About the expert

Charlene Young is AJ Bell’s Senior Pensions and Savings Expert. She joined AJ Bell in 2014 from a wealth management firm where she worked with private clients and small businesses as a financial planner.

Charlene has over 15 years’ experience in financial services, holding Chartered Financial Planner status and Chartered membership of the Personal Finance Society (PFS). She's also an associate member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and has a degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Bristol.

She's a core member of our team who create content and information to help you invest - from how to map out your financial goals and which accounts can help you on your investing journey, to making sense of the more intricate parts of the tax and pension rules.

Pensions are Charlene's thing, and her goal is to make them less daunting and complicated for everyone. She does this by writing articles for our website and investor newsletters, as well as recording podcasts, videos and webinars for our website, apps and social media channels. She’s been instrumental in the delivery of AJ Bell’s 'Learn' area – a hub of educational content for those newer to investing.

You’ll also see Charlene representing AJ Bell at our investor events and providing comments for national press and adviser publications. She’s a director of AJ Bell’s pension trustee companies.

Latest articles from Charlene Young

  • 25 April 2025

    SIPP vs ISA

    Stocks and shares ISAs and Self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) can be ideal wrappers for holding investments in shares and funds. Learn about SIPPs vs ISAs here.

    7 min read
    comparing donuts and apples

  • 24 February 2026

    ISA allowances

    The ISA allowance is how much you can put in your individual savings accounts per year. Find out how the £20,000 limit works and what happens if you exceed it.

    7 min read
    Slice of cake

  • 20 February 2026

    Student loan changes could cost graduates £250 a year

    In the 2025 Budget chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a plan to freeze the threshold at which around four million graduates start paying off their student loan.

    How much will these changes cost? The precise impact will depend on each individual and their own earnings, as well as future inflation over the next three years. But our estimates show...

    8 min read
    Students being shown information

  • 17 February 2026

    Making the most of your allowances

    Tax allowances and reliefs can help you shelter wealth from tax and keep more of your returns. The end of the tax year is a good time to round up what’s available and make sure you’re not missing out.

    What allowances do investors get?

    As well as the main personal allowance for income tax, which is £12,570 for most people, there are specific tax...

    6 min read
    A man looking at his finances online

  • 19 January 2026

    What is capital gains tax?

    What is capital gains tax and how does it work? This guide covers CGT allowances, rates and how you might be able to prevent a capital gains tax bill.

    7 min read
    Letter from HMRC with stack of money

  • 15 January 2026

    What you can do about changes to salary sacrifice

    Salary sacrifice has hardly been out of the news since the November Budget. It’s a formal agreement between you and your employer to lower your headline salary in return for pension contributions. The salary sacrificed up front is then exempt from National Insurance (NI) deductions for both you and your employer and in some cases, your employer...

    5 min read
    Woman opening her paypacket

  • 14 January 2026

    Scottish Budget: income and wealth tax changes explained

    In a boost for those on lower incomes, Scottish taxpayers will see some income tax thresholds rise from 6 April 2026 for earned income.

    But the 788,000 Scottish taxpayers who are forecast by the Scottish Fiscal Commission to pay tax at the higher rate and above from 2026 will still be at the mercy of fiscal drag. This is because the higher...

    3 min read
    Photo of Hollyrood