding the Recent [...]
Embarking on Your Retirement Journey?
Embarking on Your Retirement Journey? Initiating Your Retirement Strategy [...]
How To: Finding Old Pensions in 2023
How To: Finding Old Pensions in 2023 Have [...]
Retirement cash flow modelling
Examining your present financial status and forecasting future assets, [...]
Overlooking Money Meant for You?
Could You Be Overlooking Money Meant for You? Pension savers [...]
Maximising Your Retirement Income
Maximising Your Retirement Income: The Importance of Exploring Annuity [...]
Preserving wealth for future generations
Preserving wealth for future generations Starting estate planning early [...]
Should I delay my retirement?
Should I delay my retirement? Delaying retirement could boost [...]
The Gender Pension Gap issue
The Gender Pension Gap issue 73% of women make [...]
Using your inheritance effectively
Using your inheritance effectively Making informed decisions to managing [...]
Protecting your children and securing their future
Protecting your children and securing their future Our health, [...]
Building a diversified portfolio
Building a diversified portfolio What is it, and why [...]
Maximising your investments in your 50s
Maximising your investments in your 50s Time to evaluate [...]
Normal Minimum Pension Age update
Normal Minimum Pension Age update Essential information for your [...]
Price of adulthood
Paying essentials like utilities and council tax becomes a reality as young adults transition from student life to the workforce. The reality of financial responsibilities often accompanies the excitement of newfound independence during one’s mid-twenties.
Perfect storm
A perfect storm of global and domestic factors has contributed to spiralling inflation in the UK, triggering a cost of living crisis. This is pushing up the prices of food, fuel and housing.
Feeling the pinch
Throughout their lives, women face a number of challenges that can place them at a financial disadvantage compared to their male counterparts. This can include inequality of pay at work, taking career breaks or taking part-time positions due to an expectation they will take on greater responsibility for family commitments.
Tracing old and lost pensions
The lost pensions challenge in the UK has grown significantly in recent years, further exacerbated by the pandemic, which resulted in a large proportion of people moving jobs. A recent Pension Policy Institute research briefing calculated the total value of lost pension pots has grown to £26.6 billion in 2022.
Time to get your retirement plans in motion?
It’s only natural, in a world where most people are worried about things that are beyond their control – the rising cost of living, increasing inflation and interest rates that haven’t been seen for years – that you may also feel out of your depth when it comes to things like pensions and later life preparations.
Taxing times
With the current tax year having begun on 6 April 2022, the clock is ticking and it is important to utilise all the tax reliefs and allowances available to you before 5 April 2023 in order to minimise any potential liabilities.
No ‘one-size-fits-all’ protection solution
With a New Year comes resolutions. Everyone should make a resolution to review their protection and estate plans. A solid plan will help you feel confident your family’s finances are secure.
Phased retirement
Retiring early is a dream for many people and it is achievable for people who have been able to plan, save into a pension over a long period and taken financial advice to help them plan their finances. However, it can become a financial problem if retirement is forced upon people before they have had time to prepare.
Don’t miss the ISA deadline
Time is running out to take advantage of this year’s Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowances. You get one ISA allowance per tax year. So use it or lose it soon, when the tax year ends on 5 April.
Chancellor retains state pension triple lock
Chancellor retains state pension triple lock State pension is [...]
Millennials willing to forgo inheritance
Many people want to do what they can to ensure they maximise the amount they leave to their family and minimise Inheritance Tax, but working out how much you can afford to give away during your lifetime isn’t easy.
It’s good to talk
When it comes to conversations about money, more and more families in Britain are opening up, new research reveals. This is a significant increase from previous years, when such conversations were considered taboo...
Funding the lifestyle you want
One of the most common concerns among those approaching retirement is whether they will have enough money to last them. A new study shows that only 25% of retirees feel very confident they’ve saved enough for retirement...
Cost of living crisis
Soaring petrol costs pushed inflation to its highest level for 40 years. New research has uncovered the impact of these high fuel prices on consumers as more than a third (35%) are spending less on food to keep their car on the road...
