Posts by Richard Jackson
A game of two halves – or a rollercoaster ride for investors in 2022?
Investment: The world’s share markets had a bad first half of 2022 but, for once, the UK performance was better than many. The first six months of the year was a disappointing one for many investors. The S&P 500, the leading US market indicator, had its worst first six months since 1970. To be fair,…
Read MoreFeeling the impact of raising the State Pension Age
New research shows how the most recent increase in State Pension Age has hit those affected. The last change in State Pension Age (SPA) was phased in between December 2018 and October 2020. Over that period, the SPA for both men and women increased from 65 to 66. The move was controversial, not least because…
Read MoreFlaming June sees a flare-up in interest rates
June was a month for rising interest rates on both sides of the Atlantic. June was a notable month for interest rates: Firstly, the US central bank, the Federal Reserve (the Fed) increased its main interest rate by 0.75% to 1.50%–1.75%. It was the third consecutive meeting at which the Fed had raised rates and…
Read MoreIs interest in ISA’s beginning to wither on the vine?
ISA’s – New statistics show this year’s ISA season attracted less than half of last year’s total net investment. The Investment Association (IA) recently published net sales figures for the ISA season, which it defines as March and April. It showed that the net inflow into the stocks and shares ISAs of its members amounted…
Read MoreLatest news: the return of the 60% income tax bracket
The high marginal tax rates created by phasing out the personal allowance are back in the news. ‘A million to pay 60% income tax within years,’ ran a recent headline in The Sunday Telegraph. The next day The Times picked up on the same story with the article ‘Inflation may leave million more workers paying 60% tax’. Whether either…
Read MoreMind the gap – understanding pension tax relief
How well is pension tax relief understood? Research suggests not well at all, potentially undermining saving motivations. Of late, HMRC has been publishing past research that had previously been kept under wraps. One interesting document to emerge details research commissioned in 2015 by Ipsos – the opinion polling company – into the understanding of pension…
Read MoreResearch shows retirees enjoying their golden sunsets
Recent research has cast a new light on the spending habits of retirees – previous assumptions have been incorrect. Do you expect your spending to reduce gradually once you retire? It is often thought that as people pass through retirement their spending falls, assuming they do not have to pay for residential care. However, fresh…
Read MoreHow will inflation affect your cash and investments?
In April, UK inflation reached a level not seen since the early 1980s – many people’s entire adult lives. UK inflation was widely expected to jump in April as the new Ofgem utility price cap took effect. Nevertheless, when the April annual CPI rate of 9.0% was announced in mid-May, it dominated the headlines. In…
Read MoreAs interest rates rise, buy-to-let tax changes start to bite
Changes to tax rules made some years ago could soon inflict financial pain for buy-to-let landlords as interest rates rise. In the post-election Budget of 2015, the then Chancellor, George Osborne, announced a surprise set of changes to the tax rules for buy-to-let (BTL) residential properties. The most significant was the treatment of interest on BTL…
Read MoreAutomatic enrolment – a pension success story
Party(ing) politicians are held in low esteem at present, but there is one cross-party measure that deserves to be recognised – automatic pension enrolment. But its success shouldn’t be an excuse for complacency. Eighteen years ago, the Pensions Commission, set up by the Blair government, published its first report into UK pension provision. In 2005 a…
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