News - Page 27 of 115 - Auto Enrolment

Time for a spring clean? How about ‘death cleaning’ your finances?

Could your finances benefit from a spring clean? You could take your cue from the Swedes. They believe in ‘döstädning,’ or ‘death cleaning.’ It sounds pessimistic, but it involves decluttering your belongings to reduce the burden you leave behind to loved ones. The philosophy gained international prominence through a 2018 book called The Gentle Art […]

Economic Review March 2025

The Chancellor cut welfare and departmental spending to restore a fiscal buffer, but risks to forecasts remain high Inflation dipped unexpectedly but is expected to rise again due to higher energy, taxes and wage costs Business and retail activity showed resilience, but weak manufacturing and trade tensions cloud economic prospects Chancellor trims spending plans Rachel […]

News in Review

US President Trump disrupted the global trade system by introducing tariffs on ‘Liberation Day’ Global markets continue to be highly volatile following the announcement The government is to help the UK car industry cope with tariffs by relaxing electric vehicle (EV) sales targets “This is one of the most important days… in American history. It’s our […]

News in review

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced spending cuts but no tax increases, aiming to save £14bn by 2029/30 The UK growth forecast was revised to 1% in 2025, with improvements expected later in the decade UK retail sales fell for a sixth month and looming US tariffs threaten the car industry “The global economy has become more […]

When is the right time to buy your first home?

Changes to Stamp Duty and mortgage rates may make now a good time for first-time buyers. House prices are predicted to rise in 2025, though at a slower pace than before. Lower mortgage rates have boosted first-time buyers’ budgets, but personal circumstances should guide decisions. There is a lot to think about when purchasing your […]

Protection insurers pay out record sum

In 2023, protection insurers paid out a record £7.34bn in claims in, supporting those facing bereavement, illness and injury. The total value of critical illness claims rose to £1.2bn, with cancer the most common reason for claiming. Over 1,660 income protection claims have been paid out for more than 10 years, highlighting the value of […]

News in Review

“We have to be quite careful at this point in how we calibrate our response” Last week, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held Bank Rate at 4.5%, a widely expected move but one that was more emphatically supported than analysts had predicted. At its meeting on 19 March, eight MPC members voted […]

Residential Property Review – March 2025

Housebuilding falls to seven-year low as planning delays persist Housebuilding in England has dropped to its lowest level since 2017, excluding the pandemic period, with just 217,911 new homes completed in 2024. This marks a 6% decline from 2023’s total of 231,000 and continues a four-quarter trend of falling completions, according to Energy Performance Certificate […]

Commercial Property Market Review – March 2025

Regional office investment rebounds as confidence grows Investor sentiment in the regional office market has improved, with total investment reaching £2.9bn in 2024, up 10% from 2023, according to Savills. The Big Six regional cities saw office take-up of 4.6 million sq. ft, 15% above the five-year average and the highest since 2019. Opportunistic investors […]

Advised investors are ‘less vulnerable’

Investors who receive financial advice are four times less likely to be vulnerable than the general population, according to analysis1. The study looked at a cohort of more than 5,000 advised investors, assessing them using a psychometric financial wellbeing questionnaire. Designed by an in-house behavioural psychologist, the questionnaire was designed to find and evaluate indicators […]