Rising cost of living crisis

3 tips to maintain your financial wellbeing.

The rising cost of living is one of the most pressing issues facing many families today. The price of food, energy, fuel and other necessities has risen significantly in recent months. This has made it difficult to make ends meet and has put a strain on many household budgets.

Planning for the rising cost of living can be a challenge, especially if your income isn’t keeping up with inflation. As many people feel the squeeze as the cost of essential items continue to increase, there are a few important things to consider to maintain your financial wellbeing.

1. Review spending

The rising cost of living can be a real problem, especially if you’re not mindful of your spending. Going through your spending with the finest of tooth combs can help you find areas where you may be able to cut back, and save money in the long run. Keep an eye on your budget and make adjustments as necessary to ensure that you are aware of your outgoing costs and can adapt your spending accordingly. Being able to see exactly where your money’s going will help you to pin down where you can make savings and cuts.

Ask yourself, what’s coming in and going out? Can I get something for cheaper? And (often the hardest of all) do I really need that? Look at the money you have coming into your home – whether that’s just you or with someone else. You want to look at every single thing that’s going out (there may be a lot more than you think).

2. Emergency savings

When it comes to financial security, one of the most important things you can do is to keep emergency savings aside for when you need it. Having a nest egg that you can tap into in times of need can help you weather a storm. One method is to create a dedicated savings account that you only use for this purpose. This way, you can easily access the funds when you need them but they remain out of reach for everyday spending.

Aim to build up enough to cover between 3 to 6 months’ expenses, or as much as you can afford. The best thing to do is make room for your savings in your budget as one of your outgoings. By doing so, it’ll help you see your savings as a must, rather than a must do later. And if you can, set up an automated payment from your normal bank account straight into your savings account – that way you don’t even need to think about it.

3. Pensions and investments

As many people across the country are feeling the squeeze of a cost of living crisis, it’s more important than ever to make sure your finances are in good shape. One way to do this is by making sure you don’t touch your pension or investments. While it may be tempting to dip into these savings to help make ends meet in the short term, it’s important to think about the long-term impact this could have on your retirement plans.

Drawing down on your pension or selling investments could leave you worse off in the long run, so it’s important to consider all of your options before making any decisions. Consolidating your old pensions into one could help you cut down on management fees and give you a better picture of how your finances are looking. But before transferring your pensions it is essential to obtain professional financial advice.

Wealth vs health

More than half ignore medical advice and work despite poor health due to financial worries.

When you are off work due to an illness or injury, worries about how you are going to pay your bills can make an already stressful situation worse. So much so, that many people are finding themselves in the very difficult position of having to put the need to earn money over their health by continuing to go to work, even when advised not to by a doctor.

Worse still, financial concerns mean some are avoiding seeing their GP altogether, even when concerned they may have a serious illness. Money worries see six in ten people go to work when they are ill, with one in three ignoring their doctor’s advice due to financial concerns, even when they are worried about serious illness, according to a new research[1].

No financial protection in place

Three in ten people have no financial protection if they were off work should they fall ill or become injured, while 27% could financially only last for a month. The findings highlight that sick and injured Britons are forcing themselves back into work, despite doctors’ advice, due to having no financial protection in place.

Nearly a third (32%) admitted to not following their doctor’s advice because they couldn’t afford to take time off, while 43% would put off going to the doctors due to financial concerns – even if concerned they may have a serious illness.

Negative impact on mental wellbeing

The research also highlights that while nearly half (49%) say they would benefit from a policy that would cover their income if off work for an extended period, just 27% actually have any income protection cover in place, with 32% unaware of what such a policy is.

Money worries can have a negative impact on people’s mental wellbeing, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of those surveyed saying they fret about how they would cope financially if they needed to take four weeks or more off work due to poor health.

Sick and on a reduced income

Three in ten (30%) surveyed have nothing in place to support them financially should they be ill or injured, while 29% would rely on Statutory Sick Pay, which at £99.35 per week for up to 28 weeks (tax year 2022/23), pays much less than many people need to cover the cost of living, which continues to rise.

If on long term sick and on a reduced income, many would use their existing savings (45%), make reduced payments (33%), or borrow money from family or friends (25%) or use a credit card or loan (15%). However, during the pandemic a third (34%) of people had already dipped into their savings, meaning they may now have less to fall back on.

Longer-term financial impacts

As a result of this situation, more than half (55%) admit they could only survive for three months, while more than a quarter (27%) would struggle after just one month. The additional financial pressures of being off sick for four weeks of more could push people to prioritise their household expenditures. The top five things’ people surveyed prioritise include utilities (67%), mortgage/rent (65%), food (56%), insurance i.e. (car/home/pet (15%) and internet/broadband (13%).

