Unexpected Inflation
UK inflation increased to 3.4% in the 12 months to December 2025, based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The increase in price changes was unexpected, and the first rise in five months, as price rises slowed in the second half of 2025. Among the chief drivers of the surprise uptick were alcohol and tobacco duty increases, rising airfares and food cost increases.…
Organising your Finances for 2026 – Part 2 – Savings
Having savings gives you financial security, acting as safety net for unexpected emergencies. Whether these crop up in the form of a broken boiler, a mechanical issue with your car, or emergency new trainers for your child that lost theirs, having a pot of money you have saved up to meet these costs means you can breathe more easily. Alternatively, savings can be used to achieve long-term goals such…
Organising your Finances for 2026 – Part 1 – Budgeting
The start of a new year is a great time to take a look at your finances and create a plan for you to have a strong financial year. We recommend starting this process by setting yourself a budget. Then you can truly see where your money goes and what changes you could make that will put yourself in the best position. The first step to doing this is…
Main Points from the Autumn Budget
Yesterday, Rachel Reeves announced some new changes to the UK’s fiscal landscape. We will go through the headline changes below: Mansion Tax Any home above the value of £2 million will have an additional council tax (dubbed a ‘mansion tax’) of at least £2,500 a year. If the value of the home is above £5 million then the yearly charge will be upwards of £7,500. It will hit approximately…
Is it time to End the Triple Lock?
Whether the triple lock is a “good thing” is debated, as it benefits pensioners by increasing their State Pension to keep up with inflation and earnings, but it creates significant uncertainty for government finances and can increase inequality with working-age people. Pensioners benefit from higher payments, but critics argue the rising cost to taxpayers is not sustainable and that it may widen the gap between pensioners and the working-age population.…
Mothers Fall Behind
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) make stark reading for families planning for their long-term finances. On average, five years after having a first child, a mothers’ monthly earnings are 42% lower than the year before the birth — a reduction of about £1,051 per month. This represents a cumulative earnings shortfall of around £65,618 over that five-year period. The ONS also estimates that the arrival…
Child Benefit
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has launched a new system to calculate and collect the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC). The update affects families where one or both parents earn between £60,000 and £80,000 a year each and claim child benefit payments. For every extra £100 a parent earns above £60,000, they lose 1% of the payments they’re entitled to per child. At £80,000 of earnings, the full benefit…
UK has Highest Inflation of G7
The UK is on course to have the highest inflation rate among the G7 nations this year, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Paris-based body’s latest forecasts show that prices in Britain are set to rise faster than in other major advanced economies, adding fresh pressure on the government ahead of November’s Budget. The OECD expects UK inflation to remain stubbornly high compared with…
State Pension to Rise 4.7%
The State Pension is due to increase by 4.7% next April after the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures were published on Tuesday, 16th of September. The ONS data confirmed the latest annual wage growth of 4.7% would be the deciding figure under the State Pension Triple Lock. This uplift, while lower than some recent past rises, still gives an inflation-busting boost to state pension incomes for millions of…
Pound Falling
The pound has slipped in value in recent days against both the US dollar and the euro, with markets reacting to concerns over economic growth and interest rate expectations. Unfortunately, these shifts are not just abstract market movements. When the pound falls it has a tangible impact on individual finances. A weaker currency affects everything from the cost of a holiday abroad to the performance of pensions and investments. Here…
