magazine archive
magazine archive
Personal Finance
Should I lend money to a friend or loved one?
Thursday 05 Jun 2025When a friend or family member is struggling to stay afloat, lending money to tide them over can seem like the right thing to do. While this can be a big help for them, it’s also important to consider how it will affect you, especially when it comes to your own finances and your relationship with...
Facing a retirement reality check
Thursday 29 May 2025New findings from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have sounded the alarm on how unprepared many UK adults are for retirement. The regulator’s latest Financial Lives survey reveals a troubling picture: 19% of working-age adults have no private pension at all, while 41% are currently not...
I’ve maxed out my ISA: now what?
Thursday 22 May 2025It’s a nice problem to have. Somehow, you’ve ended up with more money than you know what to do with. If you’ve been promoted at work, this might now be a yearly occurrence, or it could be a once-in-a-lifetime event. But what to do with that money once you have it to avoid forfeiting a chunk to tax...
Should I max out my pension before investing elsewhere?
Thursday 08 May 2025Thanks to the advent of auto-enrolment, pensions have become arguably the easiest way to invest your money. In fact, if you are employed by a company, you must actively put in effort to not invest via your pension, by going through the opt out process. With this contribution squared away, your...
Five things to consider a decade after the pension freedoms
Thursday 01 May 2025It’s now more than 10 years since the ‘pension freedoms’ reforms announced by former chancellor George Osborne in his bombshell 2014 Budget took effect in the UK. These changes fundamentally upended the retirement system and the income choices available to millions of Brits. That decision at a...
How to readjust your ISA allocations without making fresh contributions
Thursday 24 Apr 2025The start of the new tax year was quickly upstaged this month by the arrival of tariff policies that sent equity and bond markets into a flurry. Before Trump took over the headlines, investors faced the usual deadline to max out their ISA contributions before the year was up, to take advantage of...
How to spring clean your portfolio
Thursday 17 Apr 2025Spring is upon us and many of us will be tempted to rejuvenate our houses with a little elbow grease, and maybe even venture out into the garden to get a head start on the annual plant lifecycle. Not everybody will spare a thought for their investments this spring though, but they probably should...
Why investing in an ISA early could make you more than £19,000 richer
Thursday 10 Apr 2025There’s nothing like a deadline to spur us into action. It’s why so many investors find themselves opening ISAs in the final days of each tax year, just before the 5 April cut-off date. But there are also investors who do things a bit differently, opening their ISAs in the first few days of each...
How much extra you’re paying HMRC thanks to frozen income tax bands
Thursday 03 Apr 2025The chancellor’s Spring Statement has thrown a spotlight on a growing problem for workers: higher taxes. According to new figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), we’re looking at the highest tax take relative to the economy since World War II. The Government’s own numbers show that...
ISA savers pocket billions in tax relief
Thursday 27 Mar 2025ISA savers have hit the jackpot when it comes to tax savings, as new data from HMRC reveals a sharp increase in the value of tax relief provided to both cash and stocks and shares ISA holders over the last few years. Figures obtained by AJ Bell through a freedom of information (FOI) request show...