Rebecca O’Connor

If you have assets you always imagined you’d pass down to family members, perhaps so that your grandchildren could buy a first home or pay for university education, you could be in for a wake-up call.

Impact investing (so-called because the stocks and funds on offer have a positive impact on society, or the environment, or both) is fast gaining followers, not just for its morally virtuous stance, but also for its returns.

Retirement is an increasingly expensive business. Life expectancy and the cost of living for retirees are rising. So what you are expecting to be enough to keep you going when your working days are done is unfortunately not what you are likely to get.

You might enjoy the benefit of being in charge of your own work, but you can end up paying for this freedom in other ways. All companies that employ people now have a responsibility to provide pensions to their employees, but it’s just one of the many things a self-employed person will have to take care of themselves.

If you have assets you always imagined you’d pass down to family members, perhaps so that your grandchildren could buy a first home or pay for university education, you could be in for a wake-up call.

If you are planning your own retirement savings on top of any workplace scheme you might have, then trying to choose between the many different options could leave you confused and frazzled.

If you are planning your own retirement savings on top of any workplace scheme you might have, then trying to choose between the many different options could leave you confused and frazzled.

It can be tricky to work out how to organise your investments to make the best use of tax allowances and optimise returns. If you are thinking about opening an ISA or topping up your current ISA, you are likely to face a decision over whether to go for stocks and shares, or cash, or a bit of both.

If you are planning your own retirement savings on top of any workplace scheme you might have, then trying to choose between the many different options could leave you confused and frazzled.

“ESG” sounds like something very technical and jargon-y.

You might enjoy the benefit of being in charge of your own work, but you can end up paying for this freedom in other ways. All companies that employ people now have a responsibility to provide pensions to their employees, but it’s just one of the many things a self-employed person will have to take care of themselves. So if you are self-employed, you risk being left behind when it comes to retirement saving, as well as other long-term benefits - unless you take a few simple steps.

If you are planning your own retirement savings on top of any workplace scheme you might have, then trying to choose between the many different options could leave you confused and frazzled.

Impact investing (so-called because the stocks and funds on offer have a positive impact on society, or the environment, or both) is fast gaining followers, not just for its morally virtuous stance, but for the returns, too.

Retirement is an increasingly expensive business. Life expectancy and the cost of living for retirees are rising. So what you are expecting to be enough to keep you going when your working days are done is unfortunately not what you are likely to get. Unless you save as much as possible now into a pension, any money worries you are having today could follow you into old age.