Why your pension tax could be wrong, and how to check
A wrong tax code, emergency tax on a pension withdrawal or a P800 letter in the autumn can all catch you out. How to spot the problem and put it right.
Is your investing confidence costing you money?
Men are more likely to invest, and often more sure of themselves. But in an ISA or SIPP, too much trading and higher charges can quietly cost you tens of thousands.
Money for men 45–64
Pensions, saving, investing, tax, property, everyday finances and running your own business — the money questions that matter for men 45 to 64. Practical guides to what the rules mean for you, and when it pays to get personal advice.
Andrew Ingram explains money for men 45+ — pensions, saving, investing and the tax rules that decide what you keep.
Market mood today
26 / 100 Fear
Extreme fearFearNeutralRisk appetiteEuphoria
The market is showing signs of caution and worry. Investors seem more inclined to wait than to buy right now.
How we calculate Market mood
Market mood combines several market signals – including how share prices have moved recently compared with their historical average, how large the swings (volatility) are, and how demand for shares compares with safer investments such as cash and bonds. When more signals point to worry, the value falls towards 0 (fear); when more point to appetite for risk, it rises towards 100. The value is updated once a day (on trading days).
Market mood is a simplified market indicator and should not be taken as investment advice.
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Spanish villa or index fund: which is less work?
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Raiding your pension early: the traps that cost you
Taking pension cash in your fifties sounds great until HMRC shows up. Here’s how the access age, tax-free lump sum and 40% or 45% tax can shrink your retirement.
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Index funds: the name is not the whole story
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Boost your pension after 50 without living in a caravan
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Your State Pension won’t be enough. Here’s plan B
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Buying a flat in Spain: what does it really cost?
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The second-hand habit that can save you real money
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The cash bridge you may need before retirement
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Your brain is costing you money. Here’s how to catch it
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Stop saving as if retirement starts next Thursday
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You backed Britain. Did your pension pay the price?
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55 now? The two years before your State Pension
Planning to finish work at 65? Under current rules, your State Pension starts at 67, leaving 24 months of bills to cover before it arrives.
The pension mistake a 1% return can expose
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When to book flights so you don’t get fleeced
Cut your insurance bill, not the cover you need
Insurance savings are easy to advertise and harder to judge. Here is how to challenge a renewal, spot duplicate cover and avoid an excess you cannot afford.
Is £300,000 enough to retire at 55?
A £300,000 pension pot sounds substantial. Retiring at 55 is another matter. Here is what the money might cover before and after your State Pension begins.
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Money in your inbox
The best guides of the week — collected, without the noise, for anyone who likes to stay a step ahead.
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Can you afford a holiday home abroad?
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Can you afford to retire? Do the sums first
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Lenders will now lend you more. Should you borrow it?
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The forms married couples forget until things go wrong
Your wife knows the bank password. Then you die or lose capacity, and the password solves nothing. Which signatures actually give her money or authority?
The five traps that can wreck your early retirement plan
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Service your boiler in September or gamble on winter?
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The budget that stops annual bills ambushing you
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About Money
Andrew Ingram writes about money for men 45 and over – the years when retirement starts to feel real and the decisions get bigger. Pensions and retirement planning, investing, savings, mortgages and tax: what changed, what it means for your plans and what's worth doing about it. No hype, nothing to sell, and a clear steer on when it pays to get personal advice.