ARE YOU DUE A RETIREMENT REALITY CHECK?

Recent research3 shows that some people could be sleepwalking their way towards a financially-bleak retirement. A survey conducted by Aegon4 found that less than a fifth of adults aged 55-64 have more than £300,000 in their pensions – the approximate amount widely...

WILL 2019 BE A YEAR OF MARKET OLATILITY?

Stock markets around the world suffered a major period of volatility in the closing months of 2018. Markets don’t respond well to periods of uncertainty and there was plenty of that around on a global scale. Slowing economic growth in China, Brexit in the UK, the...

DON’T FORGET TO USE YOUR TAX ALLOWANCES

Using up any allowances you are entitled to is the first step to reducing the amount of tax you are liable to pay. With the tax year-end approaching now is the time to act – don’t risk losing out. Savings You can save up to £20,000 tax-free in an ISA this tax year. If...

PENSION TAX RELIEF UNCHANGED IN BUDGET

In his 2018 Budget, the Chancellor chose to leave pension tax relief unchanged. Other than the raising of the Lifetime Allowance in line with the Consumer Prices Index to £1,055,000 for the 2019-20 tax year, the rules surrounding pensions remained the same. Tax relief...

HOW BEING ABSENT-MINDED IS COSTING YOU MONEY

We can all be forgetful on occasions, we’re only human after all. However, when it comes to our finances, losing track of what we have can be a costly mistake to make. It’s been estimated that a staggering figure of £15bn is tied up in old bank accounts, pensions,...