6 January 2026
Annuity vs drawdown – what’s the difference?Comparing different retirement income options can help you make an informed decision. Find out more about the differences between annuity and drawdown.
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
5 January 2026
What happens to my pension when I die?When you die, you can pass on your pension to a beneficiary - one of the great tax advantages of a Self-invested personal pension (SIPP). Learn about SIPPs on death.
15 December 2025
Pension transfersWhether 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.
10 December 2025
Approaching or in retirement; here’s your Budget breakdownRachel Reeves has now delivered her second Budget, but as I’m writing this column, most of the headlines seem more concerned with the lead up to the speech – government leaks and the future of the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) – rather than the smorgasbord of policies announced.
So, what changed for people who are approaching or already in...
9 December 2025
Embracing uncertainty – what you need to know about investment riskWhen 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...
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
Five ways to help your children gain confidence with moneyThe 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...
12 November 2025
Retirement planning: reasons to keep calm and carry onI’m excited to be a part of the new monthly Shares magazine team. Each month, I’ll look at what readers in the run up to retirement, and those already enjoying it should consider, with some planning pointers along the way.
To say the last few years in pensions have seen plenty of changes is an understatement. The lifetime allowance has been...
23 October 2025
How to build a passive portfolio for a Lifetime ISAA Lifetime ISA is designed to help you save for your first property, but it can also be used to help boost your retirement savings, too.
Whatever the reason for using a Lifetime ISA, you’re more likely to be looking to grow your money rather than investing for income, and passive funds are one option for your portfolio.
These types of funds track a...
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...
