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Guide to Discretionary Increases in Defined Benefit Pensions
An expanded explainer of discretionary pension increases, the BP legal dispute, and why these issues are gaining urgency among British expatriates. Defining Discretionary Increases in the Context of Defined Benefit Pensions Defined Benefit (DB) pensions are often viewed as the gold standard of retirement income arrangements. These schemes commit to paying a fixed proportion of…
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DB Pensions 2025-27: Who’s most at risk from new bill?
The Pension Raid No One Saw Coming For British expats with any defined benefit / DB pensions, a quiet but consequential change is on the horizon. The UK Government’s Pension Schemes Bill proposes amendments that carry significant risk for those depending on this secure, inflation-protected income during retirement. While officials dress it up as freeing…
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IHT on Personal Pensions
Start planning. From April 2027, the UK government will include most defined contribution pensions and death benefits in Inheritance Tax (IHT) calculations. This is a major change that UK expats cannot afford to ignore. If you have UK pension pots, you need to take action now. Why This Matters: Pensions Are No Longer Safe from…
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How to Get Your Pensions Out Properly
If you’re already overseas or planning your retirement abroad, sorting your UK pensions is one of the most important (and confusing) things you’ll ever do. And if you get it wrong? You could end up paying thousands in tax, missing out on growth, or locking into something that’s a dud for life. So here’s our…
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Triple Lock and State Pension Sustainability in the Media
UK media has warned that the State Pension’s annual “triple lock” increases could make pension spending an ever-larger share of the economy. In fact, the triple lock – a government guarantee to raise pensions by the highest of inflation, average earnings growth or 2.5% – does add to public costs. Official forecasts show that spending…
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Frozen Pensions? Let’s Do Better
How the UK is short‑changing its own pensioners abroad Imagine working your whole life in the UK, paying your National Insurance, and retiring with the promise of a state pension that’s meant to support you in your later years. Now imagine that pension slowly shrinking year by year – not because you did anything wrong,…
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The Forgotten Generation
Reflections on Britain, Aging, and Exile I was born and raised under the constant drone of British Army helicopters in Belfast, seeing young British men and women give their lives to protect a UK city divided against itself. Despite being coined ‘the Dirty War‘, most of those serving did so for their country, for the…
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UK State Pension Advice For Expats Who Applied
The UK government extended the window for topping up gaps in your NI record, so expats began seeking UK State Pension advice, and applying to boost their UK State Pension back to April 2006 — a full eighteen years’ worth of contributions rather than the usual six. To qualify, you needed to submit your application…
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How to Maximise Your State Pension From Overseas
THE guide to boosting your UK State Pension, at the lowest cost Living abroad doesn’t affect your ability to maximise your State Pension. Yet millions of UK expats struggle to keep up with National Insurance (NI) contributions, or don’t even know they can – missing out on thousands of pounds each year. One voluntary NI…
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Is Life in Thailand Better?
…or should you return to the UK? How do UK expats compare Quality of Life and costs? Feeling like a damp sponge after a UK visit? You’re not alone. A recent community thread prompted a wave of responses from British expats explaining life in Thailand often seems brighter in Southeast Asia. We’ve distilled the main…
British Abroad
Honesty, Service, Community