20 August 2025
Why it could be time to ditch Premium Bonds and start investing for children insteadPremium Bonds have long been perceived by parents and grandparents as a safe store of a few quid, often gifted when a child is born or for birthdays in the hope that they could be one of the lucky winners of a top prize. Unfortunately, unless they are saving large amounts, they’re unlikely ever to see that dream become a reality and may not earn...
6 August 2025
Six ways to start saving for your child’s futureSaving for your child is one of those well-meaning resolutions that often gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list. But setting up an investment account and making regular contributions doesn’t take much effort, and by the time they turn 18, your child could have a sizeable financial head start.
A lot of parents default to cash when saving...
6 August 2025
How grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends can give money to a child via a Junior ISAInvesting in a child’s future can be a rewarding gift for them and for you. Using a Junior ISA is a tax-efficient way of letting that money grow, and knowing your money could help them get ahead is deeply satisfying on a personal level.
Relatives or friends often give a child a toy or clothes for their birthday or at Christmas, or they donate cash...
10 July 2025
What could Mansion House speech mean for the future of pensions and ISAs?After a bruising few weeks, the chancellor will be hoping to reset the agenda at next week’s Mansion House speech, likely turning her attention to pensions again and trying to persuade voters this government can plot a path toward a more prosperous retirement for millions of Brits.
Phase two of the government’s Pensions Review will look at adequacy...
16 June 2025
How much tax can you save in an ISA versus a Dealing account?When you start investing, the first choice you have to make is which account to open. If you want easy access without locking your money up, then typically you’ll be deciding between an ISA or a Dealing account (also known as a general investment account).
Lots of people might default into a Dealing account as it seems the simplest option – but...
2 April 2025
How to set your Lifetime ISA investment goalsThe Lifetime ISA is a clever way of saving, as the government gives you free money when you pay into the account.
How to invest the money inside the Lifetime ISA depends on how you intend to use proceeds later – namely do you want to buy a house, fund retirement or something else? The goals can require different saving and investment strategies, so...
24 March 2025
Four ways to freshen up your ISAThe start of a new tax year is the perfect excuse to check your ISA and see if your investments are going to plan.
It may be time to reassess how your investments can work best for you. Circumstances and priorities can change, so it’s important to revisit your goals and adjust your plan if necessary.
Here are four steps to consider. They shouldn’t...
24 March 2025
How investors use their ISAISAs are a popular savings and investment product, with millions of people across the UK taking advantage of the tax perks of an ISA to set aside money for the future.
There is now well in excess of £700 billion held by Brits in ISAs, with most of this invested for the long-term in stocks and shares ISAs. Despite complexity creeping into the ISA...
25 September 2024
Families urged to track down £1.4 billion in forgotten child accountsThe Government has urged people aged 18-22 to come forward and claim their share of £1.4 billion stashed in matured Child Trust Funds. Government data released last week showed that around £10 billion is sat in Child Trust Fund accounts, with £1.4 billion in unclaimed accounts and £7.5 billion in accounts still held by under 18s.
When someone...
19 September 2024
Two million to pay tax on cash savings interestThe number of people having to pay tax on their savings will almost double over two years to the end of the current tax year, a Freedom of Information request from AJ Bell can reveal. More people will be pushed into paying tax on their savings as interest rates have risen and people hit their tax-free limit.
The Personal Savings Allowances...
12 September 2024
Three priorities for Labour’s first BudgetThe first Budget for new Chancellor Rachel Reeves is coming at the end of October. The rumour mill has already geared up with speculation on what could be included, but we’ve laid out three key areas the Government could focus on when it comes to people’s investments and savings.
ISA simplificationAt a time when government is facing significant...
28 August 2024
How to pay for your child to go to private schoolThere are over 2,500 independent schools in the UK, educating over 620,000 pupils. With inflation-busting increases to costs in the last few years, and the VAT exemption for private schools ending from January 2025, parents who are thinking about private school need to get started on their plans to fund it.
Average fees for a non-boarder are £18...
31 July 2024
Cash ISA glut continues into JuneThe Cash ISA glut has some legs left in it yet, as savers ploughed a further £3.4 billion into these tax shelters in June, according to the latest figures released by the Bank of England. This compares to average June inflows of £700 million in the previous 10 years. Until recently that size of inflow would have been more associated with the end of...
31 July 2024
What to expect in October’s Budget following the Chancellor’s public finance updateThe Chancellor has signaled to the public that tax rises are extremely likely at the Budget on 30 October, pointing to what she claims is a £20 billion black hold in the public finances.
During the election campaign Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer, now Chancellor and Prime Minister respectively, were at pains to insist they wouldn’t raise income tax...
11 April 2024
ISA investors still shunning UK funds and trusts ahead of UK ISA launchJudging by the most popular investments with ISA investors so far in 2024, it looks like Jeremy Hunt is going to have to rely on individual stock investors to do the heavy lifting when it comes to the UK ISA.
Fund and trust investors are still very much going global with their ISA money in search of superior returns.
None of the twenty most popular...
4 April 2024
25 years of the ISA: four companies also created in 1999 that would have produced lucrative returnsFour giants of industry were created in the same year as the ISA launched in 1999 and investing in them at the first possible opportunity via this tax wrapper would have turned £5,000 in each stock into a combined £648,660, according to analysis by AJ Bell.
All capital gains and income have been sheltered from the taxman in this scenario, meaning...
14 March 2024
How ISA millionaires invest their moneyThe number of investors with at least £1 million in their AJ Bell ISA has more than doubled over the past three years. That is despite rising interest rates causing headwinds for equity and bond markets.
Today’s AJ Bell ISA millionaires have shown a preference for investing in individual shares rather than funds, with 75% of their portfolios...
10 March 2024
What is the British ISA?*Please note that the Government has since scrapped all plans for the British ISA in the October 2024 Budget.
The government have announced they’re planning to launch a new ISA. It’s called the ‘UK ISA’, though you might have heard it called the ‘British ISA’ by the media.
The new UK ISA will have an additional £5,000 allowance, which is on top of...
25 June 2023
What is a Lifetime ISA?Laura Suter, Personal Finance Analyst at AJ Bell, explains what the Lifetime ISA is and talks through how it works, so you can decide if it might be right for you.
4 March 2020
ISA investing in the face of CoronavirusA third day of gains for the FTSE 100 this week will be welcome relief for investors but the rebound only makes up a small fraction of the losses experienced last week. This increased volatility has come at a particularly difficult time for investors who want to utilise their ISA allowance before the end of the tax year and are thinking about where...
25 February 2020
Five people who should consider using an ISAWith the introduction of the Personal Savings Allowance in 2016, investors are less eager to open ISAs to protect their money from the taxman.
The tax break gives basic-rate taxpayers a £1,000 buffer on savings income and a £500 tax break for higher-rate payers, meaning many savers needn’t get an ISA to protect their gains. But as the number of...
