It’s time for the pensions industry to stop taking customers for granted April 5, 2019 With workplace pension contributions increasing from tomorrow, I’m reminded of a recent industry event that I attended. During the keynote, the speaker cut to a video where members of the public were stopped on the street and asked “who is your pension provider?” Most of those questioned looked confused, unable to recall where their pensions [...]
Amber Rudd gives nod for pensions dashboard project to ‘transform’ retirement planning April 4, 2019 Amber Rudd has given the green light for the long-awaited pensions dashboard project to go ahead, with the first industry models to come out later this year. Under the scheme, workers will be able to see information about their various nest eggs combined on a so-called dashboard, accessible on smartphones, tablets and computers. The plan [...]
Five high-quality European stocks for an ISA April 4, 2019 | City Talk By Rodney Hobson from interactive investor. Our author and columnist offers some tips on choosing ISA stocks and identifies a handful of top picks. Rodney Hobson is an experienced financial writer and commentator who has held senior editorial positions on publications and websites in the UK and Asia, including Business News Editor on The Times [...]
What is powering ISA millionaire portfolios? April 3, 2019 | City Talk By Jemma Jackson from interactive investor. For our ISA millionaires, investment trusts and a little luck are key to a seven-figure portfolio. Whilst there is always a huge focus on the most popular ISA season funds, data from interactive investor suggests that when it comes to the largest portfolios, it is investment trusts that are [...]
Best 5 US stocks for an ISA March 28, 2019 | City Talk By Rodney Hobson from interactive investor. Brexit makes investing overseas especially attractive now, argues our commentator, author and columnist. Rodney Hobson is an experienced financial writer and commentator who has held senior editorial positions on publications and websites in the UK and Asia, including Business News Editor on The Times and Editor of Shares magazine. [...]
Invest in Isas like it’s 1999 March 28, 2019 The Individual Savings Account (Isa) is approaching its twentieth birthday, and since its inception it has been hugely popular. In the last tax year alone, 10.8m adult Isas were opened. But despite this popularity, have savers made the most of the opportunity? Big benefits When the Isa launched in 1999, it had an annual allowance of [...]
Nine UK shares that tick all of Warren Buffett’s boxes March 26, 2019 | City Talk By Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor. Looking for equity-based ISA inspiration? We run through the investment checklist of the Berkshire Hathaway chairman to identify UK shares that pass his stockpicking rules. American investor Warren Buffett is to the world of investment what Lionel Messi is to football: the greatest of his generation in the profession [...]
Just Group completes £375m fundraising to meet new regulations March 25, 2019 Retirement services firm Just Group shares fell again this morning as it announced it had completed a £375m fundraise to comply with new capital requirement rules. The firm, which unveiled heavy 2018 pre-tax losses earlier this month, said it had issued £300m worth of bonds and raised an extra £75m via an equity placing. Read [...]
Royal London profits fall amid Brexit volatility and end of auto enrolment roll out March 21, 2019 Royal London, the UK’s largest mutual insurer, announced today its pre-tax profits had fallen in 2018 after Brexit uncertainty hit the confidence of its customers. The firm said its results compared unfavourably with last years in part because the first stage of the auto enrolment pensions roll out had come to an end, meaning a [...]
Home-buying or retirement: What are Lifetime Isa savers planning to use their money for? March 20, 2019 When then chancellor George Osborne announced that the government would launch the Lifetime Isa in 2017, the industry was stunned. Designed for people under 40 to either save for retirement or for a home, few people saw this hybrid product coming. Alongside concerns that the Isa could distract from the new workplace pension scheme, a lot of [...]