State pension age increase brought forward by Gov’t

The government has announced the state pension age (SPA) will rise to 68 seven years earlier than previously planned. The change is in line with a report led by John Cridland and published in March this year. Under current legislation, from December 2018, the SPA for men and women will increase to 66. It will then rise to 67 between …

Drawdown regrets for savers ‘putting pension freedoms at risk’

Drawdown regrets for savers are putting pension freedoms at risk. Savers who invested in drawdown are unhappy with their choice while others admit they did not understand the risks before buying, new research* from MetLife shows. – More than one in five admit they did not understand the risks of conventional drawdown and more than one in 10 are unhappy …

Bank of England hold interest rate at 0.25%

Bank of England hold interest rate in September. The Bank of England have left UK interest rates unchanged this month after promising economic data. After cutting interest rates to a new record low last month, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee decided unanimously to hold interest rates at 0.25%. This policy move follows recent data which suggests the economy …

Stephen Crabb Work and Pensions Secretary Resigns

Stephen Crabb has resigned from his Government post as Works and Pensions Secretary, citing ‘the best interests of his family’. Crabb was rushed into the role at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) following the resignation of prominent Brexiteer Iain Duncan-Smith after the Budget this year. Following the vote to Leave at the EU Referendum, Crabb declared his candidacy …

The UK’s new Prime Minister – Theresa May

Theresa May, the UK’s new Prime Minister vows to be ‘one nation’ Government that works for all not just the “privileged few”. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister and after being appointed by the Queen, she said it would be her mission to “build a better Britain”. She promised to give people who were …

Withdrawals of Pension Pots Drops Down 42%

According to the data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the total number of customers that took all their pension pot as cash fell 42% during the last quarter of 2015. The Financial Conduct Authority recognized the general fall in access to pensions after a sharp fall following the pension freedoms. The number of individuals who preferred a full withdrawal …