Useful Articles

Nine in ten Britons are in danger of financial hardship – so what cover do you need?

Britons are woefully under-protected should serious illness strike, according to new research[1]. Despite more than a fifth (21%) of people admitting their household wouldn’t survive financially if they lost their income due to long-term illness, fewer than one in ten (9%) have a critical illness policy. People are, in fact, more likely to insure their mobile phones (12%) than to protect their own health. Continue reading “Do you have protection if the worst should happen?” →

Making the most of the next chapter in life

With increasing numbers now working past traditional retirement ages[1], stopping work can seem a long way off, especially for younger people. However, new research[2] reveals that the early retirement dream lives on. Nearly two thirds (60%) of those stopping work this year are doing so before their expected State Pension age or company pension retirement date. Continue reading “Taking early retirement” →

But one in five young people still saving nothing

The number of under-30s saving enough for retirement has risen sharply by 9%[1]. As the success of auto enrolment continues, two in five UK workers (39%) aged 22–29 years old are now saving adequately for retirement, up from 30% last year. Despite this, more than one in five young people (21%) are still saving nothing for later life, with a further 20% saving seriously less than 12% of their income. Continue reading “Retirement savings leap” →

Saving not found to be a financial priority for UK workers

Worryingly, pension inertia is rife across the UK with many Britons failing to make saving for their old age a priority as they fall into a short-term saving trap. Saving for retirement is not looked upon as a priority until workers reach their 40s and 50s, according to new research involving a survey of 2,824 employees at medium and large private sector companies in the UK conducted by LifeSight, Willis Towers Watson’s UK DC master trust. Continue reading “Pension paralysis” →

More retirees drawing pensions without LPAs

People are generally living longer these days. Increasingly, more people are living well into their 80s and 90s – and some even longer. This may mean you have a long time to budget for. That’s why it is very important to consider all of your options carefully and think about what will matter to you in retirement. Continue reading “Averting a later-life financial crisis” →

Half of pensioners plan to work past retirement age

The onwards march of ‘pretirement’ – where people scale back on work or slow their retirement plans down rather than giving up entirely – is continuing, according to new research[1]. Continue reading “‘Pretirement’” →

Uncovering what really matters to you is the key to the planning process

Have you ever thought about writing a letter to yourself to describe your ideal future life, long-term life goals and the process of how to plan for them? Imagining what you want your life to be like in the long term when you retire will help you think much further ahead than you might have done before. Research conducted for a new campaign[1] shows that over half (54%) of people plan their lives only days (31%) or weeks (23%) ahead. Continue reading “Back to the future” →

Getting the date right can help you reach your destination sooner

At some point you’ll say ‘goodbye’ to your co-workers, get into your car and drive towards the next phase of your life – retirement. But when will that be? The move to retirement is one of the most important decisions you’ll make, so it’s not surprising that determining the date is harder than you may ever expect. Continue reading “Driving towards the next phase of your life” →

Families set to pay millions in unnecessary tax

There’s a fundamental lack of awareness and understanding around Inheritance Tax, especially when it comes to how Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are treated after death. Given that some people have been able to amass over a million pounds in their ISAs, it’s an area where lack of knowledge could prove costly. Continue reading “ISA rules and Inheritance Tax” →

Time to bring your investments together?

If you have accumulated a number of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) over the years, keeping them all in one place could give you better control and help you save money. There’s a common misconception that you can’t move your existing ISAs from one provider to another. Transferring your ISAs doesn’t affect its tax-efficient status, but you should make sure that you don’t have to pay penalties or give up valuable benefits. Continue reading “Transferring ISAs” →