1 July 2025

How to build a £1 million pension pot

30 June 2025

Five hacks to generate a £16,000 tax-free income

Families could boost their income by more than £16,000 without handing a penny of it to the taxman, using five simple tax hacks.

Couples with one partner earning less than the personal allowance can benefit from the marriage allowance, while those earning less than £17,570 can benefit from up to £5,000 in tax-free savings income, thanks to the...

16 June 2025

How much tax can you save in an ISA versus a Dealing account?

When you start investing, the first choice you have to make is which account to open. If you want easy access without locking your money up, then typically you’ll be deciding between an ISA or a Dealing account (also known as a general investment account).

Lots of people might default into a Dealing account as it seems the simplest option – but...

20 May 2025

Could you have £959,729 in lost pensions?

There are 3.3 million lost pension pots, according to the Pensions Policy Institute, as people have moved jobs, lost paperwork or forgotten their pension existed. But what if you had 11 missing pension pots you could track down, or a pension worth £959,729 sitting there waiting to be found?

That’s what some people discovered when using our pension...

6 May 2025

Are you adding to the £280bn cash in accounts paying no interest?

If you want one figure to sum up the apathy of the UK’s savers, it’s the fact that £280 billion is sitting in accounts earning absolutely no interest, at a time when interest rates are north of 5% for some savings accounts.

The latest Bank of England data to the end of March shows that there is a mountain of cash paying no interest, which has...

10 April 2025

How the AJ Bell funds are reacting to Trump tariffs

The past week has seen new tariffs from the US that are causing significant volatility in global markets. As markets have seen turbulence, we understand you may have questions. Below, the AJ Bell Investment Team address key areas of concern and share how we’re managing the AJ Bell funds during these challenging times. 

What is happening in markets...

1 April 2025

How investing in a Lifetime ISA can supercharge your savings

A Lifetime ISA account gives you a double whammy of returns, as you can claim the Government bonus and get investment returns on that bonus – which can supercharge your deposit savings.

The big perk of the Lifetime ISA is the ability to claim up to £1,000 a year from the Government for free, which you can put towards your deposit savings for your...

28 March 2025

The real cost of frozen income tax bands

The Chancellor’s Spring Statement laid bare the tax raid that’s hitting workers, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasting the biggest tax take relative to the economy since World War Two.

The government’s own figures show the amount the nation is set to pay in income tax, outside of self-assessment taxpayers, is going to rise by...

26 March 2025

Everything you need to know about the Spring Statement

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her Spring Statement, with downgrades to near-term economic growth forecasts, increased defence spending and potential future changes to ISAs. Here we look at all the changes that might affect your finances.

What is the Spring Statement?

Let’s start at the beginning, with what the Spring Statement actually is...

26 March 2025

Why investing in an ISA early could make you over £19,000 richer

There’s nothing like a deadline to spur us into action. It’s why so many investors find themselves opening ISAs in the final days of each tax year, just before the 5 April cut-off date. But there are also investors who do things a bit differently, opening their ISAs in the first few days of each tax year, on 6 April or just after.

There are a...

17 March 2025

10 ways to beat the taxman before April

With the end of the tax year nearing, it’s a great time to think about your finances, changes you want to make to your ISA or pension, and ways to get sorted for the next tax year. If you’re carrying out this spring clean, we’ve got 10 things for people to consider before the 5 April deadline.

1. Maximise your free money

There are plenty of ways...

13 March 2025

How to generate a tax-free million for your family

A family of four who had maxed out their Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) every year for the past 10 years ago would be on the cusp of being a tax-free million pound family. Thanks to generous ISA allowances and investment growth compounding over time, a family who packed their ISAs full could have reached millionaire status with a decade of...

11 March 2025

What it takes to be an ISA Super Investor

We take a look at the ISA ‘Super Investors’ that have built Stocks and shares ISA portfolios worth £1 million or more, as well as Junior ISAs that have hit the £100,000 mark and Lifetime ISAs worth £50,000 or more.

With an average age of 70, many ISA Super Investors with AJ Bell will have built their portfolio over decades and may have originally...

11 March 2025

Seven ISA mistakes to avoid

3 March 2025

Six ways to start saving for your child’s future

Saving for your child is one of those well-meaning resolutions that often gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list. But setting up an investment account and making regular contributions doesn’t take much effort, and by the time they turn 18, your child could have a sizeable financial head start.

A lot of parents default to cash when saving...

