If your annual income is above £150,000, then your pension allowance has been subject to tapering since April this year. For every £2 of income over £150,000, your £40,000 annual allowance is reduced by £1, with the reduction rounded down to the nearest whole pound if necessary. Reductions are capped at £30,000, meaning that those […]
Following the Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates to a record low of 0.25% at the beginning of August and the initial reaction to that from within the financial sector, the resultant effects continue to be felt over a month later. Cash savings accounts have been hit the hardest, with some banks making […]
A recent study analysing the income statistics for pensioners has found that more people aged over 65 are continuing to work after they officially retire. Figures suggest that the amount of pensioners doing so is around 13%, an increase from just 8% over the past ten years. That figure might sound small, but it equates […]
With the Bank of England cutting UK interest rates this month for the first time since 2009 to just 0.25%, it looks more likely than ever that Britain could experience negative interest rates. The idea of negative interest rates has moved from theory to reality following the 2008 financial crisis, with several central banks in […]
It will come as a surprise to nobody that retirement is one of the biggest lifestyle changes you’ll ever experience. But as your priorities shift and the free time available to you increases, what you might not be as aware of is the way in which your spending habits are likely to alter too. A […]
By and large August was a good – but unexciting – month for the major world stock markets we cover in this commentary. There were no dramatic gains – Hong Kong was the star performer with a rise of 5% – and two or three markets did their best to do nothing at all, but […]
A recent study has found that 2.3 million UK homeowners aged 55 and over – almost 40% of people in that age bracket – are planning to downsize their home in order to raise money during their retirement. However, if downsizing wasn’t always the plan for these people, then it potentially shows poor financial planning […]
Drawdown is a way of achieving greater flexibility with your pension funds. Every time you move your money into drawdown, you’re allowed to take 25% of this as a lump sum, which is exempt from tax. The rest continues as an investment, with taxable income able to be drawn straight from your pension whenever you […]
The changes to inheritance tax that were introduced in the 2015 Budget will soon come into effect, with some becoming the law as early as April 2017. With less than a year to prepare for these changes, it’s important to ensure you know what to expect and that you’re doing everything you need to in […]