News

The government will set out its tax, spending and economic plans for the year ahead and beyond on 28 October 2026 in the Autumn Budget.

The weeks leading up to an Autumn Budget always feature rumours about what might change and how it could affect personal finances. With this Budget being the first for Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey, speculation is particularly rife.

You might already have seen headlines declaring that tax rates will increase or allowances will be cut.

Headlines are designed to grab your attention and could provoke an emotional response. While responding to the news may feel like you’re being proactive, it could lead you to make decisions that aren’t right for you based on rumours that may not materialise.

Here are six useful tips that could help you avoid headline-driven decisions in the coming weeks.

1. Limit your exposure to the news and social media

While avoiding Budget speculation entirely might be impossible, you could limit how much of it you’re exposed to. Skipping speculative news articles or reducing the amount of time you spend on social media may help you feel calmer and less reactive ahead of the Budget.

2. Remember that speculation isn’t the same as policy

Sometimes the reporting of speculation can make it seem as though the suggested outcome is guaranteed. However, there have been numerous instances when rumours have turned out to be just that.

Ahead of the 2025 Autumn Budget, there was news coverage suggesting the pension tax-free lump sum would be scrapped or reduced. Understandably, this news worried people as it could have a significant impact on their retirement plans. When this change wasn’t announced in the Budget, some people may have regretted making headline-driven decisions once they had the benefit of hindsight.

Whether you read the news or speak to a colleague about the Budget, remember that speculation doesn’t mean it will become policy.

3. Keep in mind that not all potential changes will be relevant to you

Headlines often make it seem as though a change will affect every reader. However, this isn’t the case, as your personal circumstances, goals, and strategy will affect what’s relevant to you.

For example, you might read that Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rates are set to rise and immediately worry about how your overall tax liability will increase. Before you react, take a step back – do you pay CGT now, or are you planning to dispose of assets that could result in a CGT bill? If the answer is “no”, you might be fretting about a speculated change that wouldn’t affect you.

Even when announcements are relevant, you may be able to work with your financial planner to create a strategy that mitigates the potential effects.

4. There’s often a transition period before new policy is introduced

The Budget is used to announce changes that could affect your finances. However, there’s often a transition period.

For example, Rachel Reeves, the former chancellor, announced the introduction of a Cash ISA limit of £12,000 for under-65s in the November 2025 Budget. This change won’t come into force until 6 April 2027, giving savers over a year to review their finances and adjust their plan accordingly.

The transition period means you don’t need to make knee-jerk decisions. Instead, you can discuss your concerns and options with your financial planner to make an informed decision that reflects your wider circumstances.

5. Build in a delay before you act on decisions

Strong emotions that could provoke a reaction when reading Budget speculation often subside over time. Building in a delay between making a decision and acting on it could give you time to reassess your choice with a clear head and help you avoid making changes to your financial plan that you may later regret.

6. Get in touch with your financial planner

When you’re unsure how to handle your finances or are worried about what changes could mean for you, we’re here to help.

We’ll be watching the Budget closely and, should any announcements affect you, we can work with you to make any necessary adjustments. If you’d like to arrange a meeting, please get in touch.

Please note: This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.

Please do not act based on anything you might read in this article. All contents are based on our understanding of HMRC legislation, which is subject to change.

The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax planning.

Most people are confident they could spot a scam if they were targeted. However, it could be more difficult than you think, especially as fraudsters are increasingly using sophisticated techniques to mislead victims.

According to a survey from Which? (7 April 2025), 9 in 10 people believe they could identify a scam email or text. Yet, it only takes a single oversight to become a victim. 1 in 7 people say they’re sent scam emails a few times a week, so it’s easy to see how you could overlook a red flag you’d usually recognise.

The consequences of falling victim to a scam could be devastating.

An article from the BBC (15 June 2026) notes that scammers stole almost £1.3 billion in 2025, with nearly eight cases of fraud reported, on average, every minute.

It’s not just the financial loss that affects victims. Scams may also cause emotional damage, with some of those affected reporting feeling shame or guilt. Victims may also find it difficult to manage their finances or make financial decisions.

Being aware of scams and how fraudsters might dupe you is one way to protect yourself. Over the next few months, read our blog to find out more about the different types of scams and the steps you could take to reduce your vulnerability to them. Now, read on to discover some of the psychological tricks that fraudsters might use.

7 ways a scammer may try to trick you

Financial scams are increasingly sophisticated, and fraudsters use several tactics to encourage you to transfer money or share sensitive data. Here are seven of the tricks they could deploy.