27 February 2025

ISA investing since 1999: how investing £1,000 a year beat Cash ISAs to the tune of £50,000

Savers are paying the price for sticking to safe havens, as Cash ISAs have lagged the returns of stock market funds since the ISA was launched in April 1999. While cash is currently enjoying a sweet spot of higher returns, and Cash ISA interest rates have risen this ISA season, a glance at the long-term performance of different markets shows cash...

24 February 2025

Two million to be hit with tax on savings – how to avoid sneaky tax traps

More than two million people will face a tax bill on their savings interest this tax year, as rising interest rates and frozen tax thresholds have pushed more people into these tax bills.

While it might be too late to solve the tax bill for the current tax year, you can organise your savings and sidestep some sneaky tax traps to avoid being...

18 February 2025

Lifetime ISA vs pension: what’s better for retirement?

7 February 2025

What the UK interest rate cut means for savings, mortgages, the economy and inflation

In its first decision of 2025 the Bank of England has cut interest rates from 4.75% to 4.5% – marking a 20-month low and the third rate cut in just over six months.

While a rate cut was firmly on the cards, it’s interesting how the vote was split, with two members of the MPC preferring a chunkier cut to 4.25% to send a bigger signal to markets...

30 January 2025

Why US tech stocks nosedived this week

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the stock market this week, you might have noticed US technology stocks taking a big dive. Companies like Nvidia, Microsoft and Alphabet (Google’s parent company) saw their share prices tumble, wiping out billions of dollars in market value. What caused this? The answer lies with a Chinese AI company called DeepSeek...

22 January 2025

Five people who should consider a Lifetime ISA

The influential Treasury Committee has launched a call for evidence on how the Lifetime ISA could be reformed, with the questions ranging from whether there are improvements to be made to the account all the way through to whether it should be scrapped altogether.

There’s no denying that the account is more complicated to explain than a standard...

19 December 2024

Why investors shouldn’t panic when markets fall

18 December 2024

Additional permitted subscriptions

16 December 2024

Transferring into a Lifetime ISA

11 December 2024

Just three steps: how to invest for children this Christmas

Any parents struggling to think of ideas for Christmas or who are already drowning in children’s toys at home should think about gifting money or investments instead. While it won’t be as impressive for a child as unwrapping this season’s must-have toy, they will probably thank you later when you hand over a pot of money at their 18th birthday.

Lot...

9 December 2024

Ditch presents for investments: how you can gift your child £265,851 for Christmas

As Christmas approaches it’s tempting to do a mad dash around the toy shop to buy for the children in your life. But if you’re adding to the toy mountain they already own or know that they will have piles of presents to open, you might want to gift money instead.

For lots of parents, grandparents or friends it’s easy to default to giving cash...

29 November 2024

Premium Bond rate has been cut, are they still worth it?

NS&I has joined the troops of other savings providers cutting interest rates, as the savings market cools after a bonanza couple of years. The government-backed provider will cut the rates on several of its savings accounts, including the hugely popular Premium Bonds.

It’s not alone in cutting rates, but how are they cut and who could still benefit...

21 November 2024

Six ways to kick-start investing for your children

Putting some money aside for the kids is an item that’s perennially on parents’ to-do list, but often gets lost amid the day-to-day chores of life. Getting your offspring set up with investment accounts and starting to filter money in won’t take a huge amount of time – and could mean you hand them a sizeable savings pot when they turn 18.

Many...

13 November 2024

Everything you need to know about investing in funds

Lots of first-time investors may find investing through funds is a good place to start. In this article, we’ll explain the benefits of investing in funds, investment trusts and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

There are thousands of funds on offer that invest in different countries, business sectors or types of investment - you just need to find the...

31 October 2024

Four key changes from the Budget

This week saw the first Budget from Labour since they came into power in July. There was lots of speculation ahead of the announcements about what would happen, and it ended up being one of the biggest tax-raising Budgets in recent history. But a lot of those additional taxes will come from businesses rather than directly from individuals.

Here we...

30 October 2024

Everything you need to know about the Budget

Labour delivered their first Budget in 14 years today, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivering her spending and tax plans to parliament. While much of the news had been leaked in advance some rumours failed to materialise entirely, others were simply scaled back. Here we’ll look at all the changes that might impact your finances – for good or for...

29 October 2024

What are stocks and shares, and should you invest in them?

For first-time investors, continued references to ‘stocks’, ‘shares’ and ‘equities’ might lead you to think that they are all different things. However, they are all just different names for the same thing.

It’s easiest to think of a ‘share’ as just that. If you buy shares in a company - such as Lloyds, for example - you are literally buying a...

22 October 2024

Should you invest little and often or everything in one go?

Many people are unsure whether they have enough money to start investing. Fortunately, there are only a few simple steps to follow to establish whether you are in a good position to begin putting money into the markets.

