9 December 2019
Election watch: How the major parties shape up for your financesThis election has seen an unprecedented focus on policies aimed squarely at pensioners, with all parties keen to bolster support ahead of polling day on 12th December.
Pensions are arguably the big story of the Labour campaign, with the party committing £58 billion in compensation to the WASPI women and freezing proposed increases in the state...
28 November 2019
How the Conservative manifesto could affect personal financesThe Conservative election manifesto might not be as radical as Labour’s but there are still plenty of proposals that would have an impact on people’s finances and long term savings.
AJ Bell’s analysts consider the key pensions and personal finance pledges put forward by the party.
National Insurance and income tax U-turnNational Insurance rates...
28 November 2019
Green Party manifesto promises radical shake-up for people’s financesThe Green Party has published its election manifesto, including various proposals that would affect savers and retirees.
Based on recent polling, it is possible the next Government will be a coalition comprising a number of the minor parties. The views of these parties are therefore probably more important than ever before.
AJ Bell’s analysts...
28 November 2019
What would the Liberal Democrat manifesto mean for your finances?The Liberal Democrats published their manifesto as the general election battle picked up pace.
While the Conservative and Labour documents will understandably draw the most attention, the minor parties could yet have a crucial say in the future direction of the country.
AJ Bell’s analysts consider the key pensions and personal finance pledges put...
28 November 2019
The potential impact of the Labour manifesto on people's finances and long term savingsLabour has published its election manifesto with plenty of proposals that could have a big impact on people’s finances and long term savings.
AJ Bell’s analysts consider the key pensions and personal finance pledges put forward by the party.
Freeze in state pension age increases beyond 66Make no bones about it – this is a gargantuan promise from...
19 November 2019
Government proposes emergency NHS pension tax fix but does it risk creating more problems?The dog’s breakfast that is the annual allowance tax taper is getting more and more ridiculous by the day. It is ludicrous that the UK’s mind-bogglingly complex pension tax system is now causing significant capacity issues for the NHS – effectively putting people’s lives at risk as senior consultants refuse shifts to avoid huge tax bills.
In...
11 November 2019
Average pension scam victims lose 22 years of savings in just 24 hoursHubris and trusting the ‘advice’ of strangers are proving to be the undoing of scam victims. This is a recipe for disaster as fraudsters prey on the good nature of hard-working savers.
The results of scams are often heartbreaking, with thousands of people losing pensions they have worked their entire lives to diligently build up. In many cases...
30 October 2019
How the general election could affect people’s financesWith the UK heading towards a general election on 12 December, Laura Suter, personal finance analyst at AJ Bell and Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell, look at how the outcome could affect people’s personal finances in some key areas.
Income tax
Boris Johnson pledged a number of changes to personal finances in his campaign to be elected prime...
15 October 2019
Five pension problems the Treasury needs to focus onThe Treasury has confirmed the 2019 Budget setting out this Government’s fiscal agenda is scheduled for 6 November.
While there is no guarantee this administration will actually survive that long, there are various issues demanding Chancellor Sajid Javid’s attention.
1. Scrap the pension tax taperThe strains being placed on the NHS as a result of...
9 October 2019
How Monday’s Queen’s Speech could affect personal financesAssuming we finally get a Queen’s Speech on Monday, any impact on our personal finances is likely to come via a Pensions Bill setting out the Government’s legislative priorities for savers and those already in retirement.
What are some of the key areas a Pensions Bill could focus on?
The Government wants to introduce the principles of Open...
24 July 2019
Boris Johnson to become UK Prime Minister: what it could mean for people's financesBoris Johnson will become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom tomorrow after winning the Conservative leadership contest.
While the former Mayor of London faces one pretty obvious challenge in the short-term, he has also made a number of campaign pledges aimed, unsurprisingly, at core Tory voters.
So how could these proposals affect people’s...
4 July 2019
Don’t let a scammer enjoy your retirementScammers are targeting pension pots of all sizes. Make sure you know how to spot the warning signs and how to keep your pension safe.
Pension scams can be hard to spot. Scammers can be articulate and financially knowledgeable, with credible websites, testimonials and materials that are hard to distinguish from the real thing.
How pension scams...
