More people accessing pension cash
More people accessed their pensions and more money was withdrawn in the final three months of 2020 compared to the same quarter the previous year. A total of £2.4bn was withdrawn from pensions flexibly in the three months to December 2020, representing a 6% increase from £2.2bn in Q4 2019. The HMRC data1 shows that […]
Dividends down 44% year-on-year
UK dividends fell 44% in 2020 to £61.9bn, the lowest annual total since 2011, according to Link Group’s latest Dividend Monitor1. However, a better-than-expected Q4 was boosted by suspended payouts being restored. The biggest impact came from the financial sector, which contributed to two-fifths of cuts, while oil dividend cuts accounted for another fifth. Dividends […]
Why it pays to update your pension expression of wishes
An expression of wishes tells your pension provider who you would like the beneficiaries of your pension to be in the event of your death. Multiple beneficiaries can be named, and you can state how much of your pension you want each to receive. However, while many people complete an expression of wishes when they […]
Sorting out your mortgage during divorce
Divorce can be an incredibly stressful time for couples and the financial impact it can have only adds to the pressure. The number of couples getting divorced surged by almost a fifth in 20191. Although data for 2020 has not yet been released, after the strains of the last year or so, unfortunately it would […]
Third of retirees financially supporting family
A third of potential retirees continue to financially support their families, with regular handouts amounting to more than £3,700 a year1. Those planning to retire expect an average income of £20,663, but anticipate around a fifth of this (£3,700) will be used to support the finances of younger family members. This equates to £311 a […]
The best time to sell your home
We’re all relieved that spring is here – it’s been a long, difficult winter. But for sellers, there’s some good news: spring to early summer has historically been the best time of year to put your house on the market1. Where flowers bloom, so does hope Spring is traditionally an optimistic time of year, buoying […]
The world’s happiest retirees
A study1 suggests Helsinki is the happiest place to live out retirement. The analysis also found that people typically need a pension pot worth around £225,000 to retire comfortably in one of the world’s happiest cities. Retirement heaven In order to rank cities from across the globe, a ‘happiness index’ was calculated, based on findings […]
A little more than a year after coronavirus hit our shores…
COVID support understandably featured front and centre of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s second Budget on 3 March, in what is an extraordinary and challenging time for the UK and global economies. The Chancellor’s pledge to “continue doing whatever it takes” set the tone for proceedings, with the statement centring around a three-point plan offering support for […]
What did the 2021 Budget have to say about housing?
Rishi Sunak stood up on Wednesday 3 March to give his highly anticipated Budget speech to the House of Commons. While other coronavirus support measures were first on the agenda, the Chancellor’s speech also revealed some important housing measures. Extension of Stamp Duty holiday The Chancellor announced a three-month extension of the temporary £500,000 nil […]
Hopes of a “swifter and more sustained economic recovery”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his second Budget on 3 March, which centred on a three-part plan to continue supporting people and businesses through the pandemic, to fix public finances once recovery is underway and to lay the foundations for the future economy. The Chancellor opened his statement by revealing the latest predictions […]