UK Pension Tax on Death Benefits Proposed Change

UK Pension Tax on Death Benefits Proposed Change

On 18th July the UK government announced a consultation on pension taxation linked to the abolition of the Lifetime Allowance. It also considers other aspects of tax linked to pensions and proposes a significant change. Currently where pension member dies before age 75, benefits received by a beneficiary are generally outside the scope of income…

What is the future for Sterling?

What is the future for Sterling?

Despite the gloom that currently surrounds the UK’s economic outlook, the pound sterling has performed strongly, up around 23 per cent (as at July 14 2023) versus the US dollar since September 2022, and 5 per cent relative to the euro. Economic textbooks theorise that the principal determinant of the relative strength of one currency to…

How to help your retirement income last when costs are rising? Few more tips
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How to help your retirement income last when costs are rising? Few more tips

In the previous article we started talking about planning your pension to ensure you have enough money to sustain your lifestyle throughout your retirement. Here are a couple more things to consider when organising your finances today. Consider other sources of income. It’s worth considering whether you have other sources of income that could let…

Is now the perfect time to consider guaranteed income, provided by pension annuities?

Is now the perfect time to consider guaranteed income, provided by pension annuities?

If you’re approaching retirement, you’re probably thinking about how you’d like to access your pension savings. There will be lots of options available to you – but, as many households struggle with the cost of living crisis, the benefit of having a guaranteed, regular income may be increasingly difficult to ignore. Is now the perfect…

Market update 20 February 2023

Market update 20 February 2023

We ended last week with a slate of hawkish comments from central bankers – a reminder that they aren’t done tightening interest rates just yet and that market expectations for rate cuts later this year are probably much too soon, given the inflation outlook. From the ECB, Isabel Schnabel and Francois Villeroy de Galhau both…

Last news release for 2022

Last news release for 2022

China’s Central Economic Work Conference took place last week and this is one of the most important events of the year in terms of giving the public an indication of future plans. Beijing promised to “forcefully revive market confidence” in contrast to last year’s “revive the confidence of market entities” – so a little more…

The main event for markets this week is a busy diary for central bank policy decisions with the Federal Reserve, the ECB and the Bank of England all expected to raise interest rates.  The ongoing rally in US equities ran into some headwinds on data pointing to continued high inflation and a still-tight job market,…