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

  • 14 January 2026

    What is regular investing?

    Setting up regular investments is a great way to automate your investing journey. Here we explain how it works, its benefits and the checks you should make to stay on track.

    6 min read
    Woman on laptop with calendar

  • 8 January 2026

    A major tax deadline is approaching: do you need to file a return?

    The festive period is now firmly in the rear-view mirror and millions of people are yet to file their self-assessment tax return for the 2024/25 tax year ahead of the 31 January deadline.

    Although nearly 20,000 filed a return on New Year’s Day, just under half of the expected 12 million tax returns are yet to be received by the taxman, according to...

    5 min read
    woman using laptop and papers to do her finances

  • 27 December 2025

    How does your emergency fund measure up?

    The end of the year is a time where we think more about spending than saving, but lots of people are leaving themselves financially exposed by not having enough saved as a cash buffer.

    According to new research by AJ Bell, one-in-five (19%) Brits have less than £1,000 saved in an emergency cash pot. This links to data earlier this year from the...

    4 min read
    Couple on sofa looking at bucket on floor

  • 15 December 2025

    Pension transfers

    Whether you want to transfer an old workplace pension to your SIPP, or transfer to AJ Bell from another pension provider, learn more about SIPP transfers here.

    5 min read
    Elderly couple gardening

  • 9 December 2025

    Embracing uncertainty – what you need to know about investment risk

    When you hear the word ‘risk’ in the context of investing, your first thought could be in relation to losing money. It’s an understandable reaction – after all, no one likes the idea of their hard-earned savings falling in value. But investment risk is more than just the chance of loss. It’s also the reason investors can grow their money over time...

    4 min read
    female stockbroker reviewing charts on computer screen

  • 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...

    5 min read
    Woman with calculator

  • 13 November 2025

    Five ways to help your children gain confidence with money

    The government is worried about a lack of financial education for children leaving them ill-equipped to deal with modern life. Research from the Money and Pensions Service (MaPs) showed less than half of young people aged between 7 and 17 had received some sort of education when it comes to money. But those who had been taught about finances felt...

    5 min read
    Monopoly board