1. Creating a sense of urgency

If you believe you’re in a situation where you need to make quick decisions, scammers know you’re less likely to ask questions or fully assess your options. So, they might create a sense of urgency, such as claiming your bank account will be frozen if you don’t act or there’s only a limited time to invest in a lucrative opportunity.

2. Using your trust in authority

If you’re told by HMRC you owe money or by the police that there’s a problem with your bank account, you might be more likely to trust the message because of the organisation you believe it’s coming from.

Fraudsters may use this trust by impersonating a person in an authoritative position. This might take the form of a phone call, or an email that’s designed to look like it’s come from a particular organisation. Fraudsters can even use number spoofing to make it seem as though the call is coming from the correct number if you check it.

3. Playing on your desire to help others

Many people would offer to help someone who is in need, particularly if they are a family member or friend.

Knowing this, scammers have been known to impersonate loved ones in a bid to gain access to your finances. Alternatively, they might pose as a charity or other organisation you’d like to support.

4. Manipulating your emotions

Emotions affect the decisions people make. For example, when you’re fearful or excited, you might act more rashly than you usually would. Scammers may use this knowledge to manipulate their victims.

5. Building a rapport over time

We often think of scam attempts as a single message that pops up in your inbox or a one-off call. However, some scammers use strategies that last for weeks or months to build up a rapport and gain the trust of their victims.

This is often the case in romance scams, where the victim may believe they’re in a genuine relationship. Investment scams might extend over weeks. For example, you might make an initial investment that appears to deliver returns, which encourages you to hand over larger sums.

6. Exploiting a lack of financial knowledge

Many people aren’t confident discussing or managing finances, which provides fraudsters with an opportunity. They might use complicated language or misrepresent rules to give the impression that they’re experts who can be trusted.

For instance, they might claim there’s a loophole that allows you to access your pension early, enabling you to retire sooner. Someone who is not fully aware of how and when their pension may be accessed could fall for this.

7. Persistently contacting victims

One trick that fraudsters use is to cast their net wide. While you might usually be savvy and able to easily spot a scam, if you’re tired, stressed, or your attention is simply elsewhere, you may not spot the usual warning signs.

We could help you identify scams

If you receive communications that you’re unsure about or you want our support in assessing opportunities, we’re here to help you. Seeking the view of another person could highlight signs of a scam you might have overlooked.

Next month, read our blog to find out more about the different types of scams that fraudsters could use to target you and the red flags you should be aware of.

Please note: This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.

Every retirement plan looks different because we all have unique circumstances and aspirations in life. You will have to decide what you want your lifestyle to look like, what your priorities are, and when you want to stop working.

For a certain group referred to as the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement, the question of when to retire is key.

Those who follow the FIRE methodology aim to finish working as early as possible, even if this means making significant short-term sacrifices.

Read on to learn more about the FIRE movement and how it compares to traditional financial planning methods.

Those who follow the FIRE movement aim to retire much earlier than the average person

Most savers can access their private and workplace pensions from the normal minimum pension age (NMPA) of 55. This is rising to 57 in April 2028. You will also be able to access your State Pension at 66 (gradually rising to 67 by April 2028).

Many people opt to retire once they can access their pensions, as they are the primary source of income to fund their lifestyles. Unless you have significant savings outside your pensions, it is challenging to retire and afford to live before you reach the NMPA.

However, this is precisely what the FIRE movement aims to achieve.

By building their pension savings as much as possible, as well as maximising contributions to ISAs and other investments, those who follow FIRE hope to retire much earlier than the average person – often in their 40s.

They will often use non-pension savings to bridge the gap until they reach the NMPA and then access their pension pots to supplement their income for the rest of their lives.

The strategy is very attractive because it allows you to achieve financial freedom early in life and spend more of your time pursuing your passions.

FIRE encourages extreme frugality to build your savings as much as possible

To build enough savings to retire decades before the average person, you will likely need to increase your contributions to pensions, ISAs, and general investment accounts (GIAs).

To achieve this, followers of FIRE make extreme cutbacks to their short-term spending. According to Sky News (29 May 2026), some put as much as 70% of their income into savings and investments each month.

This typically means living a very basic lifestyle and forgoing luxuries including:

• Dining out and socialising
• Streaming services
• Gym memberships
• Expensive clothes
• Holidays
• Cars

All the additional income they save by giving these things up goes into building their savings and investments as quickly as possible.

There are important parallels between FIRE and holistic financial planning

Although FIRE involves extreme budgeting, there are vital financial planning lessons we can take from the movement.

Focus on long-term goals and planning for retirement early

Even if you don’t aim to stop working at 40, it’s always beneficial to consider your long-term ambitions and plan for retirement from a young age.

