Currently, pension savings are not used for estate valuations when calculating IHT charges when someone dies. This means money left in a pension can be passed on without worrying about generating a tax bill. But from the new tax year in April 2027, pensions will be included in estate calculations. This creates a higher chance of pushing the value of an estate above the IHT threshold, currently 325,000.
Nearly nine in 10 higher-risk pension funds have failed to match the performance of the FTSE 100 over the past five years, according to new analysis that raises fresh concerns about retirement outcomes for millions of savers. Research by Investing Insiders examined almost 13,000 personal and workplace pension funds holding more than £1tn in assets between December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2025. Funds in the medium-high and high-risk categories were benchmarked against the FTSE 100 over the same period.
Financially, the American dream should not be homeownership, but should be financial independence, Robert Johnson, CEO of Economic Index Associates and a professor at Creighton University, said in the report. People fall prey to the stories of individuals realizing substantial gains by buying a home and selling it at a much higher price years down the road. He noted that nearly 29% of household wealth was tied to home equity in 2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
The entrepreneur said that within just a few years, we will live in a world marked by a great surplus, where "better medical care than anyone has today" will be "available for everyone within five years." He also said that there will be "no scarcity of goods and services" and you'll be able to learn anything you want. Musk continued, explaining that there will be such a surplus that life will no longer require people to save in order to ensure they are taken care of later on.
Musk envisions a future of unprecedented productivity, where advances in artificial intelligence, energy and robotics produce economic abundance and even a so-called universal high income that might make long-term savings unnecessary, Business Insider reported. The good future is anyone can have whatever stuff they want, Musk said. That would mean better medical care than anyone has today, available for everyone within five years.
Northwestern Mutual's 2024 Planning and Progress study revealed the simple step that Americans have taken to double their retirement savings. According to the research, those who work with a financial advisor have around twice the retirement investment account balances compared to people who try to manage their retirement investing all on their own with no professional advice. The research showed that those who have a financial advisor guiding them have around $132,000 in retirement savings, compared with $62,000 among those with no advisor.
I think it's worth starting with a few assumptions people make and treat like they're facts. Just because some guy on the internet, or your dad, or even me, your trusted Money Changes Everything writer says something with confidence does not make it a universal fact. Unfortunately, you have to interrogate the platitude, compare it to your actual life, then decide whether it applies to you at all. One person's platitude is another person's bullshit.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