28 June 2019
What could the new Prime Minister have in store for our personal finances?In less than a month either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt will be chosen by 160,000 Conservative Party members as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Both candidates have made pledges as part of their respective leadership campaigns which voters will expect them to fulfil. They will also be tied to the Conservative manifesto Theresa May was...
11 April 2019
Which crucial pension policies face delay after Theresa May agrees Brexit ‘flextension’?Fans of interminably dull twitter debates will be relieved to hear the process of the UK leaving the European Union could drag on until Halloween (31 October).
However, the ‘flextension’ agreed between the European Union and UK Prime Minister Theresa May could be a nightmare for retirement policy as it will push key reforms down the legislative...
19 June 2018
Will pensions be targeted to fill the £20 billion NHS funding gap?With the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warning the so-called ‘Brexit dividend’ doesn’t actually exist, the Government is facing questions over how it will find the extra £20 billion a year Prime Minister Theresa May has promised for the National Health Service.
The money is expected to come from a combination of increased Government...
20 September 2017
Finance Bill 2017: Key takeaways for savers and investorsWith the Brexit negotiations taking centre stage and Theresa May’s decision to hold a snap general election throwing the usual business of Government into disarray, it was little surprise to see few fireworks following the unveiling of the Finance Bill 2017 earlier this month.
That said there were a couple of key changes introduced which could...
31 August 2017
Will pension scams clampdown really protect savers and investors?“Hello! I’m just calling about the accident you were involved in last week…”
Most of you have probably received a cold-call of this nature at some point in the past few weeks, with the firm on the other end of the line looking to make a claim on your behalf.
Pre-recorded messages saying you are in line for a big Payment Protection Insurance (PPI)...
24 August 2017
Crunching the numbers: How pensions and property square up for investorsTwo years ago while skiing in France I got into an embarrassingly heated debate with three Norfolk farmers about the merits of property investing versus saving in a pension. The trio were bricks and mortar evangelists and refused to even countenance the possibility investing their hard-earned cash in stocks and bonds – or even worse, paying a fund...
10 August 2017
Natural yield versus total returnWhich is the best way to maximise your retirement income?
The pension freedoms have cast renewed focus on retirement income strategies and how people make the best of their hard-earned pension pot. Senior analyst Tom Selby looks at the strengths and weaknesses of two key approaches designed to ensure savers get what they want from their drawdown...
20 December 2016
How to spot a scamSavers now have greater flexibility over how they use their hard-earned pension pot than ever before. Once you reach age 55, you can spend or invest your retirement savings as you want - although remember withdrawals will be taxed in the same way as income.
These freedoms aren’t just attractive for savers, however – scammers are also attacking the...
26 October 2016
Pensions, death and taxes“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” So said Benjamin Franklin, the sixth President of the United States, in a letter written following the establishment of the Constitution.
In pensions, death used to be followed by a huge 55% tax hit on any money you left behind to your loved ones. However, rules introduced...
20 October 2016
Tax relief: The difference between pensions and ISAsStand aside pensions – ISAs are the new kid in town. That seemed to be the conclusion of a report published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), an independent body set up to hold the Treasury to account, last week.
And the evidence since 2010 certainly seems to back that assertion. George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer...
6 October 2016
Pensions vs property: which wins the retirement income war?On the retirement income battlefield, one war has waged more fiercely than any other – pensions versus property. Property evangelists insist you’d be better off sticking your savings in bricks and mortar, while pensions nerds steadfastly back the tax-advantaged retirement vehicle.
But who is right? And what should you consider when deciding whether...
6 October 2016
Pensions – the impact of starting earlyYou’ll often hear financial experts extol the virtues of saving early and often for your retirement. But what you might not be aware of is the magic of compound growth, described by Albert Einstein no less as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’.
‘He who understands it, earns it,’ said the father of the theory of relativity. ‘He who doesn’t…pays it.’
B...
28 September 2016
Could pension tax relief cuts spur VCT growth? Tax relief on the block?The Sword of Damocles once again hangs over pension tax relief. Investors are by now well used to the usual pre-Budget/Autumn Statement newspaper speculation over the future of the UK’s current system, whereby contributions and investment growth are tax-free and withdrawals are taxed at the saver’s marginal rate.
Former...
