Tom Selby is AJ Bell's Director of Public Policy. He joined the company in 2016 as a Senior Analyst before becoming Head of Retirement Policy. He has a degree in Economics from Newcastle University.
Following his degree, Tom worked for seven years as a journalist specialising in pensions and retirement. He spent almost six years at a leading adviser trade magazine, Money Marketing, initially as a pensions reporter before becoming Head of News in 2014. He has won multiple awards for his role as a financial journalist, and was more recently nominated for Expert of the Year at the 2023 Headlinemoney Awards.
Tom is heavily involved with the PR and external communications teams at AJ Bell. His current role involves direct engagement with senior policy makers in Government and regulators. He also sits on the industry working group for the joint review of advice and guidance boundaries being conducted by the FCA and the Treasury. In the past, Tom has successfully campaigned for a number of consumer-focused reforms, including banning pension cold-calling and increasing pension allowances, and he is passionate about improving outcomes for savers and retirees.
Tom is regularly quoted in national print and broadcast media, including appearances on a weekly BBC Radio London personal finance slot. He has also appeared multiple times on BBC’s MoneyBox as an expert, as well as BBC Radio, BBC News, Sky News and LBC.
16 October 2026
Autumn Budget 2026: What savers and investors should expectAhead of Chancellor John Healey’s inaugural Budget on 28 October, we look at the key issues relating to savers and investors and what might be on the agenda.
1. Pension tax relief and tax-free cashThe new chancellor has the opportunity to put himself firmly on the side of savers by committing not to change tax relief or tax-free cash for the long...
13 October 2026
Lost pension pots pass 3 million: Could one be yours?Automatic enrolment has been one of the great public policy successes of recent decades, ensuring millions of employees are building at least some level of pension savings for retirement. But as people move jobs throughout their working lives, they often leave old workplace pensions behind, and over time it's easy to lose track of them.
The latest...
28 September 2026
Tax-free cash withdrawals surged to £22bn on 2025 Budget rumoursTax-free cash withdrawals from pensions have surged over consecutive years, with excess withdrawals of £14 billion around the 2025 Budget, new figures indicate.
Analysis by AJ Bell based on FCA figures show that tax-free cash withdrawals rocketed to a total of £22 billion last year, up 21% from already elevated levels in 2024. Pension tax-free cash...
23 July 2026
How Chancellor John Healey can fix personal finance policy problemsJust over a month after quitting as defence secretary in a row over funding, John Healey takes charge of the very department he was at loggerheads with. He will now be forced to view that and many other fiscal problems through a different lens, namely ensuring the nation’s finances remain on a firm footing while trying to find cash to pay for the...
21 November 2025
Budget preview: the big issues on the agenda for savers and investorsWith just days until Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ second Budget, we’ve rounded up the big issues relevant to savers and investors, and what might be on the agenda.
ISA reformHaving committed to simplification of ISAs in the run-up to the general election, the government now appears set on reducing the Cash ISA allowance.
Such a change which would...
13 November 2025
The fate of tax-free cash in the BudgetA slash of tax-free cash is said to be off the table for this month’s Budget, according to a confirmation by treasury officials to the Telegraph.
Attacking tax-free cash at the Budget would have been a tough sell for the chancellor, raising little money and causing uproar from young and old alike.
It would also likely have led to further industrial...
6 November 2025
Find out why the Treasury response to AJ Bell’s pensions petition mattersMPs from the Petitions Committee have told the Treasury its response to an AJ Bell petition was not up to scratch after the Government refused to commit to current policies on pension tax-free cash or tax relief.
The Treasury’s response followed a petition raised by AJ Bell, which called for a commitment to pension tax stability. This primarily...
31 October 2025
The Budget is a month away: What could be on the chopping blockReports suggest that Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a growing ‘black hole’ in public finances in the tens of billions, leading to mounting questions around which tax raising measures could be announced in her second Budget next month. With four weeks to go until the chancellor takes to the despatch box on 26 November, we've analysed some of the...
3 October 2025
Your chance to call on the government for pension reassuranceAJ Bell is petitioning the government to make a public commitment not to alter key pension tax incentives – tax free cash entitlement and tax relief – for at least this parliament.
If you share this view, add your name to AJ Bell’s petition, with 10,000 signatures forcing a government response.
When people save in a pension they enter a tax pact...
9 September 2025
How long will my pension last in retirement?Discover how to manage your pension pot effectively in retirement, including flexible access and annual reviews, to ensure your pension lasts as long as you do.
