by Gareth Morgan on December 11, 2023
I’ve been told that ChatGPT and its equivalents will mean that there will be no need for benefits calculators or advisers in future. Not only will they provide an easy path through the complicated morass of benefits law and practice but they’ll also be able to find the loopholes and the best options for maximising […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 4, 2022
People know that when their bills arrive, they can either cut their consumption or they can get a higher salary, higher wages, go out there and get that new job – Jake Berry MP. Conservative Party Chairman The ‘fiscal event‘, and its reactions and consequences, are not what I really want to look at in […]
by Gareth Morgan on August 9, 2022
There’s been some discussion recently about the use of pension savings, after the age of 55, to help meet the cost of living increases that are affecting many people. You can see some of this discussion on Henry Tappers blog about pensions (a highly recommended read): The cost of living crisis – and the value […]
by Gareth Morgan on June 24, 2021
The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee is inquiring into the effects of the 2016 changes to the way in which pensions could be used and how to protect pension savers. They have looked at scams already (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmselect/cmworpen/648/64802.htm) and are now, in their 2nd part of the inquiry, looking at the options open to […]
by Gareth Morgan on July 27, 2020
PensionBee are a company which “combines and transfers your old pensions into a brand new online plan, managed by some of the world’s largest money managers.” It doesn’t offer advice but points to where that can be found. It emphasises that it offers a simple online service. It has a lot of useful information on […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 11, 2020
Greggs, the well-known bakers, have been in the news this week because they are giving their staff a bonus because of good financial results. It’s always good seeing employers rewarding staff, and Greggs already have a generous profit-sharing scheme. They’ve basically just handed £7m back to the govt. I have two questions about this. The […]
by Gareth Morgan on May 13, 2019
This note was originally intended to be a consideration of the effects of the mixed-age couple rules which are to be introduced into the benefit system on May 15, 2019. During drafting, it became very clear that the same sort of considerations apply to many other situations, including those people with higher incomes, especially around […]
by Gareth Morgan on May 13, 2019
The means testing rules for state benefits have, until now, always ignored pension savings until pension age has been reached. That means that people claiming working age benefits do not see them reduced because of any pension savings, unless they choose to take income or capital from them earlier. Once pension age was reached, and […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 16, 2019
At least, that’s what this government has decided it is. Two can live as cheaply as one, as the old saying goes. That would be good news from May 15th. This government has decided that two can live much more cheaply than one. A single person, over state pension age, and claiming Pension Credit, will […]
by Gareth Morgan on January 15, 2019
Burying bad news has a long and dishonourable political history. Choosing a day when the news is dominated by a major, and ideally tragic, story may take the focus of attention well away from other ‘difficult’ stories. The government seem to have continued this tradition by releasing the news of a major blow to pensioner […]