By Rob Barron

There are two schools of thought on retiring early.

For some people, the question isn’t at what age they wish to retire, it’s at what income. Working past retirement age has obvious financial benefits, and continuing to earn an income, even part-time can be the right decision for them.

For others, however, early retirement is the ultimate dream.

New research from Prudential shows that the majority of people planning to stop working this year will be retiring early; a stark contrast to the 20% of young workers who believe tha...

By James Tanswell

For some, there is no greater feeling than getting a good deal on something. Whatever it is, from car insurance to the car itself; getting the most for your money can be incredibly satisfying.

However, new research from Retirement Advantage suggests that retirees are missing out on a total of £765 million in Annuity income, simply by not shopping around.

This equates to the average person losing out on £8,460 over the course of their retirement; money that would no doubt be better off in your pocket than that of your pen...

By Rob Barron

Confusion reigned this week as the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, revealed that two measures previously announced in his Budget will not go ahead.

For now, anyway.

Mr Hammond’s Budget, delivered in early March, will be remembered for the proposed National Insurance rise for self-employed workers. A few days later, following protests and a media backlash, he changed his mind.

It now seems that two other measures, which would have affected pensioners and shareholders, will now not go ahead.

Contribution cut

Prior to the Budg...

By James Tanswell

The 6th of April is an important date to many for a number of reasons:

• It’s National Fisherman Day in Indonesia 
• It’s the day that ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974
• It’s Raphael’s birthday (the 16th century Italian Renaissance painter, not the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle)

It’s also the first day of the brand-new tax year, which brings with it a long list of changes that you should know about. This article looks at the 10 most important changes to your personal finances, from your personal tax allowance...

By James Tanswell

The answer to that question depends on two things; the outcome of the election and how you react to the inevitable instability it will cause.

At this early stage, the most likely outcome seems to be a Conservative victory, with an increased majority. At least that’s what a certain Mrs May, of Number 10 Downing Street, has gambled on.

Logically, if this is the case, Mrs May, and the Chancellor Philip Hammond, will be emboldened to drive through changes to domestic policy, whilst negotiating Brexit. Of course, even if it...

By David Triggs

National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has launched its new Investment Guaranteed Growth Bond, after announcing it in November 2016.

The fixed rate bond offers the highest interest rate currently available at 2.2% gross/AER, and has been called ‘market leading’ by the Treasury. Despite the competitive interest rate, it doesn’t beat the current rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which is currently at 2.3%.

What are the key features?

Although the account is called an Investment Guaranteed Gr...

By James Tanswell 2/3/2016

As Britain's voters prepare to end the hokey-cokey and finally decide if they want to be in or out of the European Union, analysts are already divided on the potential effects on markets of both the vote and the result.

The currency markets have already spoken, with the pound falling and hitting its lowest point against the dollar since September. The problem is that although two obvious factors caused that decline, it's hard to tell yet what the balance between the two is.

As always, market movers hate nothing ...

By Rob Barron 14/1/2016

The buy-to-let market is braced for a major hit when several tax changes take effect from this April. While some landlords have vowed to fight the changes in court, the industry is divided on whether this marks a long-term attempt to deter buy-to-let.

The package, introduced in the recent Autumn statement, has two key changes that make buy-to-let less attractive. The first is to stamp duty where anyone buying a property as a buy-to-let or second home will now face a surcharge of three percentage points on top of ...

By David Triggs 11/112015

When is a flat rate not a flat rate? When it's the new state pension. 

The state pension is undergoing major changes for people retiring after next April. In theory it's a change to a simpler system, but there's plenty of confusion and complexity involved, so it's worth exploring your personal position carefully. 

The main change is to the way the pension is calculated. At the moment it comes in two parts: a basic amount which is the same for most people, and then an additional amount which varies depending on ...