The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has given Rishi Sunak its new worry list. It gives the Chancellor little wriggle room for potential Budget generosity. Every alternate year the OBR must issue a Fiscal Risks Report (FRR). Unlike the six-monthly economic outlooks the OBR produces for Budgets and (theoretically) Spring Statements, the FRR takes a […]
Action Fraud is reminding animal lovers to take extra care when buying a pet online, as new figures show more than £2.5 million has been lost to criminals through fake pet adverts. Data from Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, reveals that £2,638,323 was lost by prospective pet owners in […]
Investing is all about tradeoffs. Each choice made is paired with an implicit decision not to do some alternative; the ‘opportunity cost’. For example, by investing solely in a basket of UK companies one accepts the risk of losing out if the UK market struggles relative to the rest of the world, and vice-versa. An […]
State pensions and the National Living Wage both increased in April. April is the month when state benefits are uprated – unless they are subject to a freeze. It is also the month when the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) are increased. In 2021, many social security benefits rose by 0.5%, […]
A recent survey of people who have or plan to retire in 2021 provides interesting insights, whatever your intended retirement year. The average age of people planning to retire in 2021 is 60, according to a recently published survey by investment manager, Standard Life Aberdeen. That is six years before current state pension age, which […]
The role of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) has changed since they were launched over 20 years ago, so are they still worth having? Since ISAs were introduced in April 1999 the ISA portfolio has been extended to include: Junior ISAs (for the under-18s). Help to Buy ISAs (no longer on sale). Innovative Finance ISAs (for […]
