magazine archive
magazine archive
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The clever way to invest in companies with a competitive edge
Thursday 25 Apr 2019Are you looking for undervalued and high quality companies that have the right characteristics to potentially fend off even the fiercest of rivals for at least 20 years? If so, analysis from financial services firm Morningstar may be able to point you in the right direction. Morningstar uses five...
Planning for a 100-year life
Thursday 25 Apr 2019When am I going to die? This question, while slightly morbid, is essential when devising a retirement income plan. In a recent survey of savers who had entered drawdown – keeping their pension pot invested while taking an income – since April 2015, respondents aged 55 to 59 on average thought they...
The biggest dividend yields in the FTSE 350
Thursday 11 Apr 2019Dividends are a big reason people invest in shares. The prospect of securing a juicy yield on your money is an appealing one. And with the FTSE 100 paying a prospective dividend yield close to 5%, the income attractions of UK stocks have rarely been more evident. But buyer beware, these dividends...
How to get young people interested in finance
Thursday 11 Apr 2019When it comes to saving and investing, the earlier you start the better – but getting young people interested in finance isn’t always easy. Starting your investment journey at an early age has myriad benefits; your money has longer in the market to grow and can enjoy the benefits for compound...
The hottest parts of the UK market so far in 2019
Thursday 04 Apr 2019While the performance of the FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and FTSE All-Share tends to dominate the headlines, it can be useful to take a more nuanced approach and focus on the performance of individual sectors within these headline indices. The tables show the five best and five worst performing sectors in...
What happens to my pension when I die?
Thursday 07 Mar 2019People often talk about leaving their assets for their dependents but the vast majority don’t how their money will be handled on their death or how it will be taxed. Research by AJ Bell last year found that just 7% of people know how their pension will be dealt with on death, with a quarter saying...
Pension tax-free cash: What are the rules and does it always pay to take it?
Thursday 07 Mar 2019Of all the benefits of saving in a pension, perhaps the best understood is the ability to take a quarter of your fund tax-free from age 55. As a result, getting at this money is a priority for millions of people approaching retirement. In fact, research carried out by the Financial Conduct...
Guaranteed incomes: defined benefit pensions, annuities and the price of freedom and choice
Thursday 07 Mar 2019If you were offered £1m today or £1,000 a week for the rest of your life, which would you choose? This was the very real – and admittedly enviable – dilemma facing 18-year-old Canadian Charlie Lagarde when she won the lottery in March 2018. In the end, she sensibly went for the weekly income option...
A simple guide to pension tax rules
Thursday 28 Feb 2019There is a myth that pensions always have to be complicated. In fact, 17% of AJ Bell Youinvest customers said understanding tax was the most complicated thing about retirement investing, while almost one in six said simplification of pension rules would encourage them to save more. For the vast...
How much do you need to save for a good retirement?
Thursday 28 Feb 2019People work all their lives to be able to retire comfortably, so when you come to hand in your work pass and say goodbye to your desk you want to make sure you’ve saved enough to enjoy retirement. Some people worry that they have left their pension saving too late, and so bury their heads in the...