News

New research suggests some retirement costs have fallen, but there is a twist… How much net income do you need each year for a minimum, moderate or comfortable living standard in retirement? Every year since 2019, the Pension and Lifetime … Continue reading →

The Winter Fuel Payment will be returning for most pensioners in England and Wales this winter. Two days before her important Spending Review announcement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves largely completed a slow-motion U-turn on eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP). … Continue reading →

New research has highlighted the groups on track for a retirement of scrimping. Several investment institutions publish annual reports on the state of the retirement market. The latest, from Scottish Widows, does not paint a rosy picture. Its National Retirement … Continue reading →

The Government is taking an increasing interest in where pension funds are investing – or not investing. As March’s Spring Statement underlined, Government finances are in a tight and precarious position. Precisely where the line is drawn may become apparent … Continue reading →

Starting in June, HMRC will begin sending out simple assessment letters which for many will come as an unexpected surprise. From June 2025, HMRC will begin to issue simple assessment letters to those who are not required to make full self assessment … Continue reading →

The April inflation figure fell outside the Bank of England’s target range. Source: Office for National Statistics The Bank of England targets an annual inflation target of 2%, as set by the Chancellor based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). … Continue reading →

Gold has attracted investors in uncertain times with some strange consequences. Source: Investing.com Let me ask you a question, would you invest in something that had limited practical use, yielded no income and cost money (insurance, storage, etc.) to own? … Continue reading →

Taxpayers relying on HMRC to sort out the tax due on interest are given a warning. Over the last few years, one of the strategies adopted by successive governments to increase tax revenue has been by the freezing of tax … Continue reading →

Research has shown there is a lack of awareness about the next change to the State Pension Age (SPA). The changes to SPA have proved fertile grounds for controversy. The move to equalise women’s and men’s SPA at 65, which … Continue reading →

A new word was added to investors’ vocabulary in April. “Well, I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know, they were getting a little bit yippy, a little bit afraid.” So said … Continue reading →

In 1975, the Chancellor’s Budget dared to go where no successor has dared since.   1975 was a memorable year in UK politics. In February 1975, Margaret Thatcher won the Conservative leadership election from Ted Heath, who almost a year … Continue reading →

2025 introduces a technical change to company car tax, which could alter your next choice of car. In recent years, the tax rules for company cars have provided a major incentive to choose a battery electric vehicle (BEV), with zero … Continue reading →

If anything happened to you tomorrow, how much does your partner know about your finances and how easy would it be for them to find out? It’s been five years since the pandemic turned the world upside down. The experience … Continue reading →