That way, you’re more likely to achieve your goals.

Be intentional about your spending

Without a budget, your spending can quickly get out of control, meaning you don’t have enough left to make adequate contributions to your savings and investments.

The FIRE movement teaches the importance of being intentional and knowing where every penny is going and why. Even if you don’t go to the extreme lengths they do, finding areas to cut short-term spending so you can save more is usually a good thing.

Take a long-term approach to investing

The FIRE movement focuses heavily on investing early and holding those investments for a long period to generate sustained growth, before eventually retiring.

This may be a more reliable strategy than trying to trade in and out of the market regularly for short-term gains.

Find a way to use your assets to create financial freedom

The ultimate aims of the FIRE movement and holistic financial planning are similar – to use various assets to achieve financial freedom.

Although you may not focus so heavily on retiring early, we will discuss what you want your life to look like while you’re working and afterwards, and then consider how to help you achieve this.

It’s important to balance short-term enjoyment of life with careful long-term planning

For those who are successful, the FIRE movement offers financial independence earlier in life, so they can enjoy more years of retirement.

However, there is a danger that it could be too restrictive in the short term.

You might forgo holidays, days out with the family, or social occasions with friends for 20 or 30 years to achieve an early retirement. This is all time you can’t get back, and you might miss opportunities to create valuable memories.

It’s also worth remembering that life is unpredictable. While you may not want to consider it, you or your loved ones could contract a serious illness or experience a fatal injury before you can reap the rewards of the frugal FIRE lifestyle.

That doesn’t mean you should spend frivolously. Instead, it’s important to strike a balance between short-term enjoyment and long-term planning.

A robust financial plan allows you to spend on things that are important now, such as creating memories with your family, while also building wealth for the future so you could work towards your dream retirement.

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss how we could help you enjoy life now while also securing your financial future, please get in touch.

Please note: This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.

A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until 55 (57 from April 2028). The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

The tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on your individual circumstances. Thresholds, percentage rates, and tax legislation may change in subsequent Finance Acts.

The value of your investments (and any income from them) can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Investments should be considered over the longer term and should fit in with your overall attitude to risk and financial circumstances.

Gifting assets during your lifetime has become a common strategy for reducing a potential Inheritance Tax (IHT) bill. Indeed, according to Paragon Bank (31 July 2025), 1 in 5 savers aged over 65 are passing on cash for this reason.

Yet, gifting doesn’t always mean that assets are excluded from your estate when calculating IHT, and there are a lot of misconceptions about when the tax could be applied.

Inheritance Tax may apply to your estate after you pass away

To understand if your gifts might be liable for IHT, you also need to be aware of how IHT works and when estates are liable.

IHT is a tax that’s applied to your estate after you pass away if the total value exceeds certain thresholds. The standard rate of IHT is 40%, so it could significantly reduce how much you leave behind for your loved ones.

Your estate includes your assets, such as property, savings, and investments. From April 2027, most pensions will be included in the value of your estate when assessing if IHT is due, so you might need to re-evaluate your estate’s liability with this reform in mind.

In 2026/27, there are two main IHT allowances:

• The nil-rate band, which is £325,000. If the value of your estate falls below this threshold, no IHT will be due.
• The residence nil-rate band, which is £175,000. You may use this allowance if you leave your main home to direct descendants. It will taper by £1 for every £2 that your estate’s value exceeds £2 million.

You can pass on unused allowances to your spouse or civil partner. As a result, you may be able to pass on up to £1 million before IHT is due if you’re planning as a couple.

Importantly, IHT is applied to the portion of your estate that exceeds the IHT thresholds.

So, if your estate could use both the nil-rate band and the residence nil-rate band, and was valued at £600,000, IHT would be due on the £100,000 that exceeds the thresholds. This would result in an IHT bill of £40,000.

Why gifting may not be a simple way to reduce your estate’s Inheritance Tax bill

If your estate could be liable for IHT, passing on your assets during your lifetime might seem like the obvious solution, but there are some complexities you need to be aware of.

First, keep in mind that your circumstances could change and gifts might not be recoverable if you need the assets in the future. It’s important to review gifts in the context of your wider financial plan to assess the impact they could have on your long-term financial security.

