Category: Uncategorized

The “pension freedom” changes to legislation a couple of years ago gave people more options on what to do with the money in their pensions when they retire. But for many, those extra choices mean there is more need for advice from a suitably qualified expert. Whether to cash in their pension, take part of…

There are not many people who would consider it good news that the growth in our average life expectancy is slowing, but the managers of some pension funds may be an exception! The slowdown could mean that “defined benefit” pension deficits could fall by half – a drop of £310 billion from what was previously…

New figures from HMRC show that people have released money from their pensions totalling over £10 billion since the “Pension Freedom” changes to legislation two years ago. But there are fears that much of that cash is just being put into cash accounts, where it is not being used immediately but also not earning any…

We reported previously that many financial experts are worried that the growth in car loans could trigger a financial crisis, similar to the one caused by sub-prime mortgages back in 2008. Now there are concerns that many car loans are being mis-sold, meaning that consumers are paying more than they should for their vehicle because…

With more changes to the state pension age coming next year (2018), many people are confused about when they will be able to start claiming, and how much cash they will receive from their pension. One of the quickest ways to find out is to use the Government’s own pension calculator. Today the Daily Express…

The UK’s state pension should not be given to rich people. That’s the view of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), which says that cutting the payments made to the richest 5-10% of retirees would allow more to be given to the poorer pensioners, who need more support. At the moment, the full…

We have mentioned before that some people use pension loans as a way to help their children pay for their education. The cost of interest on student loans rose recently, increasing the amount that some graduates will have to pay back over the lifetime of their loan. This will not apply to all students, as…

With a General Election coming in June, the issue of the “triple lock” protection on state pensions is becoming an issue again, and the pros and cons are being debated fiercely. Today, research by experts at Hymans Robertson suggests that ending the triple lock will only save money in the short term, because so many…

We reported last week that many loan providers are putting black marks against people’s credit score if they apply for a loan but then do not follow through and take the loan that was offered – the kind of basic “shopping around” that many savvy consumers do. (This does not apply to pension loans, as…

More than half a million British people who live abroad have had their state pension frozen. That means that the amount of cash they receive stays the same as it was on the day they left the country. And they are being hit by a “double whammy” of rising inflation and the falling value of…