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.
9 April 2025
Why savers and retirees shouldn’t panic in the face of Trump tariffs turmoilThe US President’s actions over the last week haven’t exactly been calming for global stock markets, with huge falls recorded across indices from the Dow Jones to the Hang Seng and the FTSE in the UK. This instability can be deeply unsettling for savers and retirees, who may log in to their pension and see a big fall in the value of their fund. But...
24 March 2025
How investors use their ISAISAs are a popular savings and investment product, with millions of people across the UK taking advantage of the tax perks of an ISA to set aside money for the future.
There is now well in excess of £700 billion held by Brits in ISAs, with most of this invested for the long-term in stocks and shares ISAs. Despite complexity creeping into the ISA...
21 March 2025
Pensions in the spotlight as UK life expectancy ticks upFor decades it was taken as a given that life expectancy would continue increasing for each generation. However, even prior to the pandemic, life expectancy improvements had ground to a halt. Despite a very marginal improvement in 2021-2023, average lifespans have still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Life expectancy trends are important to...
17 March 2025
What should savers and investors expect from the Spring Statement?The chancellor’s Spring Statement will be announced on 26 March, but the economic picture the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) paints is expected to be grim, with fears of stagnation looming and the spectre of rising defence costs as Donald Trump’s US government retreats from Europe further threatening to strain the public purse.
Against such...
6 February 2025
Should you top up your National Insurance record before the deadline hits?The deadline for people to plug National Insurance gaps in their records is closing in, with only two months left for those with gaps going back to 2006 to make voluntary contributions to boost their state pension entitlement.
Anyone with less than 35 qualifying years of National Insurance can pay voluntary National Insurance contributions as a way...
5 December 2024
Pension Credit applications surge as Winter Fuel Payment deadline loomsRachel Reeves’ decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment has caused fury among retirees and campaigners with the benefit, worth up to £300, now only available to low-income pensioners who qualify for Pension Credit top-ups.
Pension Credit has historically been chronically underclaimed, with over a third of households who could be eligible...
16 October 2024
Budget preview: what to expect on pensions tax relief, tax-free cash and the triple lockRachel Reeves’ first Budget as Chancellor (to be held on 30 October) has been preceded by feverish speculation over whether pensions could be in the firing line as the new government scrabbles to raise cash to strengthen public finances.
However, having already drawn the ire of retirees by means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment, the Chancellor will...
2 October 2024
Can I inherit my late father’s pension, and will I owe inheritance tax?Can you explain how Inheritance Tax (IHT) will impact my pensions? My father worked for the NHS for 35 years and recently passed away – will I inherit anything from this pension? He also had a small defined contribution pension. And what could happen to at the Budget in relation to pensions and IHT? I’ve tried to do my own research but it’s...
1 October 2024
Pension withdrawals jump to £52 billion in cost-of-living crisisInflation may have returned closer to ‘normal’ levels in recent months, but three years of spiking prices and rising interest rates has had a huge impact on Brits’ retirement plans, with both the number of people accessing their pension and the amount withdrawn surging in the 2023/24 tax year.
Savers withdrew over £52 billion from their retirement...
19 September 2024
Are you one of the 10 million Brits with an old pension?Brits hold 10 million pension accounts in old ‘closed book’ non-workplace pensions worth a total of £250 billion, a Freedom of Information request from AJ Bell has found.
Closed book pensions are no longer open to new customers. Although some products may still represent good value, closed book providers have limited incentive to compete on cost...
