The role of risk recommending investment products.
From buying a house to booking a holiday, and a wide range of other examples in between, most decisions we make contain varying degrees of risk.
Take COVID-19, for example. Some people refused to entertain the idea of wearing a mask from the start of the pandemic, while others continue to wear masks even though it’s no longer mandatory.
Ways to release some of that pent-up demand.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, official statistics show that total household savings have increased pretty much across the board.
That’s not much of a surprise considering most people have been saving cash working from home, while the three lockdowns we’ve had in the UK removed spending options to eat out, go to a pub, or holiday abroad.
Low interest rates fuel spike in demand.
After more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions, many people have more disposable income than they’re used to. But with the Bank of England’s base rate of interest at a record low of 0.1% offering paltry incentives for saving in cash, increasing numbers of savers are turning towards investing in ISAs in search of better returns.
How might the big freeze affect you?
Most people get nowhere near breaching the pensions lifetime allowance, but that’s likely to change over the next five years.
The lifetime allowance is currently £1,073,100. This is a limit on the amount of pension benefits you can withdraw from all of your pension schemes – whether as lump sums or retirement income – without triggering an extra tax charge of up to 55%.
Is it time to tidy up your finances this spring?
With spring in the air and the 2021/22 financial year just a month old, there’s no better time to take stock of your financial arrangements and see how they’re working for you. Of course, you can check your direct debits or standing orders and cancel any you no longer use. You can switch energy providers or even share your Netflix account.