business and finance

Should I take 25% lump sums from all my pension pots at once?

I have multiple pension pots. I am 52 and plan to retire at 55, in summer 2022. I am in receipt of a Royal Air Force pension and along with that I have four other pensions.




business and finance

I moved my army pension worth £75k into a Sipp and it's losing money

I like so many other veterans were contacted by a private financial adviser. We were promised good returns of 5-10 per cent a year and the opportunity to gain access to the funds at 55.




business and finance

When does the minimum age to cash a pension rise to 57?

I have read the age at which she could take a personal pension will rise to 57 in 2028. My wife would be 53 and would have to wait four years. Is it legislated for currently? Steve Webb replies.




business and finance

How are qualifying years for the state pension worked out?

The weekly paid seem to be the most vulnerable to losing a qualifying year. Should they register as unemployed or play class 3 contributions so they don't miss out?




business and finance

Did my wife lose some state pension while I was a soldier in 1970s?

My wife was divorced with two children when we got married in 1976. I was a soldier in Germany. The only way she could get child benefit (so we were told) was to have it paid into my bank by the Army!




business and finance

My wife had 13 years of underpaid state pension but can get just one back

My wife was told she was not getting enough state pension as she was only getting 39 per cent of my payment when she should be getting 60 per cent.




business and finance

How much state pension can you get if you are separated but not divorced?

My mum has always worked (some years part time) and raised three children. She is now separated from my dad. The amount she receives is way short of the full state pension.




business and finance

Why must I pay tax on my pension and my savings too?

This is Money's pensions agony uncle Steve Webb says most people don't have to pay tax on savings income, although he dubs the system 'absurdly complicated'.




business and finance

My wife is cashing a small pension and will breach the income tax threshold

If she takes the £10k pot she is liable for tax. This seems very unfair as every other year before this and after she will earn a lot under the limit. Can't she share the excess over several tax years?




business and finance

How do we ensure our children inherit a pension pot?

My husband has a pension pot of around £380,000 which we don't want to use at present and is still being invested. We don't want an annuity as we would like our children to inherit.




business and finance

Is it worth opting back into the NHS pension scheme?

Your employer is contributing a large part of the cost of your pension, and it brings many benefits including guaranteed payouts from retirement onward, says pensions agony uncle Steve Webb.




business and finance

My firm deducts my pension contribution then sits on it for three weeks

Do I have the right to challenge the delay in forwarding the employees' contribution due to the detriment this may have to pension performance?




business and finance

How do I protect my pension in falling markets? Steve Webb replies

I am 51 now and would like to retire at 60. I realise I need to be looking long term, but at the moment I just see thousands slipping away. Is there anything I can do to protect my pension pot?




business and finance

Will I inherit any of my terminally ill husband's state pension?

My husband is terminally ill now. Will I receive any of his state pension when he dies? This is Money's pensions columnist, Steve Webb, explains how the rules work according to a couple's ages.




business and finance

Will my state pension increase if I get properly divorced?

I have just found out I'm not divorced after 30 years. My state pension is very low. I'm only getting £78 per week. My husband gets a full pension. If I get divorced now, would I get more?




business and finance

Will my final salary pension be affected by the coronavirus crisis?

This is Money's agony uncle Steve Webb explains how final salary schemes work, and what happens to them in financially turbulent times.




business and finance

My inherited pension pot is down a fifth in value - what should I do?

The deadline for me to take a decision on the full lump sum without paying tax is due in summer 2021. Anything after that date, I have to pay up to 40 per cent tax on the lump sum if I take it out.




business and finance

Can you inherit state pension if you never married?

Do you think it is possible to successfully challenge this in a court of law, since I feel it is discriminating unfairly on grounds of marital status?




business and finance

My employer has handed my final salary pension to an insurer

What happens to my pension if the insurance company has serious financial problems or goes bump? Our agony uncle Steve Webb explains what happens to pensions that are bought out by insurers.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Get back in the black after Christmas

If you're ever going to slip into the red, it will usually be over Christmas. The average household is expected to blow around £500 at this time of year, according to the British Retail Consortium.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Never mind the 'Boris bounce'... saving should be made to pay

Many investors will be cheered no end by last week's overwhelming Conservative victory. The 'Boris bounce' has already boosted a £100,000 nest-egg invested in the FTSE 100 by some £5,400.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF has one plea for 2020: Bring back customer service

In just the past ten days I've battled with my home insurer after the price of my policy was hiked by 30 per cent for no reason, chased my old energy supplier for a £174 refund.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: The top customer service tales of 2019

From the bank that sent flowers to a recently bereaved widower to the ferry company that waived its strict no-refund policy on pre-paid tickets after a customer went into hospital.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Bonfire of the bank perks 

When the 123 account was launched amid enormous fanfare in 2012 it paid customers up to 3 per cent interest on balances up to £20,000, and up to 3 per cent cashback on bills.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: A lesson not learned for insurers

