‘Safety net rather than a straitjacket’: Pension providers question Labour guaranteed income plan Personal Finance Pension providers have questioned whether the government can deliver on its plans to guarantee retirement income for millions of private sector workers. Pensions minister Torsten Bell unveiled plans on Tuesday which will require pension providers to offer workers an annual income as standard in retirement. Dubbed ‘Guided Retirement’, the overhaul is anticipated to bring private [...]
Private workers to get guaranteed pension income for life in bid to close savings gap Personal Finance Private sector workers are set to be given access to guaranteed pension income for life, as the government aims to close the retirement savings gap between the public and private sector. Under new plans set out by pensions minister Torsten Bell on Tuesday, providers will be required to offer workers an annual income as standard [...]
Mortgage squeeze looms for millions as more families ‘financially strained’ Personal Finance More people are feeling a financial strain than at any other time in the last two years, polling has shown, with a rise in mortgage bills set to put household budgets under greater pressure. New City AM/Freshwater Strategy polling has suggested that half of mortgage holders will come off fixed-rate deals by the end of [...]
Healey’s ‘bizarre’ pension tax shield to hit thousands of retirees with 53 per cent tax rate October 29, 2026 Hundreds of thousands of low-income pensioners are set to pay an effective 53 per cent tax rate on part of their retirement income, under new rules introduced by John Healey in his maiden Budget. The Chancellor confirmed he will shield low-income pensioners from income tax as the state pension is set to rise above the [...]
Budget 2026: Healey reduces threshold for Business Asset Disposal Relief October 28, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has confirmed that he will reduce the threshold for Business Asset Disposal Relief in Capital Gains Tax. Healey lowered the threshold for business asset disposal relief (BADR) in capital gains tax (CGT) from £1m to £500,000 which he said will mean “no changes for three in four claimants”. But industry figures have [...]
Budget 2026: Healey reverses Reeves’ cash Isa cut October 28, 2026 John Healey has scrapped plans to slash the cash Isa allowance in his maiden Budget, ending the controversial measure introduced by his predecessor. Healey has confirmed the ceiling on the savings product will remain unchanged at £20,000 instead of being cut to £12,000 from April 2027. The cutting of the allowance was designed by former [...]
Budget 2026: Poorest pensioners shielded from income tax October 28, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has confirmed he will shield low-income retirees from income tax as the state pension is set to rise above the personal allowance threshold next year, in a move expected to cost the government around £200m a year by 2030. Healey said the government would protect nearly one million pensioners who are dependent [...]
Healey’s cash Isa reversal plans spark City row October 28, 2026 John Healey’s reported plans to reverse the cut to the cash Isa ceiling in his maiden Budget have sparked a row across the City, as banks and brokers butt heads over the end of the controversial measure introduced by his predecessor. The Chancellor will end plans to lower the annual cash Isa limit from £20,000 [...]
Ask the expert: Is too much of my wealth tied up in AI? October 28, 2026 Company shares can be a valuable perk, but could holding too much leave you exposed? Fidelity International’s Marianna Hunt is back to investigate. Q: I work for a large US-listed tech company in London. Part of my pay comes in the form of company shares that vest over time. After working there for a while, [...]
The Budget lever Healey could pull to tax family business succession October 27, 2026 Thousands of family businesses could face being priced out of passing their business down to their offspring should Chancellor John Healey to use his maiden Budget to clamp down on a little-known rule making it easier for firms to transfer ownership. Treasury officials have been mulling an overhaul of so-called company distribution rules that would [...]