As well as the immediate impact of long-term sickness, many people are also concerned about the longer-term financial impacts, with almost half (49%) of those surveyed saying they worry about the impact on their ability to get credit in future. This is particularly an issue for the self-employed, where 43% worry about losing customers and just over a third (36%) worry that their business would have to fold.

Source data:

[1] Survey conducted by Censuswide for Nationwide between 10-14 February of 2,003 people who are self-employed or employed but receive Statutory Sick Pay when off work through illness or injury.

Fed up with your nine-to-five?

Sixty the most popular age to retire early.

There are many factors that can influence when someone decides to retire. For some, it may be based on health reasons, while others may want to take advantage of government benefits or simply enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle. However, one of the most common factors that determines when people choose to retire is their age.

So, what is the most popular age to retire early? Sixty is the most popular age to retire early, according to new research[1] which reveals the key steps people have taken to embrace early retirement and examines the costs and benefits of doing so.

Wanting to enjoy more freedom

One in four (25%) are planning to celebrate their 60th birthday by leaving work behind. With the State Pension age currently standing at 66, the findings show one in six (17%) people who have taken early retirement did so when they were 60, making it the most common age to make an early exit from working life.

This is also the most popular target age for people who intend to retire early in the years ahead, with one in four (25%) planning to celebrate their 60th birthday by leaving work behind. The desire to retire early is primarily driven by ‘wanting to enjoy more freedom while still being physically fit and well enough to enjoy it.’

Embracing a new lifestyle

Nearly one in three people (32%) who have retired early or plan to do so gave this reason for embracing a new lifestyle. Financial security is the second most common factor prompting people to embrace retirement. More than one in four (26%) early retirees say their decision was a result of ‘being in a financially stable position’ so they can afford not to work.

The influence of money matters is also visible in people’s choice of early retirement age. One in five (20%) people targeting early retirement have set their sights on 55 to make the transition from working life. This is likely to be influenced by their ability to access their pension savings from this age.

‘Too taxing and stressful’

Other key factors encouraging people to seek early retirement include reassessing their priorities and what’s important to them in life (23%), wishing to spend more time with family (20%) or finding they are either ‘tired and bored’ of working (19%) or find it ‘too taxing and stressful’ (19%).

The research suggests the impacts of early retirement are wide-ranging and broadly positive in many areas of life. Most notably, more than two in three (68%) people who have retired early say their happiness improved as a result. In terms of the world around them, 44% of early retirees say their family relationships improved and 34% reported improvements in their friendships.

Retirees boost to mental wellbeing

When it comes to their health and wellbeing, more than half report that early retirement has delivered a boost to their mental wellbeing (57%) and half (50%) say their physical wellbeing improved.

However, the findings suggest these benefits come at a cost, with nearly half of early retirees finding their finances worsening as a result (47%).

Women are the most likely to have felt a negative financial impact from retiring early (50% vs. 44% of men). Across both genders, only 22% feel they have benefitted financially from their decision to retire early.

Stepping stone to retiring early

Among those people who have retired early, one in three (32%) identify having a defined benefit (final salary) pension among the main measures that enabled them to take retirement into their own hands. This suggests the concept of early retirement may get harder for younger generations to achieve, with the majority of the private sector workforce now saving into defined contribution pension schemes.

However, the findings suggest that people can still take positive steps to make an early retirement possible. Paying off your mortgage (30%) is identified as the second most common stepping stone to retiring early, while almost three in ten early retirees (29%) say saving little and often was one of their main strategies. Nearly one in five (19%) say they also saved extra whenever they received a pay rise or a bonus during their working life.

The main measures enabling people to retire early or think about retiring early

32% – Having a defined benefit (final salary) pension
30% – Paying off one’s mortgage
29% – Saving little and often
19% – Saving extra whenever receiving
a pay rise or bonus
16% – Receiving a redundancy payout
14% – Receiving an inheritance

Wanting a new sense of purpose

Among those who take early retirement, the research also reveals there is a small contingent who have returned to work (17%) or envisage themselves doing so in the future (15%). Over one in four (27%) cite the reason for returning to work is because they ‘wanted a new sense of purpose’, making this the most frequent driver, followed by ‘missing the company and social interactions with colleagues’ (26%). However, a similar number (24%) of early retirees find themselves heading back to work having experienced financial issues.

While happiness soars in retirement, many people find their finances take the strain when they retire early and money worries are one of the biggest factors resulting in people returning to work. If you aspire to retire early, it’s vital you plan your finances to be sustainable for the long-term.

