Charlene 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.
18 March 2026
Last orders for pension top-ups? Boosting contributions before and after retirementMany people in their 50s are in a financial sweet spot. Earnings are often at their peak, mortgages may be shrinking and any children are hopefully proving less expensive. That makes this period a golden opportunity to give your pension a final push, if you know the rules.
Here’s what you need to know about pension contribution limits, carry...
20 February 2026
Student loan changes could cost graduates £250 a yearIn 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...
17 February 2026
Making the most of your allowancesTax 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...
12 February 2026
Remove pension stress with a pre-retirement checklistRetirement should not mean spreadsheets and sleepless nights. While you might not be able to control markets, inflation, or interest rates, you can control how prepared you are, and a bit of admin now could buy years of confidence later.
Here are seven things that you can check off now to help you get organised before you enter retirement, whatever...
10 February 2026
Can I transfer a Cash ISA to a Stocks and shares ISA?Converting your Cash ISA to a Stocks and shares ISA can help keep your tax benefits and explore potential for higher returns. Find out how to transfer your ISA.
4 February 2026
Investing risk - balancing risk and returnDiscover a healthier approach to wealth with our guide to investing risk. Regardless of your attitude to risk, learn how diversification can work for you.
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.
16 January 2026
Why hitting 75 still matters when it comes to your pensionsWhen the pensions lifetime allowance was abolished in 2024, it was widely seen as good news for people with larger pension pots. But it also created a bit of a myth; that age 75 no longer matters in the world of pensions.
It’s true that there is no lifetime allowance test at 75 to worry about, but it remains a key point where HMRC draws a line...
15 January 2026
What you can do about changes to salary sacrificeSalary 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...
14 January 2026
Scottish Budget: income and wealth tax changes explainedIn 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...
