8 October 2026
What to think about when inheriting a pensionPensions are there to give us an income in retirement, but they can also be one of the largest...
About the expert
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.
Latest articles from Rachel Vahey
8 October 2026
Should I move money from my SIPP to an ISA before the inheritance tax changes?Ask the experts. Rachel Vahey is here to answer questions on pensions. If you’d like a question considered for a future edition send it in now .
Or alternatively leave a rating for the article and include your question in the comment box.
I’m 67 and retired, and I’m trying to get my head around the best way to use my SIPP before the inheritance...
2 October 2026
What ending the triple lock could mean for your state pensionAt the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool prime minister Andy Burnham announced plans to end the triple lock guarantee to help fund his plans for social care. This commitment, in place for 15 years, has ensured the state pension increases every April by whichever of consumer price inflation (CPI), average wage growth and a flat rate of 2.5% is...
17 September 2026
What a 3.9% state pension hike could mean for your tax billBased on the earnings figures for July, the odds are that pensioners will be receiving just shy of £500 extra in their state pension next year.
Although we still need to see September’s inflation figure and any revisions to July’s earnings growth before we know definitively how much it will increase by in 2027, it’s looking very likely that the...
11 September 2026
Turning 55 before 2028? You need to know this about your pensionChanges to the minimum age you can access a pension are due in April 2028, pushing the number up from 55 to 57.
The question of what happens to people born between April 1971 and April 1973, who would previously have had access from a younger age, is still to be confirmed but we’ve now had draft regulations which give an indication of the current...
11 September 2026
About to take tax-free cash from your pension? Think about this firstWith the Budget fast approaching, the rumour mill is, as usual, going into overdrive over whether there will be changes to pensions tax incentives from October.
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...
10 September 2026
How to stay in control of retirement income as pension tax rules changeRetirement has always involved difficult financial decisions, but the challenge is becoming more complex. Many people now reach retirement with a mix of workplace pensions, personal pensions such as SIPPs, ISAs, investments and cash savings. The question is no longer simply how much income to take, but where to take it from.
This challenge, known...
10 September 2026
I live outside the UK, will my beneficiaries pay UK inheritance tax on my pension?Ask the experts. Rachel Vahey is here to answer questions on pensions. If you’d like a question considered for a future edition send it in now .
Or alternatively leave a rating for the article and include your question in the comment box.
I have a question on pensions and inheritance tax (IHT). I have a SIPP with AJ Bell and a work pension with...
19 August 2026
Should my wife enter drawdown before she gets her state pension?Ask the experts. Rachel Vahey is here to answer questions on pensions. If you’d like a question considered for a future edition send it in now .
Or alternatively leave a rating for the article and include your question in the comment box.
I wonder if you could lay out the options for my wife. She has a SIPP worth about £110,000, as well as a...
13 August 2026
HMRC’s two-tier IHT plan risks unfairly penalising pensionsFrom April 2027, unused pensions will be brought under the umbrella of inheritance tax (IHT), as well as their current tax policy of possibly facing income tax upon withdrawal. Now, HMRC is introducing more details on how this pension inheritance tax would be approached.
Under the plans, inheritance could be subject to a two-tier tax system, where...
