
Our post-school education system is broke, says House of Lords
Iona Bain The post-school education system is broke and needs urgent fixing, a scathing House of Lords report has found. It says the move to tuition fees funded largely by…
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…
Throwing £10k at us won’t solve our problems – Young Money Comment
The Resolution Foundation, headed by Lord Willetts, has suggested a £10,000 windfall for every young person reaching 25 in the UK, funded by a levy for older citizens. The detailed…
Gen Y turned off by “uninspired & out-dated” pensions
Young workers are at risk of jeopardising their financial futures due to uninspired and out-of-touch messages from the pensions industry, according to new research published today. We urgently need a re-think,…
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…
We need to get real about auto enrolment
Iona Bain It has been lauded as a success story for the pensions industry and a quietly radical way to get more people saving for their future. But is auto…
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…
A guide to getting your dogsbody rebate worth ££££s
Iona Bain So I've talked about why the current unpaid internships debate is wrong-headed. But did you know that you might be able to claim back money from past internships? Welcome…
What today’s 18 year olds need to know about tomoz
Iona Bain Abraham Lincoln once said: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” So while today’s freshers may be (understandably) focused on the next few months…
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…
Young people in debt crisis – it’s official
Iona was on Radio 5 Live this morning as the expert on young people’s money in special features on debt. Financial Conduct Authority chief Andrew Bailey has warned of a…
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…
The clues to help you make money (& stop you losing it)
Iona Bain So you're interested in investing your hard-earned cash - and who can blame you? We have explored on the blog many a time how savings will do diddly…
The graduate’s guide to getting hired – part 2
Today is the second part of our guide on how to woo those employers in a savvy (and totally clean) way. Today, we’re talking about networking, making the first approach…
The graduate’s guide to seducing employers (not literally)
You don’t need come hither eyes - although you’ll definitely need to embark on some extra-curricular activities (and not the ones you think). Graduates are having a tough time of…
The Graduate: why it still speaks to overwhelmed gen Y
It’s a fifty year old film that’s parodied endlessly. Yet the re-release of The Graduate this year has never been more timely, as a whole generation grapples with post-university malaise…
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,…
Make the election fair for the young!
The general election is less than 7 weeks away and we have an unexpected but brilliant chance to discuss what would make Britain a more egalitarian, open and prosperous place for its young folk.…
Some last-minute Isa picks for young investors
Iona Bain With the new tax year fast approaching, you only have a couple of weeks left before your generous Isa allowance for this year - £15,240 - will be…
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…
Why you shouldn’t be in a hurry to pay off student debt
Iona Bain The Brexit vote may be causing interest rates on loans to fall through the floor, but, sadly, for students and graduates there is one exception. Rates on…
UPDATED 2016: What happens to your student overdraft when you graduate?
This is one of the most popular guides on the Young Money blog and with good reason. It explains the pitfalls of transitioning from a student account to a graduate…
News Round-Up – Debt, small beds, and smart investing
DEGREES OF DEBT Graduates in England face the highest debts in the English-speaking world, above the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, research by the Sutton Trust has found. Those…
Getting fit for LISA – 7 ways to get your finances in shape
Iona Bain If you are yet to turn 40 you have the golden opportunity of free cash for decades -- but only if you can rise to the savings challenge.…
The Packhorse Generation – MPs protest in vain
Iona Bain THE PACKHORSE GENERATION This afternoon the House of Commons voted on a Labour motion calling on the government to reverse its decision to end maintenance grants for students.…
Today’s graduates face the biggest betrayal of all in the Spending Review
Iona Bain Campaigners for fair student finance have reacted furiously to George Osborne’s Spending Review, saying the freeze on the current loan repayment threshold is a “breach of trust”. The move, which…
Will Generation Z become Generation Debt?
Two reports just published shed new light on young people’s money. Generation-Z kids (aged 15 or less) have an estimated £50.3bn in UK saving accounts. And although 40per cent say…
Student season: What’s the REAL cost of student loans?
Iona Bain Going up to uni this Autumn? You may be - understandably - worried about the price tag for your degree. Or perhaps you've recently graduated and want to know how…
BBC 2’s Mind The Gap: Style & stereotypes over substance
Disclaimer: This is what we like to (politely) call a "heritage" blog. That means we haven't updated the information here since publication (although we have tidied up the format). A…