Unretirement
Older workers have been leaving the jobs market in their droves over the past two years, partly due to many re-evaluating what they want from their lives and careers during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and also due to the devastating impact the pandemic had on the prospects for many older jobseekers, who felt they had no choice but to leave the workforce...
Bridging the gender pensions gap
We’ve all heard about the gender pay gap, but very few discuss the gender pensions gap, despite the fact so many women experience it. Women’s pensions at retirement are half the size of men’s, regardless of the sector they work in, new research has highlighted...
How to protect you and your family’s future
There are various complex risks in life that we all face, such as serious illness, an accident or death. What would happen if something were to happen to you? Would your family be able to cope financially with the impact an unexpected event might have?...
Bringing pensions together
The employment landscape has evolved significantly over the last few decades and changing jobs multiple times before retirement is now very much the norm. But did you know, there is an estimated £9.7 billion of unclaimed UK defined contribution pension funds?...
Are you saving enough for retirement?
Despite the fact that the government has been trying to encourage people to save for their retirement through initiatives such as auto-enrolment, there are still too many Britons who have no pension savings at all. Research reveals that a fifth (20%) of people still have no pension savings at all, and people nearing retirement aren’t doing much better..
Cash may not be king
Choosing what to do with your pension is a big decision. If you’ve been saving into a defined contribution pension (sometimes called ‘money purchase’) during your working life, from age 55 (age 57 in 2028) you need to decide what to do with the money you’ve saved towards your pension when you eventually decide to retire.
Putting life on hold
Rising living costs have been so significant in recent months that most UK households will have noticed a squeeze on their monthly budgets. Not only does this have a direct impact on people’s lifestyles...
Inheritance Tax receipts reach £6.1bn
We all want to leave a legacy and make sure the ones we care about most are well taken care of when we’re gone. That’s why making plans for Inheritance Tax is so important, to have confidence that your children, grandchildren and those you hold dearest will be taken care of long into the future...
Self-employed extremely vulnerable to loss of income
Self-employed people are at risk of financial hardship if they don’t have sufficient provision in place. Without a regular income, it can be difficult to cover expenses and also save for the future .In many cases, the self-employed are unable to claim for many of the benefits that employees are entitled to, including statutory sick pay...
Midlifers set to be impacted twice by the cost of living
As the cost of living crisis continues to rise, midlifers are set to be impacted particularly hard. This is because many midlifers are still paying off mortgages and other debts, while also trying to support their families. This means that they often have less disposable income than younger people...
Starting a family
Having a baby is one of the most exciting, life-changing events that you’ll ever experience. But along with the joy and happiness that comes with starting a family, there is also the reality of the added costs.
How much will you need to retire?
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not saving enough for your retirement. This can leave you struggling to make ends meet in your later years, and may even force you to rely on others for financial support. It’s never too early to start saving, and the sooner you start, the better off you’ll be...
Pension poverty after divorce
When you are off work due to an illness or injury, worries about how you are going to pay your bills can make an already stressful situation worse. So much so, that many people are finding themselves in the very difficult position of having to put the need to earn money over their health by continuing to go to work, even when advised not to by a doctor...
Recession-proof your finances
In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to make sure your finances are in order. The Bank of England believes that a painful squeeze on our living standards, driven, primarily, by soaring energy prices, is set to intensify and will push the UK economy into recession later this year...
What does inflation mean for me and my money?
Inflation is one of the most important factors that savers and investors must take into account when making decisions about their money. Although inflation can eat away at the purchasing power of your savings, it can also create opportunities for profit if you invest in assets that are expected to increase in value faster than prices overall...
How to reduce Inheritance Tax by leaving a gift
When you’ve worked hard and invested carefully to build your wealth, you want to look after it. That’s why it’s important to plan for your wealth preservation and the eventual transfer of that wealth...
