Has debt become an inevitable part of life? September 27, 2025 The UK has suffered a bout of economic stagnation in recent years, leaving many Brits in an unstable position, unable to afford everyday essentials or bolster their savings. This has caused a surge in people taking out high-interest loans or entering their overdraft to pay the bills, with people across the country digging themselves deeper [...]
Require ‘default’ UK weighting in pensions or risk stock market doom loop, report says September 25, 2025 Pension funds should be required to have a “default” UK weighting to prevent the London stock market getting caught in a “doom loop”, a new report has argued. A UK weighted default fund with an allocation of between 20-25 per cent, if made a requirement for defined contribution (DC) pensions with an opt-out for individuals, [...]
Standard Life set to enhance pension exposure in private markets September 24, 2025 Pension provider Standard Life is set to launch a new fund with significant private market allocation, as it works to make investing in the private market more accessible for savers. The Future Opportunities fund aims to improve outcomes and boost returns by diversifying customer portfolios with exposure to quality private assets which could offer increased [...]
Government urged to amend the Pension Schemes Bill September 24, 2025 The Association of Investment Companies, (AIC) has voiced its frustration at the incoming Pension Schemes Bill failing to include investment companies. The bill aims to strengthen pension investment by giving government powers to push schemes to invest a percentage of their portfolio in private assets. However, in the drafted legislation which is passing through the [...]
Time for politicians to come clean about the pensions triple lock September 24, 2025 It is becoming devastatingly clear that public clear that public spending is on an unsustainable path, and while much focus is on welfare reform, we need to start saying the unsayable on the pensions triple lock too, says Simon Clarke How do you earn permission to say the unsayable in a democracy? That’s the exam [...]
Economists tell Rachel Reeves to target wealthy pensioners September 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves should target wealthy pensioners to ease pressures on the public purse and allow infrastructure investment pledges to be protected, top economists and former ministers have said. Former Cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell, ex Tory minister and Goldman Sachs executive Jim O’Neill, and top economists including Mariana Mazzucato have urged the government to “rebalance” [...]
Natwest in talks to sell pension provider Cushon September 19, 2025 Natwest is gearing up to sell pension provider Cushon just two years after it first acquired the business. The bank has lined up advisers to help work on a sale of the London fintech and is already in talks with a number of potential suitors, according to a report by Sky News. Natwest acquired an [...]
State pension boost raises questions on tax and triple lock future September 16, 2025 While pensioners may be cheering a proposed 4.7 per cent rise in the state pension, there are lingering questions over the sustainability of such increases and the viability of the triple lock itself. The proposed uplift means that payments to retirees are on track to rise by more than £560, bringing the new full state [...]
Parents’ secrecy on inheritance plans leaves children facing unexpected tax burdens September 15, 2025 Parents are choosing not to tell their children about their inheritance plans, leaving them at risk of being slapped with unexpected tax bills, new research has found. According to investment manager Charles Stanley, more than a third of Brits have an alarming lack of knowledge of how their parents plan to pass down wealth, despite [...]
Brits risk financial future as they fail to save for retirement September 15, 2025 UK savers are failing to put enough money away to fund retirement, despite growing calls from industry figures for people to get to grips with their pension savings. According to the latest report from Lloyds subsidiary Scottish Widows, nearly a quarter of working age people aren’t currently saving for retirement. Meanwhile, over a third are [...]