News

Job support Furlough scheme extended until 30 September 2021 – the government will continue to pay 80% of employees’ wages up to £2,500 a month until the end of June, employers then pay a 10% contribution in July, rising to 20% in August and September The Self Employment Support Scheme also extended until the end […]

To reach their dream of homeownership, most aspiring buyers depend on being offered a mortgage. In Q2 2020, the outstanding value of all residential mortgage loans had reached a staggering £1,513.3bn1. But where did it all start? Pre-1900s Estimates of homeownership are sketchy prior to the 20th century, but data from 1831 has led to […]

A study1 has revealed that, based on the UK’s average house price of £231,000, the West Midlands is the UK region with the most living space. Many properties in this region have around 30% more space than average at 104.92 sq m. Buyers can also expect to benefit from a higher-than- average number of bedrooms […]

More than ever, UK savers are struggling to prioritise their pension, with over half saying they are likely to review or reduce their pension contributions in the wake of the pandemic1. It’s true that it can be easy to think of pension contributions as a drain on your resources. And yet, despite travel restrictions, Britons […]

UK to launch first green gilt The government is planning to launch the UK’s first green gilt in 2021 in response to “growing investor demand,” as announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak. He said it would be the first in a series of new issuances, with the government keen to position the UK as a world-leading […]

Most houses have at least a little clutter lying around. Maybe a few old schoolbooks circa 1960, or some of the children’s old teddies; lofts and cupboards across the country are full of what optimists might call ‘keepsakes’ and what others would label ‘junk’. Over the years, some priceless artefacts have been uncovered in the […]

It’s difficult to quantify the impact of the pandemic on children. Let’s face it, their lives changed beyond recognition overnight too, the regular rhythms of childhood and adolescence gone indefinitely. A survey exploring what made children feel stressed during lockdown discovered that not having enough money or food featured, alongside schoolwork, family life and other […]

One effect of the pandemic has been to divide segments of the population, whether by age, where they live or what they do for a living. When divisions occur, tensions can develop, not least between the generations. There is now rising concern about the economic impact of the pandemic upon Generation Z. A summary of […]

It’s so easy to watch the ads on TV about scams or see the consumer shows interviewing devastated people about their financial losses as victims of fraud, and think “it won’t happen to me,” but think again! In the year to September 2020, Action Fraud received over 17,000 reports of investment fraud, totalling £657.4m in […]

At the height of the pandemic, insurers received 7,000 life insurance claims and paid out £90 million – the equivalent of £980,000 every day – to support the families of those who died due to COVID-19. The data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) shows that between 1 March and 31 May last year, […]