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.
30 October 2024
Everything you need to know about the BudgetLabour 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...
3 October 2024
How to know if you have ‘excess cash’ that could be investedThere 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 popularityLifetime 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 investingStarting 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 interestThe 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...
13 September 2024
Is it worth paying off your student loan early?Many of those going to university this month will find themselves paying off their student loan for...
5 September 2024
Five sneaky ways you could be hit with tax on your savingsCash 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 yearsThe 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 fallingThe 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...
