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.
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...
8 August 2024
How to be a lazy investorMost of us don’t have loads of time to dedicate to investing or might feel overwhelmed to get...
2 August 2024
Interest rates have been cut: here’s what you need to knowThe 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 gapLabour 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 updateThe 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 LabourThe 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 sharesLearn how to transfer shares when you move your existing share dealing account from your stockbroker to AJ Bell. Find out how to transfer into our low-cost Dealing account here.
24 May 2024
Five ways the General Election might impact your moneyA 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.
PensionsThe next government will have some big pensions decisions to take. The state pension triple lock is the most obvious -...
