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 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...
25 February 2020
Five people who should consider using an ISAWith the introduction of the Personal Savings Allowance in 2016, investors are less eager to open ISAs to protect their money from the taxman.
The tax break gives basic-rate taxpayers a £1,000 buffer on savings income and a £500 tax break for higher-rate payers, meaning many savers needn’t get an ISA to protect their gains. But as the number of...
24 January 2020
How investors can cash-in on ‘Veganuary’As Veganuary sweeps the nation and big brands like Greggs are boosting their profits by offering more vegan foods, there’s an opportunity for investors to gain exposure to this emerging trend. Around 1% of the UK population is vegan*, but far more are part-time vegans or interested in trying more vegan food. Almost a quarter of food products...
3 January 2020
Six financial New Year’s resolutions for 2020 1. Start a money clubStart a club with your friends that focuses on any aspect of money, so a savings club, an investing club, or a paying-down-debt club. Firstly, it will start you talking about money with those closest to you. People are more likely to discuss their sex lives than their finances, so to break this taboo Brits needs to start...
19 December 2019
New Year, New Portfolio? The eight investment changes to consider in 2020 Sell your winners and buy more of your losersIt’s really easy to keep holding on to a fund that has delivered you double-digit returns each year, but you need to make sure your portfolio doesn’t become imbalanced. You could run the risk of a large proportion of your portfolio relying on one fund manager or one company, but also having too much...
16 December 2019
Ditch the presents this Christmas and use the Junior ISA to give your child £3,000While your child isn’t going to write to Santa asking for a payment into their Junior ISA, their future self may thank you more than giving them the latest must-have toy. Parents often lament the sea of plastic toys they end up in after the Christmas period, so they could leave the present buying to others and instead put some money away for their...
13 December 2019
What the Conservative win means for your personal financesAfter a thumping Conservative victory in the general election yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first task will be to deliver on his key promise and ‘get Brexit done’.
But beyond Brexit, the Tory manifesto also set out a number of tax and pension priorities for the next 5 years.
Personal taxes, benefits, mortgages and childcareThe Tory...
10 December 2019
Personal finance 2020: The big changes savers and investors should look out for next yearThe start of a new year is a popular time for people to review their finances and plan for the year ahead. So what does 2020 have in store?
AJ Bell analysts Tom Selby and Laura Suter consider the changes that – for better or worse – will affect the personal finance landscape in the New Year.
What? When? Inheritance tax breaks get more generous...
28 November 2019
How the Conservative manifesto could affect personal financesThe Conservative election manifesto might not be as radical as Labour’s but there are still plenty of proposals that would have an impact on people’s finances and long term savings.
AJ Bell’s analysts consider the key pensions and personal finance pledges put forward by the party.
National Insurance and income tax U-turnNational Insurance rates...
28 November 2019
Green Party manifesto promises radical shake-up for people’s financesThe Green Party has published its election manifesto, including various proposals that would affect savers and retirees.
Based on recent polling, it is possible the next Government will be a coalition comprising a number of the minor parties. The views of these parties are therefore probably more important than ever before.
AJ Bell’s analysts...
