magazine archive
magazine archive
Money Matters
FTSE 100 pension schemes move into surplus
Thursday 31 May 2018Bring out the bunting! Just days after Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, were married in Windsor, members of defined benefit (DB) schemes might also have been tempted to pop open the champagne in celebration. Well maybe champagne is going a bit far, but...
Pension tips for the self-employed
Thursday 31 May 2018Building up a decent-sized pension pot can be a lot more challenging if you’re self-employed as oppose to employed. Employed people not only get a nudge to save into a pension through auto-enrolment, they also benefit from employer-matched pension contributions. If you’re self-employed, you’re...
Why you should avoid ‘lifestyle inflation’
Thursday 24 May 2018We’ve all read stories about people who earn triple figure salaries yet still moan about the difficulty of paying bills or saving up for the future. If you’re not lucky enough to be a high earner, you might wonder how this could possibly happen. A large part of it is down to something called ‘...
How young savers can bridge the intergenerational divide
Thursday 17 May 2018The Resolution Foundation, a respected think-tank, has published a report on the issue of intergenerational fairness, saying that younger generations – sometimes sweepingly referred to as ‘Millennials’ – will end up financially worse off than those who went before them unless something radical is...
Is an early retirement possible anymore?
Thursday 17 May 2018If you read the personal finance pages of the media you’re probably under the impression that retiring early – if at all – is nigh on impossible these days. While it’s true that retiring early is trickier than it was in the past, it shouldn’t be impossible. It merely requires a lot of planning and...
How does equity release help with retirement planning?
Thursday 10 May 2018If you’re short of cash in retirement and have a lot of wealth tied up in your property, it’s worth considering whether equity release could help. You’re eligible for equity release if you’re aged 55 or over and own a property in the UK which is worth more than £70,000. Equity release isn’t for...
Why using a Cash Lifetime ISA for retirement could be a costly mistake
Thursday 10 May 2018Shares ’ in-depth feature on 3 May focused on the Lifetime ISA, and specifically what investors should do when a juicy bonus of up to £1,000 lands in their account. The article rightly suggests for those with a short investment time horizon (primarily people planning to use their Lifetime ISA for a...
How a stock market downturn could hit your retirement plans
Thursday 03 May 2018With the record-breaking global stock market bull run now into its ninth year, investors could be forgiven for looking nervously over their shoulder for the next big downturn. There’s no shortage of uncertainty to feed such worries as political tensions between the West and Russia ferment, major...
How to avoid running out of money in retirement
Thursday 03 May 2018Running out of money before you run out of life is one of investors’ biggest fears. Fortunately, there are lots of steps you can take before and during retirement to ensure your money lasts your lifetime. WHY IS IT SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE TODAY? Increased life expectancy means people today are...
Should I prioritise repaying debts or investing?
Thursday 26 Apr 2018Once you start planning for your future one of the biggest decisions you’ll face is whether to begin investing or pay off debts. Both are commendable and necessary measures that will improve your chances of reaching your financial goals. The decision will often come down to the types of debt you...