21 August 2026

What to do after you take tax-free cash from a pension

In the lead up to recent Budgets, many retirees opted to take tax-free lump sums from their pension after rumours that there would be cuts to the allowance.

But tax-free lump sums have not been changed yet, leaving some in an awkward position of now having a chunk of cash sitting in their accounts, with no need to spend it right away. Even for...

20 August 2026

Where should you be keeping your emergency fund?

Investing is a smart way to build your wealth, and having an emergency fund is essential to not lose what you already have. Before you start your investment journey, it’s smart to build up an emergency fund that you can use when life comes at you with an unexpected twist.

An emergency fund is usually a pot of cash that amounts to between three and...

17 August 2026

This is what AJ Bell’s investors are holding in their SIPPs

Self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) allow plenty of choice when it comes to investment options. This is a perk that many AJ Bell customers have taken advantage of, putting their savings into a variety of stocks, funds, investment trusts and ETFs instead of the cookie cutter pension investment options.

However, choosing investments for your...

14 August 2026

The £0 to £100,000 investment journey

Getting to your first £100,000 is no measly investment goal, but it’s absolutely achievable. Here, we’ll look at the steps you need to take and the traps to watch out for when building up your £100,000, and how long it might take.

The first £100,000 is the hardest

Ever heard the business saying that making the first million is always the hardest...

13 August 2026

Funds and stocks attracting the money versus the herd

There are a few different methods that can be used to judge the popularity of an investment, but two of the most common are how many people are buying it and how much money is being invested in it.

Though it may seem counterintuitive, these two metrics can often show very different patterns. On a broad scale, deals by individuals make up quite a...

6 August 2026

Time-poor for your pension? These 15-minute checks can boost your pot by thousands

One of the most important things you can do for your pension is set yourself up for success early on. Pensions aren’t going to garner all of your attention in your 20s and 30s, and they don’t have to, but devoting just a bit of time to it is certainly worth it. Ticking off these three items can make the difference of hundreds of thousands of pounds...

30 July 2026

China’s back in the AI game: should investors be paying attention?

China got some good news last week, and they needed it. Once a favourite market for investors' portfolios, the Hang Seng Index dropped over 5% in the first six months of 2026, and by over 20% in the last five years to the end of June. But in the past month, investors seem to be singing a different tune.

A June export report showed a 27% increase in...

29 July 2026

Approaching pension drawdown? Top questions you might need answered

When you reach the point you begin to think about dipping into your pension pot, it can often feel like an endless string of financial decisions that you must ‘get right’.

In July, the Department for Work and Pensions released its findings following in-depth interviews with people aged 53 to 67 living a variety of lifestyles across the UK. They...

22 July 2026

Should first-time home buyers wait and invest instead?

Buying a home, even for those who’ve already been through several purchases, tends to mean quite a few sleepless nights and scrutiny of finances.

For most of us, it’s by far the most expensive item we will ever purchase. But it’s also been seen for a long time as one of the most important assets to hold in terms of financial growth, with homes...