magazine archive
magazine archive
Money Matters
Making changes to auto-enrolment
Thursday 11 Jan 2018The UK is in the midst of a quiet savings revolution. After years of declining private sector pension saving rates, the automatic enrolment programme first introduced in 2012 has the potential to transform the retirement prospects of millions of people. According to the latest Office for National...
How to invest ethically
Thursday 11 Jan 2018Ethical and sustainable investing used to be thought of as a charitable endeavour that places principles before profits, but there is growing evidence to suggest it can lead to better long-term returns. There are now around 200 funds in the UK that claim to invest sustainably, putting much more...
Lessons from the British Steel pension debacle
Thursday 21 Dec 2017The furore engulfing the British Steel pension scheme brings to light some of the key issues savers need to consider if they are considering about ditching their guaranteed defined benefit (DB) pension in favour of the flexibility of a defined contribution (DC) plan. The 130,000 member scheme is...
Why there could be changes to the VCT and EIS marketplace
Thursday 21 Dec 2017Investors could see fewer opportunities in the venture capital trust ( VCT ) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) space in the 2018/19 tax year following changes introduced in the Autumn Budget. Schemes could also become riskier, meaning you will need to take even greater care when deciding which...
What does 2018 have in store for savers?
Thursday 14 Dec 2017Ironically as the world became destabilised by the twin forces of Brexit and Donald Trump – not to mention a UK general election, mounting global tensions over North Korea and an emboldened Vladimir Putin – 2017 was a year of relative tranquillity for pensions. Aside from the cut in the amount...
How to balance risk and return
Thursday 14 Dec 2017Striking the right balance between risk and return can be a struggle for even the most experienced investor. Taking on some risk is essential if you want to grow your money, but this doesn’t mean you have to endure sleepless nights worrying about losses. What is risk? When people talk about risk...
How to avoid running out of money in retirement
Thursday 07 Dec 2017As the festive season approaches, millions of Britons prepare to gorge themselves on turkey and stuffing safe in the knowledge they can at least attempt to work off their excesses in January. However, savers stuffing their faces on pension freedoms withdrawals might find it more difficult to get...
Weighing up the risks of P2P lending
Thursday 07 Dec 2017The peer-to-peer ( P2P ) lending sector is subject to a huge amount of criticism after the painfully slow roll-out of the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) was compounded by problems at some of the industry’s biggest players. With many lenders due to launch an IFISA in the coming months, we’ve...
How the Budget affects you
Thursday 30 Nov 2017Chancellor Philip Hammond’s first post-election Budget delivered some welcome – if slightly unexpected – stabilityfor savers. The build-up to the set-piece was dominated by rumours the Treasury would take the axe to pension tax relief in order to raise some much-needed cash. In the event a...
How to invest if you have a fluctuating income
Thursday 30 Nov 2017If your income varies from one month to the next it can be difficult to determine your investment strategy. You might decide to put £200 a month into a diversified portfolio but find this plan is scuppered when your income drops and expenses increase. There are several ways you can ensure your...