Signs you’re really ready to retire
When is the right time to retire? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question – it depends on your personal circumstances. However, there are a few things to consider that may help you decide when the right time for you is...
Tips for a healthy pension as you approach retirement
As you approach the last five years before your retirement, there will be a lot of things to consider. You’ll need to think about your finances, your health, your housing situation, and your plans for the future to live comfortably in retirement...
Inflation eating your savings?
As your income increases, the complexity of your finances may too. Tax-efficiency is a key consideration when investing because it can make such an enormous difference to your wealth and quality of life...
Cost of “saver inaction”
Despite inflation reaching its highest rate for many decades, some people in the UK are not aware of its impact on their finances. More than half of all cash savers (52%) don’t know what impact inflation will have on the real value of their cash savings over time...
Show me the money
The staggering impact of the gender pension gap has been revealed in new research which shows that women have lower pension pot sizes in every age bracket, with the situation significantly deteriorating as they approach retirement. Worryingly, women on average retire with less than half the income of men...
Self-employed vulnerable to financial shocks
As more and more people reject the traditional working structure in favour of becoming self-employed, some people could be at risk of financial insecurity as they lose out on employee benefits that offer protection in the present, and financial planning for the future...
Managing the impact to your pension
Retirement planning can be complex at the best of times so it is easy to understand how some people can find it daunting to take into account factors like inflation. The reality is that inflation hurts everyone, but it can be especially harmful to retirees...
Rising cost of living crisis
The rising cost of living is one of the most pressing issues facing many families today. The price of food, energy, fuel and other necessities has risen significantly in recent months. This has made it difficult to make ends meet and has put a strain on many household budgets...
Wealth vs health
When you are off work due to an illness or injury, worries about how you are going to pay your bills can make an already stressful situation worse. So much so, that many people are finding themselves in the very difficult position of having to put the need to earn money over their health...
How to improve your financial health
The cost of living crisis is putting immense pressure on many households across the country. In order to make ends meet, some people are cutting back on their spending and looking for ways to save money. One of the best ways to save money is to set goals...
Create a better world to live and retire in
Almost two-thirds (64%) of UK pension holders say that didn’t know their pension could be invested in ways to help fight climate change. One in six (17%) of UK pension holders currently invest their pension responsibly...
Cost of living crunch
Britain’s cost-of-living crunch has hit the country hard, with inflation at its highest level in three decades, petrol prices spiralling, retail price increases rising to their highest levels in ten years and, most recently, Ofgem announcing a 54% price hike in energy bills affecting 22 million households.
UK Pensioners Underpaid
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) underpaid 134,000 pensioners in State Pension to the tune of £1 billion, according to the National Audit Office (NAO)...
Property wealth boost
Older homeowners received a £1.94 billion property wealth boost in the first half of 2021, data shows. More than half of the proceeds of equity release (52%)...
How has COVID-19 affected retirement plans?
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted on every aspect of our lives, affecting individuals’ financial situation and for many, their plans for retirement.
Preparing for the unexpected
If you are worried illness or injury could leave you without enough to pay bills, there are solutions to help protect your income.
Top pension tips if you’re about to retire
We spend our working lives building towards retirement. Choices we make today will have a big impact on the quality of our lives later on.
Making inheritance gifts from surplus income
If you want to make inheritance gifts from surplus or excess income, there is a useful and much under-utilised exemption that allows gifts over and above the value of £3,000 per annum to be made.
Build your own financial plan
Having a financial plan in place early on can make it easier to manage your money further down the line. It’s never too early to make a financial plan.
Inheritance Tax
The latest Inheritance Tax (IHT) statistics show an additional 4% was added to HM Revenue & Customs receipts compared to the previous year.
How to trace multiple old pension pots
Changed job? Moved house? It’s not always easy to keep track of a pension, especially if you’ve been in more than one scheme or have changed employers throughout your career. Over time, pension schemes close, merge or become renamed.
The Retirement planning journey
Retirement planning journey What you need to consider at [...]
