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Self Assessment: Beware child benefit trap and your pension

Self-employed and higher earners need to submit their return online by 31st January. With frozen thresholds exposing more families to the High-Income Child Benefit charge, many are at risk of being caught out if they don’t submit a return. Completing a self-assessment is vital to ensure higher earners are claiming the correct pension tax relief. Standard Life answers key self-assessment questions ahead of the deadline
Posted on Thursday Jan 15

Economic green shoots showing as FTSE 100 flirts with 10,200

FTSE 100 starts day flat after another record close. Services drive better than expected UK GDPUS stock futures flat after wholesale prices muddy the inflation outlook. Brent Crude prices pull back as Trump tones down the rhetoric on Iran. TSMC: AI buildout is just getting started
Posted on Thursday Jan 15

Trump 2.0 one year on: Market winners and losers

It will be one year of Trump’s second spell in the White House on 20 January 2026. Unpredictable behaviour by the president has given investors a lot to digest. Why gold, defence stocks, banks and European shares prospered. Why bitcoin, Tesla, Nike, Lululemon and Kenvue soured. The sectors that failed to live up to the Trump hype
Posted on Wednesday Jan 14

UK higher at the open but oil rally runs out of steam

FTSE 100 opens higher. US markets react to well-behaved inflation. Salesforce down 7% on AI disruption fears. Oil snaps back after four-day rally
Posted on Wednesday Jan 14

Property wealth makes up 47% of IHT paying estates in London

Property wealth accounts for 47%, on average, of the value of IHT-paying estates in London; 42% in the South East and East of EnglandFOI breaks down estate assets by region to show areas where property makes up the biggest proportion of IHT-paying estates
Posted on Wednesday Jan 14

Scottish Budget: tax load on high earners and homes over £1m

The basic and intermediate income tax bands in Scotland will rise 7.4%, but there will be a freeze on thresholds for higher earners in Scotland. Scotland has six income tax bands, in contrast to England, Wales and Northern Ireland where there are just three. There will be also be two new council tax bands by 2028 for properties in Scotland worth over £1 million.
Posted on Tuesday Jan 13

Collaboration is key to achieving financial inclusion

Responding to the UK Treasury Committee’s Financial Inclusion Strategy inquiry, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) has called for a focus on collaboration to ensure that the most vulnerable in society are provided with sufficient financial support.
Posted on Tuesday Jan 13

PIC complete full buyin for Siemens Healthineers UK Benefits

PIC has concluded a £213 million full buy-in with the Trustees of The Siemens Healthineers Benefits Scheme (the 'Scheme') in the United Kingdom. The buy-in secures the benefits of 703 pensioners and 967 deferred members and dependants.
Posted on Tuesday Jan 13

Frozen thresholds mean more hit 60% tax rate

New HMRC figures obtained by Rathbones show increasing tax burden on millions. Record numbers earning six figures means more will be hit by 60% marginal tax rate, with frozen thresholds until 2031 hurting more ‘HENRYs’
Posted on Monday Jan 12

Consumers increasingly turn to finance from insurers

44% of insurance customers using credit rely on finance from insurers and premium finance, Premium Credit’s Insurance Index shows. Nearly six out of 10 insurance customers use some form of credit to pay one or more policies
Posted on Monday Jan 12

Trump calls for credit card cap

One-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates has been proposed. Barclays down 3% with its US card business in the firing line. Buy Now, Pay Later stocks stand to benefit
Posted on Monday Jan 12

Gold soars as Trump-Powell Feud intensifies

IG and Wealth Club comment as Gold reaches fresh records amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Brent crude stabilises after sharp gains over supply concerns. Rising geo-political risks dampen enthusiasm for equities at the start of the week. Wall Street rattled by threats of a criminal investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell. UK’s stagnating economy in focus as employers turn more cautious about hiring.
Posted on Monday Jan 12

Gender and generation gaps persist in 2026 financial outlook

Six-in-ten UK adults (60%) feel positive about their finances for 2026, the same as last year’s headline figure. Women less positive (55%) than men (65%), while Gen. X (aged 44–59) are notably less upbeat (49%) than other age groups. Covering basic living costs is top three financial priority for two in five (39%) Worryingly, pension saving is top three priority for only one in eight (12%). Unexpected expenses continue to be the UK’s primary financial worry (33%).
Posted on Monday Jan 12

