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I’m 39, have lost my job and am in debt – can I unlock my £18k pension? With huge tax penalties and scam risks Steve Webb warns: DON’T do it! By Steve Webb for This Is Money Published: 08:37 BST, 3 August 2020 | Updated: 08:37 BST, 3 August 2020 I’m 39 and I’ve paid … Read more
Government urged to axe rip-off retirement home fees in small print as crackdown is delayed There are hidden fees for selling a deceased relative’s retirement home Many retirement property firms are taking between 1% and 30% of the proceeds Charity Age UK is calling for the fees to be scrapped altogether By Sarah Bridge for … Read more
Getting your or a loved one’s care fees fully funded can be a struggle, and many families feel their cases are wrongly rejected. How to apply for ‘NHS continuing healthcare’ to cover the often astronomical bills is explained here, and now we look at what to do if you are denied this help. James Urquhart-Burton, … Read more
A temporary law allowing wills to be witnessed over video has sparked warnings it could leave vulnerable people open to abuse and lead to more legal challenges. The Government plans to legalise the remote witnessing of wills and backdate the measure to 31 January – the day the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the … Read more
State-backed pension provider Nest is to plough £5.5billion, nearly half of its 9million members’ money, into a climate-friendly investment strategy. Nest’s goal is to halve carbon emissions generated by its investments by 2030 and reach ‘net zero’ by 2050. It will also ditch companies involved in thermal coal, oil sands and Arctic drilling within five … Read more
An 83-year-old woman with dementia has received £115,000 and an apology from the Government in a second shocking case of a widow being underpaid state pension for two decades. The payment to Barbara Cornish, a former doctor’s receptionist from Essex, is the latest to emerge in the scandal of elderly women missing out on state … Read more
My firm wants to cut my pay by a fifth – will this hit my final salary pension too? Steve Webb replies By Steve Webb for This Is Money Published: 07:31 BST, 27 July 2020 | Updated: 07:42 BST, 27 July 2020 I am nearly 56 years old and have had a final salary pension … Read more
Steep bills: The average cost of a residential care home in the UK in 2019 was £33,852, and for a nursing home it was £47,320 Care fees are steep and many families struggle to meet them, but financial help is available based on your health needs. You can apply for funding known as ‘NHS continuing … Read more
Workers have built up 8million dormant pensions worth £1,000 or less as auto-enrolment means they acquire a new pot every time they change jobs, new research reveals. The number is forecast to rise to 27million small inactive pots by 2015, which the study suggests will become unsustainable because of a double blow on charges. Small … Read more
Four solutions to the problem of low-paid workers being deprived of pension cash paid to better off colleagues are being offered by the Government, which says it is also open to other suggestions. Critics have long demanded action over a tax flaw which means some poorly paid staff lose government payments into their pension pots, … Read more