WEALTH TAX OFF THE CARDS BUT WHAT’S STILL IN PLAY?

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, has (sort of) dismissed imposing a new wealth tax in the Budget this autumn. 

“We already have taxes on wealthy people. I don’t think we need a standalone wealth tax,”she told Bloomberg TV during the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. 

“I’m not even sure it would work,” she added.

But although a wealth tax might not be on the cards this year, there are a few property taxes that could be tinkered with:

  • Council tax: the current “council tax bands” could be replaced by a “local property tax” calculated using the value of a property at the last point of sale. 
  • Stamp duty: stamp duty (a one-off tax paid by some buyers) could be replaced with a “national land tax” on homes over £500,000 charged each year (paid by sellers instead of buyers!)  
  • National Insurance: rental income could be included in National Insurance tax

As always, speculation about what the government might tweak has to be taken with a pinch of salt. 

For instance, Ms Reeves confirmed that she no longer stands by a pledge made lat last year’s party conference to raise taxes in a speech during the party conference. 

She said “the world has changed” amid a mix of conflicts, US tariffs and higher borrowing costs.”  

So ultimately…it’s a wait-and-see game. But fear not!

 Investing Insiders are here to help you navigate your finances, whatever comes up. 


758,000 YOUNG SAVERS URGED TO CLAIM FREE CASH

If you’re aged between 18-23, you could have a free pot of cash from the government waiting to be claimed. 

Child Trust Fund accounts were automatically set up for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. 

An initial deposit of at least £250 was added to each account. And the average unclaimed Child Trust Fund is worth over £2,240!    

Once the account holder turns 18, they can decide whether to withdraw or reinvest the money. 

If a parent or child already knows who their Child Trust Fund provider is, they can contact them directly. 

But all hope isn’t lost if you can’t remember! 

You can recover the account details using HMRC’s Child Trust Fund finder. (All you’ll need is the young person’s National Insurance number and date of birth). 


The Child Trust Fund scheme ended in January 2011 and was replaced with

BEWARE OF HIGH-RISK INVESTMENTS

Investors beware! High-risk investment schemes offered by unregulated firms could leave you without protection if the provider goes bust. 

It comes as the UK’s financial watchdog – the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – issued fresh concerns for investors. 

So what types of investments are they talking about? There are many different types of unregulated investments including “mini-bonds.”

These usually involve investors lending money through a third-party platform to fund an initiative such as a property development. 

Firms selling unregulated investments often use flashy websites and promise returns that are too good to be true to get you to part with your money.

But how is this legal!? Well, these types of firms can use exemptions in the law. All they have to do is prove that they’re marketing to wealthy or “experienced” investors. These are known as “sophisticated investors.”

In the UK investors can self-certify that they fit the criteria for a sophisticated investor…which means anyone can purchase these products in reality. 

But how do you avoid getting caught out? Always check that an investment firm is regulated using the FCA’s Financial Services Register.

If you need more guidance on which firm to go with, we’ve rounded up our pick of the

STUDENT MAINTENANCE GRANTS RETURN (FOR SOME)

Student maintenance grants could be reintroduced for some of England’s lowest-income households by 2029.

Maintenance grants are financial support for higher education students from the government that don’t need to be paid back.

They were introduced in the 60s but eventually scrapped in 2016. 

So why are they coming back? Well it’s to help with the

SHOCK PENSION STATS: WHICH HALF OF THE POPULATION ARE YOU IN?

A report published this week has found that more than half (56%) of UK pension savers do not know how much they or their employer contributes to their pension pot.

The poll, carried out by campaigning organisation, Pension Attention, also found that nearly one in five (18%) people were unaware of who their pension provider is, and almost half (46%) do not know the total value of their pension.

More than one in seven (16%) said they’d never checked their pension balance.

These findings are worrying because not knowing how much is being contributed to your pension, means you have no way of knowing whether you’re on track to afford retirement.

Not knowing who your pension provider is, or how much you’ve saved, makes it nearly impossible to monitor growth, spot errors, or take decisions to change course which could translate into thousands of additional pounds to live on in later life.

And neglecting your pension can lead to nasty shocks later in life when it’s much harder to make up the shortfall.

If you recognise yourself in that 56%, then start by finding out what is going into your pension pot. This information should be on your payslip if you’re enrolled onto a workplace pension scheme, or in your platform portal if you have a personal pension.

Our

INVESTING INSIDERS FINANCIAL BOOK AWARDS 2025

Investing Insiders is launching a first-of-its-kind Financial Book Awards this autumn!

Whether you’ve read a book that’s transformed your finances or written one to help others, we want to hear from you. 

Our awards aim to recognise the best financial books that aim to help people make better financial decisions. 

Awards will be given for the following categories:

  • Best for Personal Finance
  • Best for Budgeting
  • Best for Investing
  • Best for Pensions and Retirement
  • Best for Children’s Finances
  • Best for Small Businesses

Submissions will be judged by an expert panel of industry specialists chaired by multi-award-winning financial journalist Moira O’Neill. 

Shortlisted entries will be announced by 9 November 2025 and winning submissions will be announced by 10 December 2025.

Authors of the winning titles for each category will receive an engraved trophy and be featured as our top pick for 2025!

To enter, simply complete the

DEAL OF THE WEEK: 4.2% NATWEST 1-YEAR FIXED RATE ISA 

NatWest is offering a 1 year fixed-rate What’s the catch? There’s a minimum deposit of £1,000.

Jargon Buster

  • FCA: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the UK’s financial watchdog which is responsible for protecting customers and keeping the market fair.
  • Maintenance grant: a lump sum given to higher education students to support them while they study. 
  • Mini-bonds: a higher-risk investment that usually offers high returns.
  • Stamp duty: a tax paid by certain buyers when purchasing a property or piece of land in the UK.

Your Questions Answered

We’re keen to answer any and all of your burning finance questions – drop us a message to hello@investinginsiders.co.uk and we may feature your query with our response in our next newsletter.

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