Rachel is AJ Bell's Head of Public Policy. She helps financial advisers and planners understand the changing pensions and savings environment, as well as how new legislation and regulation affects them and their clients.
Rachel is well known within the pensions and savings industry, and regularly speaks at AJ Bell events, alongside writing content and articles for the AJ Bell website.
2 October 2025
What should pension savers consider before taking their tax-free cash?With the Budget fast approaching, the rumour mill is going into overdrive over whether there will be changes to pensions tax incentives from November.
Those who have built up larger pension pots must feel somewhat caught in the headlights. But trying to make decisions based on policy rumours becomes a guessing game.
Whether and when to take tax...
17 September 2025
State pension expects 4.7% increase to beat inflationPensioners will be rejoicing at the prospect of an inflation-busting rise to the state pension from April next year as a result of the triple lock guarantee, with the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) earnings growth figure coming in at 4.7% for the period between May and July of this year.
The triple lock guarantee means that the state...
3 September 2025
When can I access my pension?Many of us start saving into a pension from the age of 22 or even earlier. This is the age from which your employer usually has to automatically enrol you into a pension scheme. If you choose to pay into a pension, then your employer also has to chip in with their own contributions.
It’s natural that as you start to approach retirement you will...
24 July 2025
Why you may have to wait longer to claim the state pensionThe government has launched a new review of the state pension age, which may mean that it rises to the age of 68 sooner than planned.
Currently both men and women can claim the state pension from the age of 66, but this is already planned to rise to 67 and to 68 for future pensioners. However, the government has launched the third review of the...
10 July 2025
What could Mansion House speech mean for the future of pensions and ISAs?After a bruising few weeks, the chancellor will be hoping to reset the agenda at next week’s Mansion House speech, likely turning her attention to pensions again and trying to persuade voters this government can plot a path toward a more prosperous retirement for millions of Brits.
Phase two of the government’s Pensions Review will look at adequacy...
29 April 2025
Government to press ahead with plans to consolidate small pension potsAutomatic enrolment is one of the big public policy success stories of our time. But it’s not without its flaws. People start a pension when they join an employer, but when they switch employer, they often leave their old pension behind, neglected and unloved. This has created a plethora of small pension pots which are easily forgotten.
Confirmatio...
28 March 2025
Navigating a decade of pension freedomsNext month we will be lighting the candles on the cake celebrating 10 years of pension freedoms. George Osborne’s 2014 Budget bombshell was a dramatic initiative which ripped up the rulebook on annuities and gave people more control over how they access their pension savings.
In the biggest pensions shake-up in a generation, government relaxed some...
18 February 2025
Are you one of the 20 million people with a lost pension?There has been a boom in the number of small pension pots in the UK, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found. There were around 20 million defined contribution pension pots valued under £10,000 in 2023 which are no longer being topped up and are worth a total of almost £30 billion, according to an IFS report.
The think tank claims over...
6 February 2025
AJ Bell calls for Lifetime ISA rules changes alongside package of ISA reforms to boost investmentAJ Bell is calling on government to strengthen the appeal of the Lifetime ISA as part of a broader package of ISA reforms designed to incentivise investing and boost UK markets.
Responding to the Treasury Committee’s call for evidence on the Lifetime ISA, the business has set out a series of reforms intended to enhance the appeal of the Lifetime...
24 January 2025
AJ Bell urges government to rethink inheritance tax on pension proposalsWhen the government first set out its plans to bring pensions into inheritance tax (IHT) at the Autumn Budget, it became apparent to many in the industry that its initial proposals were unworkable. Not only do they threaten to create delays and complexity, leading to financial gridlock in the probate process, but in many cases could lead to...
