The House of Commons Treasury Committee has been pondering the future of Lifetime ISAs (LISAs). The Lifetime ISA (LISA) is arguably a good example of brand overstretch. When ISAs were first launched in 1999, there were only two varieties, and they replaced two...
The Office for National Statistics has taken a fresh look at our mortality. Source: ONS Roughly every two years, stories in the media tell us how many children will live to the age of 100. The latest projections are that 11.5% of boys and 17.9% of girls born in 2023...
What the Chancellor’s Spring Statement Means for Your Future Finances There were no tax increases in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement (upgraded from an initial Spring Forecast), but that might just be pain deferred. Before becoming Chancellor, Rachel Reeves set out a...
UK Inflation Numbers Higher Than Expected 2025’s first set of UK inflation numbers were higher than expected, but more rises are coming. The UK has experienced an inflation rollercoaster since the start of this decade, as have many Western economies. In January 2020,...
Global Government Efficiency Scrutiny Despite referring to taxpayers as 'customers,' the question of HMRC efficiency and cost-effectiveness remains. In the United States, there has been considerable media attention on DOGE, the so-called Department of Government...
Automatic Pension Enrolment Thresholds remain unchanged. The government has confirmed that there will be no revisions to automatic enrolment in workplace pensions for 2025/26. For a government facing an investment shortfall following a £40 billion tax increase, the...
Proactive Tax Year Preparation Planning for the beginning of the new tax year is as important as the planning done for the end of the old one. While the 5th of April, the tax year's conclusion, is a major focal point, the following day, while appearing to need less...
Be Financially Ready For Unforeseen Circumstances What if? If something happened to you tomorrow, how easily could your partner access and understand the state of your financial organisation? It’s been five years since the pandemic turned the world upside down. The...
Wealth in the G7: How Do We Compare? One of the nation’s largest investment managers has examined investors’ attitudes in the UK relative to other major developed G7 nations with interesting results. So, are we investing wisely compared to the rest of the G7? Personal...
The Inflation Illusion: Understanding the Disconnect Between Data and Reality Inflation fell in 2024, reaching 2.5% compared to 4.0% in 2023. Yet, for many, this drop didn't reflect their lived experience. Why the discrepancy? The Economist's View vs. Public...
Spring Forecast Announced - 26 March 2025 The Chancellor has announced the timing of her next formal report to Parliament. Cast your mind back six Chancellors ago to Philip Hammond (aka Spreadsheet Phil). In autumn 2016, Hammond announced a change to the timings of...
27 Years of Promises: Where Are We Now? The question of how to fund social care is once again a hot topic in British politics. It seems every few years, a new commission or review is launched, raising hopes for a sustainable solution. But how much progress has really...
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