What Does Inflation Mean For Me ?

The headline rate for the Consumer Prices Index inflation increased to 5.4% in December, a rise from 5.1% in November, and the highest rate in 30 years. With the Bank of England seeming more hawkish on inflation, interest rates have risen again to 0.5%, at this month’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting. This rise to 0.5%,…

Changes to Pension Ages

Last year, the Government published a consultation on draft clauses for the Finance Bill 2021-22.  Amongst these were clauses that will increase the Normal Minimum Pension Age (“NMPA”) for the purposes of pensions tax. NMPA is the earliest age at which a member’s pension benefits can be taken under a registered pension scheme without higher…

Consolidating Pensions

Workers nowadays have, on average, 11 jobs during their working lives.  So, it is not uncommon to have built up numerous pensions, which are easy to lose track of overtime. Some might be “Defined Benefit”, also known as Final Salary schemes, which promise a certain level of pension from retirement age, while others – increasingly…

Probate is getting easier…

Each year around 25,000 estates in the UK have to pay Inheritance Tax (IHT), but a further 250,000 also have to jump through onerous and time-consuming hoops to establish that they do not.  The job of gathering every last detail of a friend or relative’s financial affairs, requiring as many as 25 different forms to be completed, is a real labour of love.  However,…