Sarah Coles is AJ Bell’s Head of Personal Finance. She’s passionate about helping people get to grips with their money, so they have more freedom to do the things that really matter to them in life.
Sarah regularly provides insight and analysis for the press, writes columns and articles and appears on TV and radio. She covers everything from savings and investments to pensions and tax.
Sarah is an award winning former financial journalist, spending almost 20 years working for publications from Bloomberg to Moneywise and AOL Money.
Sarah has worked as a financial spokesperson for the past nine years, and most recently won Headline Money’s Expert of the Year award.
29 August 2026
Mid-life career woes are widespread, but women get hit hardestThe jobs market is especially tough at the moment for graduates with the advent of AI changing the workforce, but unfortunately it's not necessarily easier for those who are already several years or even decades into their careers.
Almost half of women (47%) said they found it harder to get a job in mid-life, compared to earlier in life, while 40%...
27 August 2026
Strategies parents are using to pay for private schoolMore than half a million families will be hit with a huge bill before school term starts in September. The first term’s fees for private school are due, and they can be eye-watering. If your children or grandchildren are among them, it’s worth considering the best ways to cover the cost.
Often parents will try to pay out of their income, which can...
20 August 2026
Self-employed? How to avoid a retirement savings shockSelf-employed people are so busy running their own businesses that they could be sleepwalking into a pension nightmare. Only around a fifth of them pay into a pension and even when they do, they pay in less than their employed counterparts.
On top of that, there’s no employer contribution to make up the difference. It’s no wonder that so many self...
19 August 2026
What to know before giving a gift with strings attachedAs inheritance tax (IHT) changes loom large, more people will be considering giving gifts during their lifetime to cut their tax bill. However, different gifting methods offer varying degrees of flexibility.
If the individual making the gift is not really ready to let it go, or they’re worried about what their family might do with the money, they...
18 August 2026
Should my father put money for his grandchildren in a Junior ISA or pension?Ask the experts. Sarah Coles is on hand to answer your personal finance questions. 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.
My father wants to invest for his grandchildren. I want him to pay into a pension for them, so...
14 August 2026
What high earners might be wary of in Healey's first BudgetHigher earners already pay a massive chunk of tax here in the UK as the top 50% of earners pay 90% of all income tax, and the top 1% pay 27%. If they make over £100,000, they also fall off the cliff edge and lose incredibly valuable government support.
If you have a significant portfolio outside ISAs and pensions, you’re also highly likely to be...
7 August 2026
Turning assets into income can cut inheritance tax as pension change nearsInheritance tax rule changes due next year which include pensions falling within estates for IHT purposes, are focusing attention on the threat this tax poses, and how to protect yourself. One lesser-known rule allows you to give away big chunks of your spare income and avoid the tax. Even if you don’t have any income spare for this, you may still...
6 August 2026
Seven ways to get your finances Budget-ready without making panic movesLike Christmas, Budget speculation season has kicked off even earlier this year, with everything from wealth taxes to frozen tax thresholds being thrown into the mix.
When faced with the threat of higher taxes, people will always want to take steps to protect themselves. But if you do, it’s essential to focus on those you’ll be grateful for...
5 August 2026
Seven questions to ask before consolidating pensionsMost people are currently collecting pensions like they’re trying to complete some sort of set. The automatic-enrolment rules mean that as long as you’re aged 22 or over and earning at least £10,000 a year, you’ll be automatically enrolled into the pension when you start a new job. When you leave and start somewhere else, you’ll leave the pension...
4 August 2026
How using ISAs saved Brits billions last yearIn Cash ISAs, savers are protected from income tax on savings interest. Across the UK, this wrapper saved people £2.79 billion in the 2024/25 tax year, which is more than double the amount saved a year earlier (£1.31 billion) and an impressive 13 times as much as was saved six years prior.
The bumper rates on Cash ISAs during the 2024/25 tax year...
