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

  • 18 September 2025

    Saving for retirement

    Saving for retirement can seem daunting, with so many different types of pension and savings accounts to choose from. To help get you started, let’s work out what you might need, so you can decide how and when to invest for your retirement.

    9 min read
    People holding puzzle pieces

  • 11 September 2025

    HMRC toughens checks on pension tax relief: could you be missing out on extra money?

    From 1 September, HMRC has made it tougher to claim pension tax relief, requiring everyone to evidence their claim for higher amounts. Previously, the requirement to evidence a claim was only placed on those paying in more than £10,000.

    Those who have a pension in a ‘relief at source’ scheme or a personal pension like a Self-invested personal...

    4 min read
    uk hmrc form with pound coins

  • 10 September 2025

    How to claim the state pension

    You’ve worked out your state pension age, checked for any gaps in your National Insurance record and know what amount you’re due to receive. But how do you get your state pension paid and is there any benefit to deferring it?

    Although you should get a letter with an invitation code around four months before you reach your state pension age, you’ll...

    3 min read
    woman reading state pension leaflet

  • 9 September 2025

    How your pension can lower your tax bill

    Like the sound of keeping more of what you earn and beating the worst tax traps in the UK system? Then read on to discover the power of pension contributions.

    Rising incomes coupled with frozen thresholds and allowances mean the taxman is set to rake in an extra £20 billion this tax year, according to HMRC statistics. A further 500,000 people will...

    4 min read
    Woman reviewing pensions paperwork

  • 8 September 2025

    The state pension - everything you need to know

    The state pension forms a big part of lots of people’s retirement plans, with the money helping to bolster any income from personal or company pensions. But with the age being extended and worries about the rising cost of it for the government, there are concerns it could be trimmed back.

    For those nearing retirement it’s important to know all the...

    6 min read
    couple doing calculations

  • 26 August 2025

    Beat the £100,000 tax trap cost that could cost parents tens of thousands

    September marks the final phase in extending free funded childcare hours in England, which could save eligible working parents thousands of pounds a year. But the long standing £100,000 tax trap could mean this punishes higher earnings parents even further.

    Parents might be able to re-arrange their finances to side-step the penalty by making modest...

    7 min read
    father carrying child on his shoulders in the forest

  • 6 August 2025

    Tax on US shares

    You can use your AJ Bell account to buy US shares directly, or funds that invest in US companies and government debt. Learn more about tax on US shares.

    5 min read
    us flags on wall street building

  • 25 July 2025

    How to make gifts from your pension income

    From 6 April 2027, pensions will be included in your estate for inheritance tax (IHT) purposes. There’s no doubt this aims to raise tax revenue, but the government clearly wants to encourage people to use their pensions in retirement, rather than leaving them untouched as a way of passing on wealth free of inheritance tax.

    In this article, I’ll...

    5 min read
    income_gift.jpg