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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced new rules to ensure a green label on a fund is more than just marketing puffery.       It was perhaps no coincidence that the FCA published a new set of rules on sustainable funds just as COP28, the UN global conference on climate change, got underway […]

For employees, the national insurance cut announced in the Autumn Statement took effect on 6 January.   For many years, successive governments have been happy for the public to vaguely believe that national insurance contributions (NICs) are building up in some national benefit fund, rather than representing just another tax on income. While something called […]

Many of us dream about an early retirement, spending time doing things we enjoy. Financial realities inevitably mean few of us will realise those dreams. You may have heard of the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement, which claims it can boost people’s chances of early retirement success. But how attainable is it really? Igniting […]

A key intestacy limit was due to increase in December 2022, but the timing was overlooked… until July 2023.  The intestacy rules for England and Wales state that where there is no will, if on first death the deceased leaves children, grandchildren or great grandchildren, the surviving spouse or civil partner is entitled to the […]

A new think tank report highlights the need to increase pension contributions.     Over time, good ideas start to age. Take, for example, automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, which is now eleven years old. In some respects, it has been highly successful – about 80% of employees are now benefiting from pension contributions compared […]