Second, not all gifts are immediately outside of your estate for IHT purposes. The following allowances may provide a way to pass on assets free of IHT:

• The annual exemption means you can give away up to £3,000 each tax year without the value being added to your estate. You can gift this sum to one person or split it between several people. You can carry forward unused annual exemptions for one tax year.
• You can also make small gifts of up to £250 per person each tax year, as long as you have not used another allowance on the same person.
• If you’re celebrating a wedding or civil partnership, you can take the opportunity to pass on £1,000 tax-efficiently. This allowance rises to £2,500 if it’s your grandchild or great-grandchild getting married, and to £5,000 for your children.
• Regular payments made to another person may be free from IHT. These gifts must be made from your regular income after meeting your usual living costs. They must also be given regularly. You might use this allowance to pay rent for your child, cover school fees, or add to a savings account on behalf of your grandchild. It’s important to keep an accurate record if you’re planning to use this allowance, as HMRC may look for an established pattern of giving.

Gifts that do not fall within these allowances will normally be considered potentially exempt transfers (PETs).

Inheritance Tax and potentially exempt transfers

PETs are gifts that might be considered part of your estate and could be liable for IHT.

If you live for seven years after passing on a PET, it will then fall outside of your estate for IHT purposes. So, gifting assets earlier in your life could make sense, but this should be balanced with assessing how it might affect your long-term finances, including if your needs change.

If you pass away within seven years of gifting a PET, IHT may be applied. The taper relief means the rate of IHT you pay on gifts falls as time passes. In 2026/27, the taper relief is:

Years between gift and death	Rate of tax on the gift
Three to four years	32%
Four to five years	24%
Five to six years	16%
Six to seven years	8%
Seven years or more	0%

You should note that the taper relief only applies if the total value of gifts made in the seven years before you pass away exceeds the nil-rate band (i.e. £325,000). As a result, if no tax is payable because the transfer does not exceed the nil-rate band, no relief can apply.

So, when assessing the potential IHT liability of gifts, you may also need to consider the wider value of your estate.

Get in touch

If you’d like to discuss your estate plan, including how you might pass on assets to your loved ones tax-efficiently, please contact us. There may be other strategies, alongside gifting, that could reduce your estate’s IHT bill.

Please note: This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.

Please do not act based on anything you might read in this article. All contents are based on our understanding of HMRC legislation, which is subject to change.

The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate Inheritance Tax planning or estate planning.

Do you want your financial decisions to reflect what matters to you while also delivering returns? Incorporating ESG (environmental, social, and governance) factors could be right for you, but it’s essential that your finances also align with your goals.

ESG investing involves considering non-financial factors when investing. The factors fall into three broad categories:

• Environmental: This pillar focuses on areas that protect the natural world. It might include climate change, biodiversity, or water management.
• Social: This category measures how a company interacts with people, from its employees to the communities in which it operates. Factors you might consider include labour standards, human rights, and customer satisfaction.
• Governance: This pillar reviews how a company operates. Investors might consider shareholder rights, executive pay, and transparency.

Investors who consider ESG factors often want to align their financial decisions with their personal beliefs. For example, if you’re taking steps to reduce your carbon footprint or support companies that pay workers fairly, extending this outlook to your investments may make sense.

However, simply choosing investments because they align with your values could be a mistake. After all, you still want to generate a return and it’s important that your investment decisions are appropriate for you.

4 practical steps that could help you build an ESG investment portfolio

1. Define which ESG factors you’d like to focus on

ESG factors cover a huge range of issues. Before you start investing, identifying which values matter most to you could be useful. This could help provide some direction when evaluating investment opportunities.

One common way to incorporate ESG issues into your investments is to choose an ESG fund. A fund pools your money with that of other investors to invest in a range of companies. ESG funds use labels and disclosures to explain how the fund invests.

For example, a “green” fund would focus on investments that support environmental sustainability, such as renewable energy or waste management.

2. Set clear financial objectives

To balance your personal goals and values, you also need to set clear financial objectives before you invest.

What is your reason for investing? Whether you’re putting money away for retirement or for your child’s future, your objective will influence what investments are right for you. It could affect your investment time frame or whether you want the investments to deliver an income or growth.

3. Be clear about your risk profile

Your financial objectives will also affect what level of risk is appropriate for you.

All investments carry some risk. However, the level of risk varies between different opportunities. The amount of risk that is appropriate for you will depend on a variety of factors, such as your investment time frame, what other assets you hold, and your overall attitude to risk.

Your financial planner could help you understand your risk profile and how it might affect your investment decisions.

An investment that aligns perfectly with your values might be tempting, but if it involves taking more risk than your risk profile suggests is appropriate, it’s probably not right for you. You should be prepared to walk away from investments if they don’t suit your financial needs.

4. Evaluate opportunities with a double bottom line

As with all investments, reviewing the performance of ESG investments is essential.