After years, if not decades, of insurers routinely hiking customers' policy prices at renewal, many thought an end to the loyalty penalty was in sight.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: The overdraft farce which leaves eight million paying more

It has been nearly 14 years since we launched our 'Fair Play on Charges' campaign. We have exposed how banks rake in billions from customers who accidentally slip into the red, time and again.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Google must tackle the copycat scammers

Time and again we have exposed how copycat scammers use the search engine to trick users into paying more for holiday visas, passports - you name it. Our City Editor was even caught out.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Young people are getting stuck with debt habits

There is something deeply sinister about cashing in on the pressures faced by young women today. I remember well the 'need' to have a new outfit for every occasion - and that was before Instagram.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Don't abandon saving, everyone needs a fund

What is the point of saving? That's the question we posed after it emerged that National Savings and Investments is to slash interest rates for millions of savers from May.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Investors need to keep their nerve

Panic over coronavirus has badly shaken the world's financial markets, culminating, on Monday, in the FTSE 100 suffering its sharpest one-day fall since the height of the 2008 crash.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Rishi Sunak's budget is kicking savers while they're down 

The bad news began yesterday morning when the Bank of England revealed it was cutting the base rate by two-thirds to just 0.25 per cent, writes VICTORIA BISCHOFF.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Coronavirus puts livelihoods on the line

Thousands of employees will have woken up yesterday terrified they are about to lose their jobs. Businesses all over Britain are already cutting workers' hours and pay in a bid to protect jobs.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Now it's the banks turn to bail US out 

In 2008 the world economy appeared on the brink of meltdown. Banks' pursuit of profits fired by a culture of greed and management hubris led to the failure of some and the defenestration of many.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Work with the travel firms to stop the tailspin

Our mailbag is overflowing with emails from bitterly disappointed holidaymakers whose travel plans are now in ruins. Many had spent thousands of pounds on once-in-a-lifetime trips.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Remember the heroes and villains of the High Street

My partner Chris and I live in a first-floor flat, so when our neighbour sent us a message out of the blue insisting we use her front garden to enjoy the sunshine on Sunday, I could have kissed her.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: It's time to give a shout out for the small shops

Hallelujah! After temporarily shutting, our favourite Italian restaurant in South London, Lo Paste Tradizionali, has reopened for collections and deliveries on Friday to Sunday.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Be more vigilant than ever about online fraud

For many of us feeling cut off from loved ones, technology has proved to be a lifeline, but we must beware.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: Think before you click for a grocery delivery

Supermarket deliveries are a lifeline for those who have been told they will be at serious risk if they leave home. Despite this, many precious delivery slots are still snapped up by young, healthy households.




business and finance

VICTORIA BISCHOFF: We can't afford to lose cash

There is no doubt that the most hygienic way to pay for something is with a tap of a contactless card. But if you're spending more than £45 you either have to use a card machine, or hand over cash.




business and finance

Could a 'Win & Save' lottery for low income households work in Britain?

This type of lottery already exists in some poverty stricken states in the US - could a launch here help lower income households into the savings habit, while satisfying a craving to gamble?




business and finance

Veganuary: Would you pay £13 for 27g of watermelon 'meat?'

Watermelon is the tuna or steak, restaurants would have you believe. But just how much of the bland fruit do you get for your buck - and is it all a step too far?




business and finance

Could buy now pay later and Klarna kill the credit card?

Buy now, pay later has become the way for the younger generation to pay. Is it a dangerous form of credit or a useful way for shoppers to pay flexibly?




business and finance

Can a Fitbit help you lose weight and improve your fitness?

Since November, I have warn a fitness tracker and joined the millions who keep an eye on their exercise habits - what did I learn and is it worth having one?




business and finance

Local milk deliveries: Why are they making a comeback?

Thousands more British households decided to get their milk delivered last year in glass bottles - what's behind this booming trend? I go on a round to find out.




business and finance

Why are low-alcohol beer sales soaring and which ones are the best?

A dog is not just for Christmas. Chocolate is not just for Easter. Low-alcohol beer is not just for Dry January - at least, that appears to be the case when it comes to sales trends.




business and finance

Growing number of Britons are working from home and in an office

A growing army of workers have gone 'flexi.' That is, they work part of the week in an office and part at home already, potential coronavirus pandemic or not.




business and finance

Coronavirus could change our holidays for a long time, says Lee Boyce

Forecasts predict a 28% reduction in global tourism in 2020, costing the global economy £2trillion, but the more long-lasting change could be to our holiday habits




business and finance

Houseparty, Slack and Zoom: What's behind apps keeping us social?

Since Britain was put in lockdown thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, a number of apps have seen their popularity boom - the right place, the right time and all that.




business and finance

Food subscription box services are growing rapidly in Britain

One positive from this devastating coronavirus pandemic, is the willingness for more people to get in the kitchen to cook and adapt recipes for the ingredients they have knocking around.




business and finance

Have novice investors been spooked by stock market turmoil?

More younger people are investing thanks to the rise of the simple stocks and shares Isa - are they worried about recent market volatility? We find out.