Lead story in Personal Finance

Are we earning enough? The new squeeze on the middle classes

A likely further tax raid in the Budget will only add to pension and mortgage woes

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• October 17 2025
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  Ferrari cuts supply of cars to UK after non-dom tax changes

  Carmaker tries to stem declining residual values for its vehicles

  
• October 16 2025
  Infrastructure investment

  Reeves to encourage pension groups to team up in push for UK investment

  Chancellor’s Sterling 20 initiative will try to make it more seamless for pension funds to back British infrastructure and growth projects

  
• October 16 2025
  Pensions

  UK local authority pension giant warns against more merging of assets

  Border to Coast says group already close to its optimal size for benefiting from scale and buying power

  
• October 16 2025
  FT Wealth

  Japan’s gardens embody the subtle side of wealth

  For centuries they have been a symbol not just of money but of culture and sophistication

  
• October 15 2025
  Chris Giles

  No need for a moral panic about the welfare system

  It’s far from perfect, but the UK’s spending is broadly controlled and employment is high

  
• October 15 2025
  Exchange traded funds

  Inside the knotty economics of the world’s most profitable ETF

  And why they might soon change

  
• October 15 2025
  FT WealthClare Maurice

  Philanthropy can help mitigate Budget inheritance tax increases

  Charitable giving can act as a tax move, a family glue and a social benefit

  
• October 14 2025
  French politics

  French PM to freeze Macron’s pension reform until 2027

  Sébastien Lecornu hopes concession will suffice to secure left’s support

  
• October 14 2025
  German economy

  Germany to allow retirees to earn €2,000 a month tax-free

  Chancellor Friedrich Merz seeking to reignite economy and address challenges of a shrinking workforce

  
• October 14 2025
  UK mis-selling

  Close Brothers nearly doubles car finance redress to £300mn

  FTSE 250 lender says increased provision reflects ‘greater likelihood’ more cases will qualify for compensation

  
• October 14 2025
  US equities

  Short sellers blame retail investors for worst returns since 2020

  Rally in heavily shorted stocks comes as AI hype and hopes of lower rates push S&P 500 to record highs

  
• October 13 2025
  Lloyds Banking Group

  Lloyds to take extra £800mn charge over car finance mis-selling

  Move follows ruling from Financial Conduct Authority and takes UK lender’s total provision to almost £2bn

  
• October 11 2025
  Claer Barrett

  I’ve seen the future of shopping — and I’m sold on AI

  Buying with the help of generative artificial intelligence is like having a personal shopper who knows exactly what I want

  
• October 11 2025
  Q&AUK mis-selling

  Q&A: Are you due a share of £11bn car finance compensation?

  Redress scheme for motorists starts early next year, with average payout of £700 expected

  
• October 11 2025
  My Financial Life

  Lush co-founder: ‘I’d never felt so alone after going bankrupt’

  Mark Constantine experienced homelessness and the shame of bankruptcy before creating the global cosmetics brand

  
• October 10 2025
  Chris Hohn

  Chris Hohn’s foundation blames ‘policy environment’ as it stops giving to US charities

  Billionaire hedge fund manager’s CIFF has focused donations on issues such as climate change

  
• October 9 2025
  Pensions industry

  FTAV Q&A: Michelle Ostermann

  The UK Pension Protection Fund’s chief talks Canada envy, risk, reform, and public sector consolidation

  
• October 9 2025
  Investing in funds

  UK investors will be able to put crypto products in Isas

  New ruling will allow exchange-traded crypto products to be held in Isas and Sipps

  
• October 9 2025
  Cryptocurrencies

  Hargreaves Lansdown warns UK retail investors about crypto despite FCA U-turn

  Investment platform tells customers bitcoin ‘has no intrinsic value’ and ‘is not an asset class’

  
• October 9 2025
  Pensions industry

  British pension provider plots £1bn launch of new look ‘superfund’

  Defined benefit scheme consolidator would be first in the UK to share profits with members

  
• October 9 2025
  UK property taxation

  How unfair is your council tax?

  FT analysis highlights arbitrary nature of system, allowing readers to discover how their bill compares in their area

  
• October 8 2025
  ExplainerUK property taxation

  Should stamp duty be scrapped in the UK?

  Conservative party says property tax deters people from moving house and stifles productivity

  
• October 8 2025
  Hargreaves Lansdown PLC

  Hargreaves Lansdown denies responsibility in Woodford investor lawsuit

  Almost 10,000 people seeking compensation for losses were ‘fully responsible’ for their investor decisions, says platform

  
• October 8 2025
  Hargreaves Lansdown PLC

  Peter Hargreaves to step down from Hargreaves Lansdown board

  Co-founder’s son to take his place at the private equity-owned DIY investment site

  
• October 8 2025
  St James's Place PLC

  St James’s Place unveils low-cost funds after sweeping overhaul of fees

  Move follows pressure from UK regulator to shake up charging structure to ensure customers receive a fair deal