Source data:
[1] https://www.aviva.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/12/sixty-the-most-popular-age-to-retire-early/

A PENSION IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT NOT NORMALLY ACCESSIBLE UNTIL AGE 55 (57 FROM APRIL 2028 UNLESS PLAN HAS A PROTECTED PENSION AGE). THE VALUE OF YOUR INVESTMENTS (AND ANY INCOME FROM THEM) CAN GO DOWN AS WELL AS UP WHICH WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE LEVEL OF PENSION BENEFITS AVAILABLE. YOUR PENSION INCOME COULD ALSO BE AFFECTED BY THE INTEREST RATES AT THE TIME YOU TAKE YOUR BENEFITS.

THE TAX IMPLICATIONS OF PENSION WITHDRAWALS WILL BE BASED ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES, TAX LEGISLATION AND REGULATION WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE. YOU SHOULD SEEK ADVICE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR OPTIONS AT RETIREMENT.

Scammers ‘socially engineer’ victims

17% increase in suspicious or scam-related activity.

Any of us can fall victim to a scam. Scams are increasingly common and many people are caught out. They can be very distressing, and the impact is often emotional as well as financial. If you’ve been the victim of a scam, remember that you’re not alone.

Increasingly, scammers are relying on our psychological biases to trick us into handing over important data, financial information and our money. There are a growing number of scams that are harder to identify, with scammers using increasingly complex psychological tactics to ‘socially engineer’ their victims into handing over personal data or money.

Would-be investors are vulnerable to manipulation from scammers when put under time pressure, promised greater returns on investments or contacted by what they think is an authority figure. Research highlights the psychological tricks that scammers use, as data shows a 17% rise in reported scams[1]. The data highlights that almost three-quarters of Britons have seen an increase in suspicious activity and of those who were scammed nearly four in ten (39%) didn’t report it.

Criminals carrying out scams usually apply pressure tactics, illusions of scarcity or pretending to be a trusted authority to ‘socially engineer’ their victims. The findings come as consumer polling shows that seven in ten Britons claim to have seen an increase in suspicious or scam-related activity, but almost a third of respondents (31%) admit they wouldn’t know what to do if they found themselves in that position.

Purchase scams

Purchase scams, where people buy goods online which don’t exist or never arrive, accounted for over half (53%) of reported scams – with an average value of £980.

Scammers create a perceived scarcity and therefore ‘value’ in what they are selling to motivate consumers to act quickly and not rely on their better judgment. This might be advertising something as a ‘one-time offer’, a limited edition price or availability, or rushing us into buying something that ‘has’ to be bought now – even if you’ve never seen the product in real life.

You should never be rushed; it’s always important to take the time to check before proceeding with a purchase. If it’s a big-ticket item like a car, unless you’re buying directly through a well-known brand, it’s good practice to see it in person before spending any money.

Impersonation scams

Over two-thirds of Britons (64%) would be more likely to comply with a request if they believed it was coming from an institution they knew, such as their bank, the police or even the NHS.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that scammers exploit this insight. In these situations, scammers will harness that sense of authority to instil fear in their victims – perhaps suggesting their bank account has been compromised, a payment is overdue or that they will be fined if they do not pay the full amount. Psychologically, many of us will take these at face-value if they’re coming from what we believe to be a reputable institution.

Real phone calls from a bank will never ask customers to do things like share their PIN/security information or to transfer money to a ‘safe account’.

Investment scams

Investment scams often account for the highest average value type of scam, which is why they’re such enticing options for fraudsters – with £15,788 lost on average to these types of scams in the last quarter.

Investing should generally be a very measured activity and people who are looking to invest their money will often do a lot of research before making their decision, or at least ask for a second opinion. However, scammers are experts at exploiting the fact that people want to grow their assets, and that we can sometimes put our better judgement aside for a high return opportunity.

Worryingly, this is reflected in the research, with three in ten (32%) admitting they would be willing to go with an investment or savings provider they’d never heard of if they thought the returns would be higher than those of their existing provider. A further fifth (21%) stated they were unsure, indicating they could potentially be convinced.

Check the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website and its warning list (https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart/warning-list) for cloned companies to make sure you’re dealing with a genuine company. If you have any suspicions, talk to someone you trust and don’t ignore your concerns. It’s important to ask questions and make sure you feel comfortable in the choices you are making – and remember, if the returns seem too good to be true, they probably are.

Source data:
[1] Barclays data on reported scams from October 2021 – December 2021. Mortar Research study of 2,002 participants, January 2022.

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Month: July 2022