Hannah joined AJ Bell in 2025 as an investment writer. She was previously a journalist at Portfolio Adviser Magazine, reporting on multi-asset, fixed income and equity funds, as well as macroeconomic impacts and regulatory changes within the industry.
Hannah earned a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin before beginning her career in London. Before joining the finance industry, she covered state politics in Texas and worked as a sports reporter.
20 May 2025
Why combining pensions into a single pot can make your life easierCombining different pensions into a single pot is a helpful way to make your path to retirement clear and simple, while possibly saving you money along the way.
Throughout your career, you may have accumulated a collection of workplace pensions that can all help towards your retirement goals. But when these investments aren’t in one place...
15 May 2025
Only six North American funds have made investors money this yearJust six funds focusing on North America have made money in sterling terms for UK retail investors this year.
Including the open-ended fund universe and investment trusts, this means just 6% of funds investing in the sector have been able to see any gains amid the tariff turmoil. So how have the lucky few been able to succeed?
Well, one of them...
15 May 2025
How much time do I need to spend researching and monitoring investments?How you choose to invest your money is an important decision, but it doesn’t need to be a time consuming one.
While choosing individual stocks can mean close monitoring to decide when to buy or sell, many other types of investments offer a much more hands-off approach at minimal costs.
In fact, choosing your investments and then giving them time to...
14 May 2025
Why is the FTSE 100 beating the FTSE 250 so far this year (and over the past five years)?Most regions have fully recovered all the losses since the Liberation Day announcement on 2 April triggered a global market sell-off. However, if you look at performance since the start of the year it is clear markets aren’t moving in unison, with the US is a notable laggard.
Countries like Germany are racing ahead, with the Dax index up 19% year...
9 May 2025
Can I still enjoy a summer holiday while saving?Despite spending all day writing about managing finances, I have a very poor temperament when it...
9 May 2025
Should I opt out of my workplace pension and think about retirement savings later in life?Workplace pensions can be incredibly powerful savings vehicles. Your contributions are topped up by additional money from your employer and the government that can double the value of what you put in before it’s invested.
It’s also probably the simplest way to invest. If you work at a company, are aged 22 or older, and earn over £10,000 per year...
1 May 2025
How to invest when you’re not interested in financeThe finance industry is often associated with Wolf of Wall Street and finance ‘bros’ whose main interest is talking up crypto. You might think investing is only for these types of people, yet it is something that most individuals can do, and without much effort or knowledge.
At first glance, investing can look complicated from a practical point of...
23 April 2025
Tariffs have rocked US government bonds – are they still safe?When equity markets experience turbulence, people have historically held tight to their bonds in the hope they provide a cushion for portfolios.
Even though some value may be lost on equities, the value of bonds would often go up, offsetting some of the losses. But earlier this month, both shares and bonds sold off together. The yield on a 10-year...
23 April 2025
Why is my investment trust on a ‘discount’?The idea of your investment trading on a ‘discount’ is not necessarily a phrase that instils confidence. But in the world of investment trusts, it’s a regular occurrence.
In fact, the average Global Equity investment trust currently trades on a 7.1% discount, according to Winterflood. And this doesn’t mean that your investment is losing money. So...
22 April 2025
Should I wait for the markets to pick up before investing?After an extended period of high returns, the stock market took a tumble in the past month that has rattled some investors.
Despite the fall, those who are not new to the market are still likely to be well in the green with their finances. If you’d invested in the MSCI World index five years ago, as of 11 April, you would have still increased the...
