The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has been crunching the numbers on the adequacy of pension contributions and retirement savings. One of the unremarked government successes of the 2010s was the introduction of automatic enrolment of employees into pension...
Are student loans something to avoid? With the 2024/25 academic year on the horizon, student finance is again a hot topic for many parents. How hot differs slightly for the UK’s four nations as each has a subtly different way of funding students and, outside Scotland,...
FCA Takes on Crypto: handle with great care The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently announced a plan for tougher regulations of cryptoassets, such as Bitcoin. Recently published research undertaken for the FCA showed that in August 2022, nearly five million UK...
One of the many well-trailed announcements in the Spring Budget was the launch of a UK ISA. However, both its arrival and interest may be uncertain. Alongside the Budget, the Treasury published a consultation paper on a possible fifth ISA variant, the UK ISA. To quote...
It’s that time of year again when financial gifts may be given… and HMRC is watching. Tax is never far away from anything you do and making gifts to children at Christmas is no exception. There are a few key tax areas you should bear in mind. Inheritance tax (IHT) As...
What was almost certainly the last Budget before the election was a serving of the widely expected, sprinkled with a handful of small surprises. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, delivered the Spring Budget 2024 on 6 March. As anticipated, it was a typical...
This new tax year starting on 6 April brings a range of changes that could affect your financial planning. The start of the new tax year will see many allowances and tax bands frozen once again. In reality these freezes are tax increases as the government has...
New research has put some surprising numbers on the income needed in retirement. Each year since 2019, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has set about answering the question of how much retirement costs for couples and single retirees. It considers...
A date to note in this year’s calendar is the early Spring Budget on Wednesday 6 March. The Treasury issued a press release in the time between Christmas and the New Year revealing the Spring Budget date, a week earlier than in 2023. The unusual timing of the...
Public opinion is pessimistic about the future of the State pension. Ask yourself these two questions: Do you believe that the State pension will be around in 30 years’ time? Do you think that the State pension will keep pace with prices over the next ten years? If...
At the start of 2023, the Prime Minister pledged to halve inflation. The goal was reached, but how much credit can he take for the achievement? Inflation across 2023, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) ended at 4.0%, a far cry from the 10.5% of 2022 and...
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