Laura Suter is AJ Bell's Director of Personal Finance. She joined the company in 2018 and is the go-to spokesperson on all things personal finance - from cash savings rates to saving for children and how to invest for the first time. Laura has a degree in Journalism Studies from the University of Sheffield.
Since joining the company, Laura has co-founded AJ Bell’s Money Matters campaign, which aims to help more women start their investing journey and close the gender investment gap. She writes articles for the campaign and co-hosts the Money Matters podcast.
Laura also co-hosts AJ Bell's weekly Money & Markets podcast, giving an update on all the investing and personal finance news of the week. She's regularly quoted in the national and trade press, as well as appearing on TV and radio. She speaks and presents at live events, ranging from AJ Bell roadshows to the company’s flagship investment conference, Investival, and Money Matters events.
Laura is a multi-award winning former financial journalist, having worked in this role for 10 years before joining AJ Bell. She was previously at the Daily Telegraph as an Investment Editor. During her time at the Telegraph, she was crowned the Headlinemoney Investment Journalist of the Year. She also worked for financial adviser publications Money Marketing and Money Management, as well as an investment publication in New York focusing on the hedge fund and private equity world.
2 April 2020
10 personal finance changes kicking in on 6 April 2020As the tax-year end looms, AJ Bell Personal Finance Analyst Laura Suter looks at the changes that April 6 will bring for personal finances.
Junior ISA allowance jumps
Parents will see a massive jump in the amount they can put away in a Junior ISA, with the annual limit more than doubling from the current £4,368 to £9,000. The increase in...
2 April 2020
Overdraft relief prescribed by FCAIt’s great news for those facing financial hardship as a result of the Coronavirus that the regulator has stepped in to try to stop people getting into perpetual debt as a result of the high interest charges on loans and overdrafts.
The regulator’s move means that anyone is entitled to a £500 interest-free overdraft if their finances have been...
2 April 2020
Crippled by market fear? Seven last-minute ISA tips for investorsThe ISA season deadline is looming in one of the most dramatic ends to the tax year that we’ve seen in markets. Many investors may be nervous about where to invest their money, but will also not want to miss out on their ISA allowance for the year – because if you don’t use it you lose it.
The FTSE 100 has already fallen 27% so far this year...
31 March 2020
Which investment trusts can survive the income drought?For those relying on their income to live on, the situation looks fairly dire at the moment. Plunging stock markets, companies cutting dividends and rock-bottom interest rates all make for fairly depressing reading for investors. With companies having cut more than £4.8bn of dividends and counting, fund investors are undoubtedly going to see their...
25 March 2020
The quirks that mean you can pay up to 200,000% in tax – and how to avoid themThe loss of some benefits and allowances can potentially result in effective tax rates way above the highest income tax band in the UK:
Loss of benefit / allowance Maximum effective tax rate Child benefit 57.89% Personal allowance 60% Personal savings allowance 22500% Married couples allowance 25000% Tax free child care 200000%The complicated and...
11 March 2020
Budget 2020: Dramatic increases to JISA allowance and annual allowance taper thresholdsThe Budget brought some eye-catching announcements. Tom Selby, AJ Bell's Senior Analyst, and Laura Suter, AJ Bell's Personal Finance Analyst, pick out the key changes and discuss what they mean for you and your finances.
Significant increase in the point the pension tax annual allowance taper kicks in Pension lifetime allowance increases to £1,073...
10 March 2020
No panic selling – savvy investors are hunting bargainsWhile the market falls yesterday clearly sparked panic among some investors, AJ Bell customers held their nerve and instead went hunting for bargains. While we had the busiest day for log-ins that the platform has ever seen, when we look at what investors are actually doing, more were buying than selling. Looking at data for trading so far this...
4 March 2020
How to generate a £50,000 Junior ISA to pay for university or a house depositThe last thing most sleep-deprived new parents want to think about is starting a nest egg for their new addition, but if you find time in those hectic first few years to start putting away even a small amount each month it can really add up by the time they turn 18.
The average graduate leaves university with £50,000 worth of debt*, which seems...
4 March 2020
ISA investing in the face of CoronavirusA third day of gains for the FTSE 100 this week will be welcome relief for investors but the rebound only makes up a small fraction of the losses experienced last week. This increased volatility has come at a particularly difficult time for investors who want to utilise their ISA allowance before the end of the tax year and are thinking about where...
2 March 2020
Four reasons for the pensions gap – and how to tackle themThe nation isn’t saving enough for their retirement, but women end up with pension pots lower than men – which can have a dramatic difference to their lifestyle in retirement.
Women face a triple whammy when it comes to their pensions: they are not saving enough; they are not investing that money and so could be missing out on higher returns over...
