Every year the creeping Americanisation of our culture is decried when Halloween takes over from Bonfire Night as our kids’ preferred autumn celebration. Let’s hope that Brexit puts an end to all that and, rather than letting children beg door-to-door for sweets, we can bring back the tradition of burning effigies of tortured Catholics and posting fireworks through neighbours letterboxes. Or maybe the good people of Edenbridge have the right idea…
“Record year for annuity sales driven by advisers”
I was asked this week whether annuities are now ‘a good investment’. They’ve been recommended very rarely in recent years, since ‘pension freedoms’ allowed pretty much unlimited drawdown on pension funds and anything left to be passed on to beneficiaries free of Inheritance Tax.