New research by Standard Life has revealed that a worrying three in every four people (75 per cent) are ignorant of how much they have saved in their pensions. Perhaps even more alarmingly, the study found that as many as 79 per cent – four in every five – of those aged between 55 and 64 could […]

An estimated 41,000 taxpayers incurred an inheritance tax liability on death in 2022/23, according to new HMRC data – a 24% increase on the previous year (33,000), leading experts to advise homeowners, or those with large savings and investments, to act now to avoid their families losing out in the future. The freeze in the […]

A new report for the Institute of Fiscal Studies has laid bare a series of major challenges for the pensions industry – and the tens of millions of people who either will or already do reply upon it. The report makes the case for a new review of the pension system in the UK. They […]

Have you ever found yourself cursing at the older driver in front for dithering trying to park their car, or driving too slowly along a main road? Perhaps you have older relatives who you think should no longer be behind the wheel. So are you being reasonable… or ageist? By Tony Watts OBE Overall, people […]

One of the least unexpected parts of a Budget, most of which had been flagged up in advance, was tackling the LTA. But has the Chancellor blown up a good idea by going too far?  By Tony Watts OBE One of the major headline announcements of the recent Budget was the scrapping of the lifetime […]

If you’ve found yourself doing a Blondie impression recently, and hanging on the telephone for hours trying to boost your future State Pension, you can relax (for now, anyway). An under-siege (and under-resourced) DWP has bowed to public and media pressure and extended its deadline for workers to significantly boost their state pensions by catching […]

When it comes to financial decision making, it looks as though two heads really are better than one, according to analysis of the latest “HL Savings and Resilience Barometer”. Once the numbers are crunched, it appears that over half of households (51%) where partners take big financial decisions together are on track for a “moderate […]

There is mounting evidence that squeezed savers are being forced to turn to their pension pots to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis after the Government has admitted that a quarter of pension savers over 55 contributed above the money purchase annual allowance (MPAA) in 2020/21. Online investment company AJ Bell wrote to the […]

Have you been contemplating helping out a younger member of your family? Then you’re not alone. New research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows that £17 billion is gifted or loaned informally each year, almost all from parents to their adult children – mostly to help with buying a house or at the […]

If you have holes in your National Insurance (NI) record, now might be the last chance to fill them – and take advantage of the generous Government scheme which allows people to fill historic gaps, and which will come to an end in just over two months. For those who can benefit, investing in state […]