Asset Allocation Analyst

MWritten by Rob Morgan, Chief Investment Analyst at Charles StanleyThe UK remains in an economic funk of muted activity, ebbing confidence and above-target inflation. No surprise then that various market surveys indicate firms are reluctant to hire staff and in some cases are looking to make cuts amid planned increases in employer NICs and the National Minimum Wage.Official ONS numbers are not yet reflective of this emerging trend with the official unemployment count holding steady at 4.4%. Still low by historic standards but the data, which needs to be taken with caution owing to collection issues, is not yet picking up what seems to be being expressed in industry surveys.Meanwhile the official measure of wage inflation continues to barely blink at 5.9%. This indicates there is still demand for workers and perhaps reflects the difficulty and cost to secure necessary skills if they are lost. To what extent the picture changes once increases to employers’ costs takes effect in April remains to be seen. Some businesses will err towards passing on the higher costs through price increases rather than reducing headcount

The UK remains in an economic funk of muted activity, waning confidence and above-target inflation, an unenviable cocktail for Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she battles to keep to her fiscal rules, according to Rob Morgan, Chief Investment Analyst at Charles Stanley. Higher interest rates and slow growth are eroding the headroom between tax receipts and spending commitments. In the absence of taking on more debt or growth picking up, some combination of spending cuts and tax rises will probably be required to balance the equation. All eyes will be on the Spring statement next month to see what her next move is.Already rumours have circulated concerning income tax and VAT, and more worryingly for savers, there have been murmurs around measures to curtail Cash ISAs in some way. Is there a case for curtailing Cash ISA tax breaks?Cash ISAs are a popular and important product, especially with tax thresholds staying frozen, savings allowances frozen and interest rates much higher than a few years ago. There’s around £300bn sitting in these tax-free accounts, some of which could arguably be better directed towards other assets. Sadly, lots of people in the UK hold too much cash and not enough in investments, which is a missed opportunity to drive long term wealth creation. This reticence has negative ramifications for the success of the UK stock market and the wider economy too. While cash is exactly what is needed for building short term financial resilience through an emergency fund and saving for shorter term goals, it fails to drive household wealth meaningfully forward over the longer term. Other assets – such as shares – don’t offer immediate security of capital, and you could get back less than you invest

Charles Stanley’s Tom Hawkins reflects on key findings from Alpha FMC’s recent report on decumulation which unveils diverse strategies for retirement income planning. Addressing regulatory demands and evolving client needs, Tom shares a fresh perspective along with practical approaches and solutions you can adopt to mitigate sequencing and longevity risks in retirement income planning as well as other key themes.When the FCA announced its Thematic Review of Retirement Income Advice, Charles Stanley partnered with Alpha FMC to undertake some research on how IFAs currently manage decumulation to help the industry identify best practice. This timely report paints a very clear picture of an industry with several quite distinct approaches to meeting these challenges.Drawing on Alpha FMC’s independent research, this report explores various retirement strategies, including systematic withdrawals, annuities, and tax-efficient approaches. e research identified several key themes.The regulatory environment. As an extension of Consumer Duty, the FCA is keen to understand how advisers are balancing the robust processes that come with a centralised retirement proposition and target markets with individual client outcomes. It is more important than ever for firms to evidence how their retirement proposition and income strategies meet the needs of target markets and individual clients.The opportunity is set to growThe transition from Defi­ned Bene­fits (DB) to Defined Contributions (DC) pensions, demographic trends, and economic pressures will accelerate the growth in demand for more support and engagement throughout retirement