How many pay days do YOU left before retirement? Knowing that figure could make a big difference to whether you will be enjoying the retirement you have planned. New research from Aviva has shown that millions of UK workers are overestimating how many pay days they have left until retirement – including large numbers of […]

One of the biggest household bills is for the energy we use… but there are ways to cut back the cost without reducing our usage, and a new report shows that more and more consumers are now doing just that. Having wobbled around significantly over the last decade, the average domestic energy bill in the […]

  There’s positive news this month for members of UK DB pension schemes… and the substantial surplus recorded has spurred discussions regarding how these funds can be used, and who could benefit. New analysis from XPS Group shows that UK DB pension schemes maintained strong funding positions throughout November 2025, relative to long-term targets. Schemes […]

  Renting your home in retirement is on the rise… currently 6% of over 65s live in private rented accommodation and this figure is expected to spiral to around 17% by 2040. If this on your agenda, what might this mean for your outgoings? While homeownership is the preferred route for most people in retirement, […]

While the “triple lock” annually uprating the State Pension might not currently figure large in your plans to fund your retirement, new figures show that millions of people could face disappointment, or even financial hardship, without it in the future… Of all the political “hot potatoes” currently being juggled by the political parties, few are […]

New data has shown that where we live in the UK can play a big part in how well our financial plans will fare in retirement. The new analysis comes from Hargreaves Lansdown, and is based on the concept of “pension resilience” – this is where you save enough to give you an income that […]

Those currently in receipt of a State Pension will be pleased at the news that the Triple Lock will see their pension payments rise by 4.8% as from April. But for how much longer will the Lock… and indeed, the State Pension in its current form, exist? The State Pension may well be the bedrock […]

The Government claims that millions of workers could see their pensions “increase by up to 60%” as new regulations for “Collective Defined Contribution” (CDC) schemes are set to be laid. But is this realistic? And what are CDCs… and what are the potential advantages and drawbacks? Towards the end of October, the Government issued an […]

If you’ve ever worried about the financial hit that you, or a partner, stand to sustain if a handbag gets lost or stolen… then be prepared to be amazed at their average value First: a little bit of social history. The first recorded users of “handbags”, going back almost two centuries, were actually gentlemen – […]

For some, receiving an inheritance has gone from a “nice to have” to something more like a necessity – with many people now saying they think they would need an inheritance to have enough income to live on in their retirement years. New research from Hargreaves Lansdown has shown that almost one third of people […]