The Government’s much-vaunted pensions freedom legislation is increasingly resulting in worrying side-effects. Critics claim too many people are cleaning out their pension savings, not taking financial advice, failing to invest it wisely and paying too much tax. There was concern...

Scrutiny of buy-to-let businesses and their borrowings is about to get a whole lot tougher. From September 30 lenders must grapple with changes to the way in which applications are underwritten for portfolio landlords – defined as those with four...

The family home used to be the largest asset in any divorce … but today it can often be pension funds. Why is this? The recent growth in stockmarkets has boosted fund values. Low interest and annuity rates have caused...

Have the protagonists arguing the merits of active and passive funds declared a truce? Well, not quite, but there is a growing belief that the best of both worlds is the place to be. To Joe Public investing can be...

The start of the 2017/2018 tax year saw the introduction of controversial new tax relief changes for landlords. The changes are being tapered in until 2020, at which point landlords will only be able to claim 20 per cent back...

Savers who have not put away enough for their retirement will have to think in terms of catch-up. And generations following on will certainly face major challenges. High housing costs, university funding repayments and a host of other burdens make...

For many years academics studying stock markets have been trying to persuade investors that markets are efficient. Efficient Market Hypothesis suggests that you cannot beat the market over time. Information is widely available and any positives or negatives regarding a...

Insuring buildings, equipment and vehicles is commonplace but what if a key person or business owner either passes away or falls critically ill? Businesses spend a lot of money on insurances but an area frequently neglected is insuring people. They...

DB pension transfers from so-called final salary schemes are becoming more popular. Once considered the gold standard given excellent benefits, pension flexibilities introduced in 2015 are making it more attractive to switch. For many that would not be a good...

The hot-button issue in asset management circles is the costs and charges of holding investment funds. Financial pages are full of self-proclaimed consumer champions and tracker fund managers lambasting the active fund management industry for high and hidden ongoing charges...