First anniversary of pension reforms shows we aren’t all cashing in and buying private jets August 15, 2016 Only a fraction of savers raided pension war-chests proving that Britons are not nearly as weak-willed as was feared when pension rules were relaxed a year ago. Reporting on the first anniversary of the "Freedom and Choice" reforms, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said that over half of people had only drawn down a small lump sum from their [...]
Falling ill on holiday could cost you as much as a house, the Association of British Insurers warns August 11, 2016 The high cost of overseas medical bills means falling ill abroad could cost double the amount of an average UK house. Insurers are now processing claims from more than 3,000 British travellers per week who require emergency medical care while abroad, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). While the average travel insurance claim [...]
Let’s not be spoilsports and crush Pokemon Go July 15, 2016 It was a story that gripped the nation for weeks. Unexpected twists and turns meant no one was sure what would happen next. But yesterday, after what seemed like an inordinately long wait, Britons were rewarded for their patience. No, it was nothing to do with Theresa May: Pokemon Go finally launched in the UK. The game, [...]
City Moves for 14 July 2016 | Who’s switching jobs July 14, 2016 Funding Circle Lending platform Funding Circle has appointed Jeremy Bennett as its new global chief financial officer. Jeremy has more than three decades of experience within financial services, working for Credit Suisse, before becoming CEO of Nomura in Europe, Middle East and Africa and CEO of Nomura International. During the financial crisis, he acted [...]
Focus on retirement goals when saving for your pension, urge actuaries July 11, 2016 People need to shift their mindset on pensions away from what proportion of their paypacket they are saving to what kind of lifestyle they want in retirement, a report out today suggests. According to the research from The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), encouraging people to focus on what they want their pension pot [...]
What you need to know about passporting June 27, 2016 Passporting, something previously little heard of by those outside the financial services industry, seems to have been a big source of panic post-Brexit vote. Sadiq Khan told City A.M. over the weekend that a loss of the provisions would be "a disaster", while London-headquartered HSBC warned back in February that it would consider moving as many as 1,000 [...]
What Brexit means for your pension June 24, 2016 The UK went to the polls yesterday to make the historic decision to leave the EU, a result the markets had not exactly geared themselves up for. More than £100bn was wiped off the FTSE 100 this morning, while the pound dropped to its lowest point against the dollar in over 30 years, so many people [...]
Annuities may be regaining popularity, but here’s eight myths we’re still falling for June 22, 2016 Interest in annuities may be on the rebound, but research out today shows that some people might be starting out on their retirement product shopping trip with a few misapprehensions in mind. Common preconceptions unearthed by Retirement Advantage included "annuities are poor value", "I won't live long enough to worry about buying an annuity" and "I'd [...]
What will happen to UK equities if we leave the European Union? June 21, 2016 The pound and the FTSE soared yesterday, as the Remain camp wrestled back its lead in the polls. But the outcome of Thursday’s EU referendum is far from clear, with pundits saying that voter turnout will be pivotal in determining whether the UK stays or leaves. If Article 50 is triggered and sterling dives, what should [...]
Fintech boom means Brexit won’t hurt exports June 14, 2016 Exporting can be a powerful driver of business growth, and small and medium-sized enterprises that sell overseas often find themselves more successful in their domestic market as a result of what they learn from exporting. So, I was disheartened to see at a recent seminar hosted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, that only around 20 per [...]