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.
8 January 2025
Nine personal finance changes coming in 2025This year will bring a number of changes that may impact your wallet, from a freeze to tax rates, to hikes in rail fares and stamp duty changes making homebuying more expensive. We look at the main changes that will impact your money in 2025.
1. Another year of frozen thresholdsApril sees the start of a new tax year but, once again, taxpayers will...
2 January 2025
Over 40,000 file tax return over Christmas breakA staggering 4,409 people turned their backs on the turkey dinner and spent Christmas Day 2024 filing their tax returns. Although this is a drop on Christmas Day itself compared with the previous year, over the three days between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day more than 40,000 people put the festivities on hold to file their tax return – an increase...
31 December 2024
One in four investors use portfolio to help family and friendsOne in four investors have used money withdrawn from their investment portfolio to help friends and family financially, a survey of AJ Bell DIY investors shows.
The data, collected in December 2024, shows that 15% of investors have already used some of their investment assets to support loved ones, while a further 10% said it was something they...
19 December 2024
Defined benefit pensionsRead all about defined benefit pensions (DBP) including what they are, how they work, and how they differ to defined contribution pensions.
19 December 2024
Withdrawing your pension in fullIf you’re 55 or over, you can choose to withdraw all your pension pot in one go - but what are the implications? We list the main things you should think about.
17 December 2024
Five ways to get your pension savings on track this yearPensions aren’t always at the top of our priorities after a busy Christmas, but these five quick and simple checks can get your pots in shape for the coming year.
1. See if you can save moreIt’s easy to simply say people should pay in more, but if you can afford to put a little extra towards your retirement, pensions offer great tax perks in...
5 December 2024
How is my pension taxed on withdrawal?When you save for retirement using a pension, part of your withdrawal is tax-free, but what about the rest of it? This article looks at the taxes that apply when you access your pension.
27 November 2024
Three tips to get the most from your pension potPensions come with generous tax perks to help you save for retirement, but people sometimes make mistakes that could lose them extra money in their pot.
1) Keep track of your pensionsPension admin can easily slip down a growing to-do list but checking in on your pension (or pensions) could end up saving you hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds in...
8 November 2024
How two-decade freeze on IHT thresholds could cost your family over £230,000A two-decade long freeze on the inheritance tax (IHT) allowance could cost families almost a quarter of a million pounds by the end of the end of the Chancellor’s tax threshold freeze, analysis from AJ Bell shows.
The main IHT exemption, the ‘nil rate band’, has been frozen at £325,000 since 2009. Amounting to £650,000 for a married couple, assets...
30 October 2024
Money purchase annual allowanceOnce you start to flexibly access your pension, including your SIPP, you’ll trigger the money purchase annual allowance (MPAA), which is set at £10,000. Learn more about the MPAA.
