Introduction November brought us the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and Spending Review in the UK – and rather more tragic events abroad. Friday November 13th saw the massacre in Paris, which was followed by an escalation in the bombing of ISIS in Syria. World stock markets inevitably fell in the wake of the Paris attacks, but […]
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This section is regularly updated to bring you news of important developments in financial planning matters.
Introduction Just over four months ago, George Osborne delivered his second Budget of 2015, following the Conservative Party’s outright victory in the May general election. At that moment, the view from 11, Downing Street must have looked remarkably pleasant. Osborne’s handling of the economy was widely credited with playing a large – if not pivotal […]
Introduction Well, what a splendid month October was, with all the major world stock markets that we cover in this Bulletin skipping merrily upwards. Germany and China led the way with gains of 12% and 11% respectively, and if you only looked at the figures you’d be quite justified in thinking that everything in the […]
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) publishes annual and quarterly commentary and analysis on automatic enrolment and the powers they have used to ensure employer compliance over the relevant period. The data gives a breakdown of which of the several compliance enforcement actions have been applied. The analysis and data published in the TPR June 2015 report […]
The Chancellor will be delivering the Autumn Statement and Comprehensive Spending Review against a challenging economic background. Figures for the third quarter showed the UK economy had grown by 0.5% (against 0.7% in the second quarter of the year). Whilst it’s disappointing to see the pace of growth slowing, this is a trend that’s happening […]
New research from Retirement Advantage shows that despite the new pension freedoms introduced in April, over a quarter of people aged over 50 don’t know how much money they have saved in order to fund their retirements. According to the research, the new freedoms place even greater responsibility on individuals to take control of their […]
A new initiative allows people who reach the state pension age before April 2016, to top up their pension. This includes those that are already drawing the state pension. The Government is allowing retirees to buy extra state pension by paying so-called Class 3A voluntary National Insurance contributions between October 2015 and April 2017. This […]
The end of September, and the end of the third quarter of 2015 – a quarter which, as all the financial press reported, was the worst for global equities since 2011. As CNBC put it: A sustained collapse in commodity prices, China’s stunning market rout followed by its shocking currency devaluation as well as fears […]
Concerns over money dominate the thinking of pre-retirees, according to new research from Retirement Advantage. Conducted by YouGov, the study finds almost half (49%) of over 50s are worried about not having enough money in retirement to do the things they want to do, compared to just over a third (37%) who are concerned about […]
Global markets are providing investors a rough ride at the moment, as the focus turns to China’s economic outlook. But while falling markets can be worrying, maintaining a longer-term perspective makes the volatility easier to handle. A typical response to unsettling markets is an emotional one. We quit risky assets when prices are down and […]