magazine archive
magazine archive
Money Matters
What does 2017 have in store for savers?
Thursday 22 Dec 2016Retirement investors have had to navigate choppy and unpredictable waters throughout 2016. In addition to political changes, we also saw the Government – for now at least – back away from plans to radically overhaul the way pensions are taxed, axe proposals to allow people to swap their annuity for...
When is it worth paying for financial advice?
Thursday 22 Dec 2016Entrusting your life savings to a financial adviser who charges hundreds or even thousands of pounds for the privilege is unlikely to result in DIY investors champing at the bit. Excessive charges can be extremely detrimental to your overall returns so it seems counterintuitive to add yet another...
The dangers of a drawdown hangover
Thursday 15 Dec 2016The Christmas party season is now in full swing, with workers up and down the country preparing to ask themselves that age old question: ‘How much is too much?’ Clearly the booze will be flowing as the festivities get under way. But embarrass yourself in front of the boss after a few too many...
The benefits of passing on your pension
Thursday 15 Dec 2016It’s hard to think of your pension as being anything other than a vehicle to fund your retirement, but it can also be a good way of passing wealth on to your children while reducing your tax bill. In April 2015 the dreaded 55% ‘death tax’ on pensions was abolished, enabling pension benefits to be...
Curbing excessive pension exit penalties
Thursday 08 Dec 2016Pensions have changed a lot in the past three decades. We no longer have virtually unregulated salesmen in shiny suits flogging expensive policies and taking a hefty commission from the provider. Charges have also (on average) plummeted, while regulatory and governance standards have ramped up as...
Why it can pay to take a long-term view
Thursday 08 Dec 2016Staying focused on your long-term financial goals can be difficult when stock markets plummet and news pages are filled with images of Wall Street despair. But unless you’ve got the skills to be a professional trader, taking the long view is crucial to protecting your financial future. There have...
Watch out if you reinvest cash into pensions
Thursday 01 Dec 2016People aged 55 and over who have enjoyed the flexibility offered by pension freedom could soon see their choices restricted under proposals put forward by the Chancellor. In his Autumn Statement on 23 November, Philip Hammond said the current Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA) – the amount...
Autumn Statement brings stability for pensions
Thursday 01 Dec 2016Since 2010 savers have had to get used to a regular diet of cuts to pension tax perks and mounting complexity. Radical new freedoms have been introduced, an overhaul of the pensions tax regime proposed and a secondary annuities market unveiled (before being abruptly scrapped) in recent years...
Fighting back against the fraudsters
Thursday 24 Nov 2016George Osborne’s pensions freedom reforms have spurred a positive revolution in UK retirement saving. People are no longer shovelled into the locked box of an often poor-value annuity contract, and instead have near-total flexibility over how they spend and invest their hard-earned pension pot...
Why are some ETFs priced so high?
Thursday 24 Nov 2016Despite being billed as a cost-effective way to invest, the manner in which some exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are priced makes them prohibitive to all but the wealthiest individuals. Some ETFs cost over £100 each Many ETFs cost in excess of £100 for just one share, making it extremely difficult for...