11 March 2026
What the Iran conflict means for your retirement and spendingGiven the scale of the instability we are seeing in the Middle East – and specifically the knock-on impact on oil supplies and global confidence – it is inevitable there will be a short-term impact (at the very least) on people who are invested in global markets.
If you have a defined contribution (DC) pension – either set up through your employer...
19 February 2026
Should you be investing more in your pension or ISA?As much as we may want to invest, for most of us, there’s only so much money left over each month to put in the market. This means needing to pick and choose what we invest for, and how to make those investments. Fortunately, the UK offers two tax-efficient wrappers for investments through pensions and ISAs which can be a good starting point for...
11 February 2026
Will you be impacted by the state pension age increase?The state pension is the bedrock upon which millions of Brits build their retirement plans. However, the sands are shifting, with a long-trailed hike in the state pension age to 67 kicking off from April this year and completing in 2028.
In the short term, that is a recipe for confusion – many of those affected during the transition will inevitably...
2 February 2026
The most popular investments in AJ Bell ISAs and pensions in 2026It is natural for someone who shares an interest with their friends or family to want to know what relevant choices they make – whether that is the outfits they bought, the paperbacks on their bookshelf, or even the records in their music collection. The same applies to investments and where people have put their money.
We all have different tastes...
30 January 2026
You might be closer to achieving your pension plan than you thinkWhen it comes time to hang up the boots, it’s common to face anxiety about our savings being enough for the retirement we imagined.
Preparing for retirement, we often think about how much we plan to spend, whether that’s continuing a similar lifestyle to your current one or abandoning the UK winters for sea-side sun. Depending on the plans, this...
28 January 2026
How to choose the right investment accountChapter three of our ‘Investing for beginners’ series sees Charlene Young give a run down of the different account options available, and what investing goals may be best suited for each account.
3 December 2025
What to do if you took your pension lump sum pre-BudgetIn the lead up to the Budget, many retirees opted to take a tax-free lump sum from their pension after a series of rumours that there would be cuts to the allowance.
But tax-free lump sums were not changed in the Budget, leaving some in an awkward position of now having a chunk of cash sitting in their accounts, with no need to spend it right away...
19 November 2025
How could changes to salary sacrifice affect you?Reports suggest reform of salary sacrifice pension schemes could be on the cards as the Chancellor chooses to dance around Labour’s manifesto promises to boost the public finances.
Although clamping down on salary sacrifice isn’t an explicit tax rise, many employees will see less in their pay packets and ultimately their pension pots too. And...
13 November 2025
How much do you need to save in your pension?Setting yourself up for retirement is one of life's biggest goals, and one of the hardest to plan for.
It's impossible to know exactly how much you’ll need in retirement, because you can’t anticipate every life event or how inflation might change prices by the time you get there. However, having a number in mind can be a helpful goal to aim for...
13 November 2025
The fate of tax-free cash in the BudgetA slash of tax-free cash is said to be off the table for this month’s Budget, according to a confirmation by treasury officials to the Telegraph.
Attacking tax-free cash at the Budget would have been a tough sell for the chancellor, raising little money and causing uproar from young and old alike.
It would also likely have led to further industrial...
10 November 2025
How much do I need to retire?Charlene Young, AJ Bell’s Senior Pensions and Savings Expert discusses how much you might need in your pension to fund the retirement you want.
9 November 2025
Pension drawdown – What you need to knowCharlene Young, Senior Pensions and Savings Expert, runs through how pension drawdown works, its advantages, risks, and tax implications.
8 November 2025
How can you access your pension at retirement? Your pension options explainedCharlene Young, Senior Pensions and Savings Expert, runs through the four mains ways that you can access the pensions savings from your SIPP.
6 November 2025
Find out why the Treasury response to AJ Bell’s pensions petition mattersMPs from the Petitions Committee have told the Treasury its response to an AJ Bell petition was not up to scratch after the Government refused to commit to current policies on pension tax-free cash or tax relief.
The Treasury’s response followed a petition raised by AJ Bell, which called for a commitment to pension tax stability. This primarily...
6 November 2025
What happens to your pension when you die?Charlene Young, AJ Bell’s Senior Pensions and Savings Expert answers a question lots of people might want to ask but few feel comfortable talking about: what happens to your pension when you pass away?
30 October 2025
Will Gen Z pensions need millions to fund retirement?How much money you need to save in your pension is an age-old question, and notoriously hard to answer.
Even those that are at retirement age aren’t able to perfectly estimate what they’ll need. There could be unexpected health issues, home expenses, or market volatility that you weren’t able to anticipate.
These numbers get even more vague when we...
22 October 2025
Pensioners account for nearly half of taxpayers hit by cash savings tax trapPensioners account for almost half (44%) of all taxpayers facing an HMRC bill for interest earned on their cash savings, new data obtained by AJ Bell shows.
A freedom of information request from the investment platform shows HMRC expects 1,160,000 people over state pension age to incur an income tax liability on savings this tax year (2025/26).
It...
17 October 2025
How to manage higher capital gains taxLast year’s increases to capital gains tax (CGT) were perhaps not as bad as feared, but calls for reform have restarted as another budget looms. It’s a good time to consider the financial planning threats and opportunities arise.
Higher rates of capital gains tax were an unwelcome addition to the burden shouldered by investors, who already faced...
15 October 2025
What to do when you’re laid off – right as you’re nearing retirementThe last years of your career aren’t something that’s usually associated with uncertainty. In many cases, you’ll have been at the company for years and bring a wealth of knowledge that has earned you status as a senior member of staff.
But often, a senior status comes with a fatter pay cheque. And in the event of a round of layoffs, this might push...
3 October 2025
Your chance to call on the government for pension reassuranceAJ Bell is petitioning the government to make a public commitment not to alter key pension tax incentives – tax free cash entitlement and tax relief – for at least this parliament.
If you share this view, add your name to AJ Bell’s petition, with 10,000 signatures forcing a government response.
When people save in a pension they enter a tax pact...
2 October 2025
What should pension savers consider before taking their tax-free cash?With the Budget fast approaching, the rumour mill is going into overdrive over whether there will be changes to pensions tax incentives from November.
Those who have built up larger pension pots must feel somewhat caught in the headlights. But trying to make decisions based on policy rumours becomes a guessing game.
Whether and when to take tax...
2 October 2025
Do I pay tax on the state pension?Even though you receive the state pension from the government, it still is classified as taxable income. The full state pension is currently £230.25 a week, equivalent to £11,973 a year. This is based on 35 full qualifying years of National Insurance contributions. What you'll get will depend on your own record, and the number of qualifying years...
22 September 2025
Annuities are paying out more: why are pensioners still avoiding them?Annuity rates are looking much juicier than they were thanks to rising bond yields, but retiring pension savers don’t seem to be taking much notice. When George Osborne introduced the pension freedoms a decade ago, the proportion of people buying an annuity at retirement plummeted from 90% to around 10%. It has remained close to that level ever...
17 September 2025
State pension expects 4.7% increase to beat inflationPensioners will be rejoicing at the prospect of an inflation-busting rise to the state pension from April next year as a result of the triple lock guarantee, with the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) earnings growth figure coming in at 4.7% for the period between May and July of this year.
The triple lock guarantee means that the state...
11 September 2025
Saving for retirement when you’re self-employedWhen you work for yourself, you don’t have the luxury of auto-enrolment and a HR department to sort a pension for you. Competing pressures on your time and the fact income can be lumpier than a regular salary can mean that saving looks different for you.
But pensions are not just for employees and the powerful tax perks they come with can turn even...
