LISA’s here to stay! We must give young savers choice – & respect
Iona Bain Summer is usually called "silly season" in journalism. But it looks as if the same phenomenon might be affecting the Treasury Select Committee as well. Its latest report, Household…
We’re in the money? The £1 trillion bung coming our way
"We're in the money, we're in the money, we've got a lot of what it takes to get along..." * Iona Bain Millennials can expect part of a £1 trillion windfall…
The end for Bank of Mum of Dad or a cynical ploy to generate headlines?
Iona Bain Young people's financial morale, right now, is fragile. And understandably so. Some of the factors contributing to this are undeniably real. "Millennials" are, in many respects, worse off…
Intergen Finance: the Resolution Report fully unpacked
It’s official. We are not Generation Avocado. The long-awaited report from the Intergenerational Commission has concluded, after two years and over 200 pages, that millennials are burning 15% less cash…
Gimme Shelter – getting on the housing ladder
Housing unpacked According to the bods at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the biggest decline in home ownership has been among middle earning young Brits. We're talking those aged 25…
Banning the “m” word – why millennial has had its day
We're a diverse, complex bunch of people - so why oh why are we lumbered with the reductive "millennial" moniker? In this blog, Iona explores the flawed origins of the term, why…
Good for pension companies – right for young people?
Iona was on BBC News today challenging the government’s plans to enrol workers as young as 18 into pensions. Ministers plan to reduce the minimum age for automatic pension saving…
Iona on BBC Radio 4 Moneybox Live – The Budget
Iona was a special guest on Moneybox Live, the BBC Radio 4 Budget analysis show this afternoon. Presenter Paul Lewis said Iona had written earlier this week that chancellor Philip…
Millennial-friendly Budget is long overdue
Iona Bain This week, Phillip Hammond has a golden opportunity to make public finances fairer for the younger generations and to take bold, progressive steps to sort out their financial…
Do millennials need a pension? Iona at the PLSA conference
Iona was a guest speaker today at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s annual conference in Manchester. In a special session on what the new Lifetime Isa means for workplace…
Magic wands for millennials
Young Money Matters A new regular bulletin from Young Money Blog 4 October 2017 The Government and Opposition are suddenly scrapping for the young vote (they…
Iona on Radio 5 Live
Iona was on Radio 5 Live this morning talking about interest rates. "If you have managed to overcome that initial barrier of getting a deposit together you have lucked out,…
The Death of Retirement….Iona on Moneybox
Are you saving enough for your retirement? Can we even expect to retire in the future? Today’s millennials are expected to work longer live longer and have less to fund…
Grenfell: media hypocrisy & the truth about London housing
Iona Bain Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, there will be much said about the plight of people in poor housing over the coming weeks and months. And much of it…
Intra-generational fairness is THE new buzzword – but why?
Iona Bain I've been writing about inter-generational fairness on the blog for absolutely ages (well, 5 - 6 years, but that's long enough in my book!) And it's an idea that…
Has “Generation Rent” given up the home-owning dream?
We can’t get a mortgage and we're doomed to renting forever. But is that really true? Or are young people more able to get an affordable roof over their head…
Property P2P – the consolation prize for Generation Rent?
Iona Bain Recent statistics from L&G showed a continuing and worrying reliance on the Bank of Mum and Dad to fund property purchases among millennials today - renewing fears that a…
Your financial fitness plan for your first home (part 2)
Yesterday, I talked about how my Financial Fitness Plan was going to get you on the road to slimmer spending, bigger savings and nailing that first home. Today we drill…
Save for your 1st home; your financial fitness plan (part 1)
People are going mad for the Body Coach Joe Wicks, so I decided to get in on the act - except my plan will beef up your savings, not your guns. Why does that matter? Well,…
How Right to Buy has caused intergenerational unfairness
Iona Bain Today, I commented on an exclusive BBC news story, showing how councils are spending millions clawing back Right to Buy homes (often paying well over the market value)…
Rent vs B’N’B of Mum & Dad – we “do the math”
It is one of the biggest economic and social shifts of our time; millennials locked out of our pricey housing market are forced to either rent or live in the family home for…
Listen to Iona chat about AWESOME credit unions
Anca Voinea Meeting the needs of the modern consumer while addressing ageing memberships remain two key challenges for credit unions in Britain. According to recent research by BNY Mellon in collaboration…
How to avoid “Failure to Launch” syndrome
Iona Bain Parents are handing over thousands of pounds to help their offspring fly the family nest – a process that is neither easy nor cheap in an era of…
Will the Housing White Paper be a betrayal of young buyers?
Iona Bain Last week on the blog, we touched on the government's unconfirmed plans to waive stamp duty for homeowners as part of its Housing White Paper, expected any day now. This…
Would scrapping stamp duty for downsizers open up homes for the young?
Iona Bain Older homeowners looking to downsize should not have to pay the Scottish Government's land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) on their purchase in a bid to free up homes…
Housing and the under-25s – Iona on BBC Breakfast today
Iona was on BBC Breakfast this morning talking about a new Local Government Association report which says only 25 per cent of under-25s now own their own home compared with…
Investigation: the cosy arrangement that harms first-time buyers
The regulator will now investigate claims that estate agents harm our home-buying prospects when they refer us to in-house brokers in exchange for commission. We look at how homebuyers may have…
Our trains are driving young British fortunes – for better or worse
More young Brits than ever are spending their lives on trains due to the housing crisis & poor services could be the last straw for alienated millennials Iona Bain You only needed…
Autumn Statement: how it COULD have helped first-time buyers
Iona Bain Let's not beat around the bush - Britain has a full-blown housing emergency and it's affecting everything you can imagine, from marriage and birth rates to the much-discussed…
Going it alone? How to make it work
Iona Bain Why are so many young people I know making the leap into self-employment? It may seem totally counter-intuitive; in a brave new world of Brexiteers and BLEEP-grabbing presidents, surely the…
