News

New measures affecting pension allowances announced in the March Budget could mean your retirement planning strategy needs to be reviewed. If Jeremy Hunt did produce a ‘rabbit-out-the-hat’ in his Spring Budget, it was the announcement of the effective abolition of … Continue reading →

The Budget announced three important changes to childcare provisions in England, but one trap remains. The cost of childcare has become a hot topic in recent years. Despite increasing demand, in March 2022 the number of childcare places available had … Continue reading →

The eligibility for some bereavement payments has now been extended to unmarried couples, but there are two major caveats. In 2021, just over one in five couples living together were cohabiting but not married or in a civil partnership. Despite … Continue reading →

New research shows that UK companies continued to increase their dividend payments to investors in 2022, albeit at a much slower pace than in 2019. As memories of the Covid-19 pandemic begin to fade, it is easy to forget the … Continue reading →

How much income do you actually need in retirement? New research shows an increase that might surprise you. In 2019, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) published research examining how much three different levels of retirement living standards would … Continue reading →

INTRODUCTION The first Budget since October 2021 was widely expected to be an uneventful affair. Five months ago, the then new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, presented an Autumn Statement that was more of a Budget than many formal Budgets. Not only … Continue reading →

A national think tank has proposed a new blueprint for taxing pensions, which might appeal to a future government. Tax and pensions. This combination is enough to give most people a reason for their eyes to glaze over. However, the … Continue reading →

During the non-news week before Christmas, there was a significant announcement on the Making Tax Digital (MTD) scheme for income tax. In recent months, you could be forgiven for thinking that the infrastructure of UK plc was falling apart. One … Continue reading →

When it comes to student loans, the media focus is usually on tuition fees (outside Scotland), but there’s another loan that shouldn’t be overlooked – and that includes Scotland. In January 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) issued a press … Continue reading →

Recent research has compared the value of personal national insurance contributions (NICs) with the value of state pension received. The results may surprise you. NICs are not well understood, a fact exploited by Chancellors past and present. Many people mistakenly … Continue reading →

There is an interesting lesson to be learned from a think tank’s pension criticism. Think tanks come in many different guises, some more independent than others. Those without political links – overt or covert – can often provide a valuable, … Continue reading →

In 2022, most of the world’s major share indices had their worst year since 2008, but the UK’s FTSE 100 was a star performer. Index 2022 Change FTSE 100 +0.9% FTSE 250 -19.7% Dow Jones Industrial -9.2% Standard & Poor’s … Continue reading →