For a year that started off with concerns about another euro crisis and a triple dip recession in the UK, developed equity markets performed strongly in 2013. The performances shown above hide several factors which could be important in 2014: … Continue reading →

The Treasury has released figures on the take up of seed enterprise investment schemes. The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) was originally outlined in the 2011 Spring Budget, but did not formally start life until April 2013, after the usual … Continue reading →

The DWP is proposing a new type of pension scheme. At present pension schemes can be broadly divided into two types: Defined Benefit (DB) Schemes which typically offer a retirement income, or a specific level of pension savings, based on … Continue reading →

The UK state pension system has come under the spotlight again. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has just published its 2013 snapshot of pension provision amongst its members. As usual, it does not paint a great picture … Continue reading →

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement produced few surprises and no giveaways. In March 2013, George Osborne’s job security looked similar to that of a Premier League manager.  Talk was of a triple dip recession, government borrowing was stuck at £120bn and … Continue reading →