You might want to assess performance using a double bottom line – the returns generated and whether they continue to reflect your values. Regular reviews with your financial planner could help you do this and assess whether adjustments might be needed to ensure your portfolio suits your needs.

Striking the right balance between values and returns is often possible

Fortunately, the adoption of ESG practices is spreading and it’s often possible to find investment opportunities that align with both your financial and ethical goals.

However, there may be times when it might not be possible to find an investment that ticks every ESG box. So, as mentioned above, identifying which factors matter most to you could be useful.

You should also keep in mind that investment returns cannot be guaranteed. The value of your investments might fall as well as rise, and you could get back less than you invested.

Contact us

If you’d like to discuss how you could invest, including taking ESG factors into consideration, please get in touch to arrange a meeting.

Please note: This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at individuals only.

All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.

The value of your investments (and any income from them) can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Investments should be considered over the longer term and should fit in with your overall attitude to risk and financial circumstances.

In western societies, ageing is often seen as a negative experience that people try to delay or deny as long as possible. Just think about the number of ads and social media posts you’ve seen recently advertising products that promise to make you look and feel younger.

The message is loud and clear: life gets less fun with age.

The truth is, ageing is a natural part of life; it’s how you think about it that affects your experience of getting older.

If you buy into the negative stereotype of later life being smaller, slower, and more limited, you may start to live this story. In contrast, embracing ageing and all its possibilities could have a positive impact on your health, relationships, and happiness.

As the much-loved British actor Dame Helen Mirren once said when asked about getting older, “I say celebrate it, don’t fight it.”

Keep reading to find out why questioning your negative assumptions about ageing is important. Then, learn how to reframe your thinking and enjoy every year ahead of you.

The UK’s first anti-ageism campaign calls for everyone to question their negative views of ageing

The Centre for Ageing Better’s (10 June 2026) anti-ageism campaign encourages the nation to challenge widely held negative views of ageing.

As part of the charity’s third annual Age Without Limits Day in June 2026, it ran a survey to gauge public opinions on getting older. The findings revealed:

• 20% of people aged 55 to 64 have been told they are too old for something
• 8% of 45- to 54-year-olds have been told old dogs can’t learn new tricks
• 48% of respondents have been told or used one of eight common, harmful, and highly ageist phrases, including “dinosaur” and “over the hill”.

The charity’s co-lead says “[…] these ‘little phrases’ can have big consequences […] Ultimately they shape how we treat others, and how we see ourselves.”

Reframing ageing as a positive experience could lead to a healthier, happier later life

Adopting a more positive mindset about ageing could help you stay more socially and mentally engaged, while reducing any anxiety you may have about getting older.

Try to remember that the negative assumptions about getting older – slowing down and lacking purpose – are not a reality for many people.

In fact, you might find that having more life experience bolsters your confidence and allows you to achieve things you could only dream of when you were younger. Moreover, when you retire, you’ll have more time to pursue the hobbies and ambitions you love.

The Independent (10 July 2026) recently reported that the award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins will release his first record at the age of 88 – proof that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

3 practical tips for embracing ageing and the opportunities it offers

If you want to see ageing through a lens of possibility rather than decline, here are three things to try:

1. Choose your words with care

Some of the ageist language flagged by the Age Without Limits Day survey is so widely used and accepted that you might not register it in conversation. Phrases such as “past your sell-by date” may seem harmless, but they contribute to a cultural prejudice against older people while also impacting how you see yourself.

Try to be more aware of the language you use and swap ageist phrases for more positive ones. For example, if you catch yourself thinking “I’m over the hill”, flip this to “I’m in my prime” or “I’m entering a new chapter”.

2. Set new goals that provide you with purpose or enjoyment

Having things to look forward to and work towards is a great way to stay active and feel positive about the future.

Your goals don’t need to be life-changing or ambitious; even small targets could provide you with purpose and enjoyment as you get older.

For example, you might decide to learn a new skill or hobby, volunteer for a cause that matters to you, or travel more.

The important thing is to pick activities that are meaningful to you and reflect the life you want now.

3. Prioritise your physical and mental health

Looking after your wellbeing could help you stay active, confident, and more resilient as you age. It’s easier to stay positive about getting older when you feel well enough to enjoy your time and keep up with the things you love.

Try setting small, achievable targets that you can sustain over time. This might include:

• Exercising regularly
• Eating a balanced diet
• Getting plenty of rest and sleep
• Staying on top of health checks
• Seeking support and advice when you have health concerns
• Making time for the people and activities that support your mood and sense of purpose.

A few small changes could make a big difference to how you approach ageing, allowing you to enjoy all stages of your life.