All of us have felt the pinch as inflation has soared to its highest level in 40 years. From energy bills and grocery costs to filling up your car and eating out, the rising cost of living has affected everybody to some extent. But one group that’s being particularly hard hit is retirees. According to …
Typically, a person who receives a state pension will have made 35 years’ worth of National Insurance contributions.* But there will always be people who haven’t and will therefore miss out. You might have been off work for several years because you had children or caring responsibilities. Or perhaps you lived overseas, or were recovering …
Early retirement – retiring any time before the state pension age of 66 – is the dream for many. The pandemic focused many people’s minds; making them think about what they want out of life – and for many in a position to make big changes, early retirement was the big one. The House of …
If you’re paying into a pension scheme, you can get tax relief on your contributions, with money that would otherwise be paid in tax going into your pension pot instead. That can make a big difference when you’re saving for the future, and working to achieve the kind of lifestyle you want in retirement. The …
It’s worryingly easy to lose track of old pensions, many of which will be worth considerable sums of money and could make a big difference to your retirement. But the fact is, a huge number of people are losing touch with these pots of cash as time passes. For example, many people will know that …
If, like many people, you’ve had several jobs throughout your working life, you’ll have picked up multiple workplace pensions. But these can be hard to keep track of, both in terms of how much you’re paying for them and how well they’re doing, so you might be thinking of consolidating your pensions into just one …
A happy retirement doesn’t just happen by itself. You’ve got to make it happen, and that involves lots of careful planning and asking yourself what you really want from your post-working life. The most obvious answer to that question is money, as we’ll all want financial security when we retire. But that’s not all. We’ll …
Do you know how much your home has gone up in value since you bought it? If you purchased your house more than 20 years ago, chances are it’s worth a great deal more than it was originally. According to Aviva, the average value of a property owned by 65 to 74-year-olds is now £287,000. …
Putting money aside for the future is one of the most fundamental principles of good financial planning. But with inflation at a 30-year high, and set to rise even further over the coming months, countless families and households are struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. As a result, the idea …
If you’re creating a financial plan, with a view to achieving certain ambitions in life, you need to include details. For instance, if you want to travel more in later life, you can’t simply say you’ll put money aside for holidays. Or if you want to retire early, simply putting money into a pension isn’t …
