Think tank suggests govt offers free financial advice MOT at 50

clock

Britons should be offered taxpayer-funded "financial MOTs" when they reach 50 to make sure they are prepared for retirement, a think tank has said.

The suggestion has been put forward in a paper on equity release by The Smith Institute, which has also called on the government to pledge its support to the equity release market so pensioners can use the value of their homes to meet expensive care costs, according to the Daily Mail. It argues that low-income workers approaching retirement are not used to paying for financial advice, so the government should step in to offer it to them. Paul Hackett, co-author of the paper, said: "Future generations of low income retired homeowners will increasingly struggle to meet the costs of repa...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

Tessa Lee: The invisible cost of poor client data

Tessa Lee: The invisible cost of poor client data

How can you improve data quality?

Tessa Lee
clock 23 July 2026 • 4 min read
Dean Proctor: Hopes and fears for the new PM and cabinet

Dean Proctor: Hopes and fears for the new PM and cabinet

Stability, simplicity and the chance to do things differently

Dean Proctor
clock 23 July 2026 • 5 min read
Should spousal maintenance be abolished? A modern perspective

Should spousal maintenance be abolished? A modern perspective

Making the case for abolition and retention

Amy Walpole and Karen Brennan
clock 22 July 2026 • 4 min read