Archive for December 2021
Escaping the higher minimum pension age
A surprise change of tack on pension ages was revealed when this year’s Finance Bill was published. In February 2021, the government confirmed that it would go ahead with a two-year increase in the normal minimum pension age (NMPA) from 55 to 57 from April 2028. The NMPA is the earliest age at which you…
Read MoreUniversal Credit eligibility expands to higher rate taxpayers
Autumn Budget reforms have created a surprising clash of benefits and income tax. The Covid-19 pandemic was the first time many people utilised Universal Credit (UC) for the first time – between February and May 2020, the number of households claiming UC rose by 1.7 million to 4.2 million. In March 2020, the UC standard…
Read MoreThe global recovery in share dividends
Research shows that in Q3 2021, dividend payments increased sharply in all major markets and are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels before the year’s end. In 2020, global share dividends fell by 11.9% year-on-year in USD terms according to an index calculated by the investment manager Janus Henderson. In the UK, dividends suffered a…
Read MoreTriple Lock shifts to Double Lock in 2022
The temporary Triple Lock suspension and the introduction of a Double Lock has cost pensioners up to £9.35 a week. Call it a good day for burying bad news. Within hours of the Prime Minister announcing his long-awaited plans for social care in England in early September, the Department for Work and Pensions revealed that…
Read MoreCompany cars: heading downhill fast?
Recent data suggests the number of company car drivers continues to fall. Once upon a time, the aspiration of many an office worker was to climb the ladder to the height at which a company car became part of the remuneration package. The appeal of being liberated from the expenses of motoring – sometimes including…
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