Women more dissatisfied with advisers knowledge than men

Through speaking with dissatisfied advised women first hand, a new survey of 1,000 advised clients from Scottish Widows and Boring Money finds that dissatisfied women are unhappy with their adviser’s ability to think proactively about the bigger picture, taking into consideration an individual’s needs and helping them achieve their broader goals.
Posted on Thursday Jan 8

PIC complete buyin for the NG Bailey Pension and Life Plan

Pension Insurance Corporation plc (“PIC”), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension schemes, has concluded a £155 million buy-in with the Trustee of NG Bailey Pension and Life Assurance Plan (“the Plan”). The transaction covers the benefits of 1,581 Plan members and means all Plan members now have their benefits secured for the long-term, following a series of historic buy-in transactions.
Posted on Thursday Jan 8

Seven market nuances for 2026

Geopolitics will shape markets perhaps more than they did last year, with US activity in Venezuela setting the tone. Enthusiasm for large AI spend increasingly muted as investors wait on returns. Scrutiny likely to increase on different sectors and regions away from US
Posted on Wednesday Jan 7

US and UK hit record highs despite geopolitical discord

US and UK stock markets hit record highs yesterday – though the FTSE has opened down today as geopolitical threats rise. Oil majors and defence stocks, buoyed by the US operation in Venezuela on Monday, helped boost the FTSE 100 and the S&P 500 markets.
Posted on Wednesday Jan 7

Slowdown in ESG progress among fiduciary managers

Only 21% of fiduciary managers were rated Green by XPS in 2025, down from 38% in 2024 – a 17% decline. Signatories to the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative dropped to 36%, signalling reduced collective climate action. While 57% of fiduciary managers influence voting activities, escalation from engagement to divestment remains inconsistent. 36% of managers do not include all ESG ratings for underlying funds in standard client reporting, limiting trustee oversight.
Posted on Wednesday Jan 7

Millions of last minute filers face potential CGT hurdle

HMRC are expecting a tax return from over 12 million people for the 2024/25 tax year, according to their latest figures. But 5.65 million, or almost half, are yet to file and risk incurring penalties with the 31 January deadline approaching. Filing rule changes and HMRC systems not coping with capital gains tax (CGT) changes means people might be caught out. How to check if you need to file and what to look out for
Posted on Tuesday Jan 6

10 key last minute checks for your tax return

Your tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year is due by midnight on 31 January 2026. 5.65 million people haven’t filed their self-assessment tax return yet - only 6.36 million had by the start of the year. 342 people filed their tax return in the last hour of 2025. 19,789 filed on New Year’s Day. If you miss the deadline, there’s a £100 penalty - even if there is no tax to pay, or if the tax is paid on time
Posted on Monday Jan 5

US action in Venezuela a geopolitical shock but markets calm

Rathbones and IG comment on US action in Venezuela which is a geopolitical shock but with limited market ripples
Posted on Monday Jan 5

FTSE hits 10,000 as 2026 starts with a smile

FTSE 100 hits the 10,000 level for the first time. Symbolic moment for the market and Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Hitting the 10,000 level this year represents the fastest rise between 1,000 intervals ever for the blue-chip index.
Posted on Friday Jan 2

FTSE 100 poised for record end to 2025

"Could there be a fairytale ending to the year for London’s blue-chip index? The FTSE 100 ended the day at 9,940, another fresh record high and tantalisingly close to that 10,000 mark which at the start of the year seemed inconceivable,” says Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell.
Posted on Wednesday Dec 31

6 financial plans to protect your future for Divorce Day

The first working Monday of the new year is often referred to as Divorce Day because it traditionally sees a spike in people contacting solicitors to discuss ending their marriage following the festive period. This year, it falls on Monday, 5 January. While emotions can understandably run high in divorce, financial planning can be neglected, which that can have long-term consequences.
Posted on Wednesday Dec 31

Farmers get pre Christmas IHT reprieve

Rathbones and Utmost Wealth comment as the government announced that the level of the Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs threshold will be increased from £1m to £2.5m when it is introduced in April 2026.
Posted on Wednesday Dec 24