Hot annuities market brings break-even point average five years closer

Payback period on a benchmark £100,000 annuity today is 14.5 years Current record annuity rate levels have pulled the break-even point for holders closer by five years, latest statistics show.  Canada Life yesterday (26 June) published figures which reconfirm the significant improvement in rates over the last 18 months. These improvements mean the payback period on a £100,000 benchmarked annuity …

Retirement ProfessionalsHot annuities market brings break-even point average five years closer

Bank of England raises interest rates by further 0.5%

Two members preferred to maintain Bank Rate at 4.5%, with no-one choosing to increase by 0.25%. The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has voted 7-2 to increase Bank Rate by 0.5% to 5.00% – the 13th consecutive rise. Many industry experts had predicted a 0.5% rise after inflation held steady at 8.7% yesterday, higher than predicted, although other commentators had expected …

Retirement ProfessionalsBank of England raises interest rates by further 0.5%

UK inflation holds at 8.7% after two months of falls

Core CPI rose by 7.1% in the 12 months to May, up from 6.8% in April, and the highest rate since March 1992. CPI inflation was unchanged at 8.7% in May, despite two consecutive months of declining and an expected fall to 8.4%, renewing predictions of a 0.5% Base Rate hike at tomorrow’s MPC meeting. The latest ONS statistics show …

Retirement ProfessionalsUK inflation holds at 8.7% after two months of falls

UK inflation falls to 8.7%

UK inflation has fallen to single digits for the first time this year according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics, easing to 8.7% in April. CPI inflation rose by 8.7% in the 12 months to April 2023, down from 10.1% in March according to this morning’s figures. On a monthly basis, CPI rose by 1.2% …

Retirement ProfessionalsUK inflation falls to 8.7%

Rising IHT receipts should be ‘wake-up call’ to take tax advice

‘More good news for the Treasury’ as April nets £0.6bn Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts for April 2023 again crept higher reaching £0.6bn, which is £0.1bn up on the same period last year, latest figures reveal. IHT receipts were £5.3bn in 2020/21 and £6.1bn in 2021/22 demonstrating how “increasingly lucrative” the tax is for the government, according to Just Group. It …

Retirement ProfessionalsRising IHT receipts should be ‘wake-up call’ to take tax advice

Quilter calls for pension transfer warning rethink over ineffective data

Government data shows 40% of pension transfer amber warnings are for unknown reasons, making it hard to understand whether the system is working. Quilter is calling for clarity around the government’s new pension transfer rules after finding 40% are flagged and delayed by trustees for unknown reasons. According to freedom of information (FOI) data obtained by Quilter, 6,050 (43%) of …

Retirement ProfessionalsQuilter calls for pension transfer warning rethink over ineffective data