First you need to think about all of your finances and prioritise paying off expensive debt and building up an ‘emergency’ cash...

3 October 2024

How to know if you have ‘excess cash’ that could be invested

There is £430 billion of ‘excess cash’ sitting in savings accounts that people could be taking more risk with, according to a new report from Barclays.

The study found that as a nation of cash lovers, Brits are often holding on to too much cash, meaning they are not maximising the amount they could be earning from their savings. The report found...

1 October 2024

Lifetime ISAs boom in popularity

Lifetime ISAs have become more popular, with an extra £732 million going into the accounts last year, according to government figures. The account, which gives a 25% government bonus towards your first home or retirement, is proving attractive for many savers.

The latest figures from HMRC show there was a 43% jump in the amount people paid into...

25 September 2024

Five ways to get started investing

Starting out investing doesn’t have to be tricky. When you start it’s easy to be bamboozled by jargon or feel like it’s all too complicated. But there are some easy ways to get going and set yourself up for success on your investing journey.

If you want to get to grips with the basics, check out our first-time investor guide to learn more. Or read...

19 September 2024

Two million to pay tax on cash savings interest

The number of people having to pay tax on their savings will almost double over two years to the end of the current tax year, a Freedom of Information request from AJ Bell can reveal. More people will be pushed into paying tax on their savings as interest rates have risen and people hit their tax-free limit.

The Personal Savings Allowances...

5 September 2024

Five sneaky ways you could be hit with tax on your savings

Cash interest rates have risen, more people are being pushed into the next tax bracket and millions of people are expected to pay tax on their savings income this year. While lots of people are using ISAs to protect their money from tax or organising their savings to cut their tax bill, there are some sneaky tax traps that will catch some savers...

20 August 2024

Number of people paying dividend tax doubles in three years

The number of people expected to pay dividend tax in the current tax year has almost doubled since 2021/22, a Freedom of Information request from AJ Bell can reveal. HMRC is set to take in just under £18 billion in this tax year alone, with nearly 3.6 million taxpayers subject to tax on dividend income.

The number of people paying dividend tax has...

14 August 2024

Where to invest when interest rates are falling

The Bank of England has fired the starting gun on interest rate cuts, making the first reduction to rates in more than four years this month. We’re not expecting to see interest rates go back to the low levels seen previously any time soon, instead the expectation is for slow and small cuts to interest rates over the next year or so. But with both...

2 August 2024

Interest rates have been cut: here’s what you need to know

The Bank of England has voted to cut interest rates for the first time in four years, meaning the country’s official rate has fallen from 5.25% to 5%. The Monetary Policy Committee, which makes the decision, saw five members vote for a cut and four vote to keep rates unchanged – making it a tight vote.

What does this mean for future interest rates...

1 August 2024

Private school fees will be higher under Labour: how to plug the gap

Labour has released more details on its plans for VAT on private school fees, with schools (and parents) being hit with the higher costs from January 2025. Private schools will be able to offset some of the cost increase by claiming VAT back on goods and services, with Labour estimating the net cost for most schools will be 15%. It’s up to each...

31 July 2024

What to expect in October’s Budget following the Chancellor’s public finance update

The Chancellor has signaled to the public that tax rises are extremely likely at the Budget on 30 October, pointing to what she claims is a £20 billion black hold in the public finances.

During the election campaign Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer, now Chancellor and Prime Minister respectively, were at pains to insist they wouldn’t raise income tax...

5 July 2024

Five changes coming to your finances under Labour

The Labour manifesto was fairly light on policy announcements or tax giveaways, instead laying out broad plans for the future and a few key changes that will impact people’s personal finances. But there has been plenty of rumour, speculation and concern about the potential tax changes that Labour could bring in and with a landslide victory they...

26 June 2024

Transferring shares

26 June 2024

Should I save or invest?

21 June 2024

Five people who should consider using an ISA

21 June 2024

5 tips to boost your ISA savings

17 June 2024

How to combine your different pension pots

Lots of people will have multiple pensions from different employers, and it’s tricky to keep track of them all. But by taking charge of your pensions, you can evaluate your current savings and have your whole pot in one place to more easily manage. You might be pleasantly surprised by your existing savings, but regardless, being informed empowers...

24 May 2024

Five ways the General Election might impact your money

A general election has been announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for 4 July. Here, we highlight five personal finance areas Labour and the Conservatives are likely to focus on ahead of the upcoming election campaign.

Pensions

The next government will have some big pensions decisions to take. The state pension triple lock is the most obvious -...