Abigail Rose Foster

25/08/2025

Self-employed and confused about pensions? Here are the answers to the questions you asked me most 👇

💭 How much do I need on top of the State Pension?
The full State Pension is about £11.5k a year. The Pensions & Lifetime Savings Association suggests:
* £14k = “minimum” lifestyle
* £31k = “moderate”
* £44k = “comfortable”
👉 Your private pension covers the gap.

💭 How much should I be contributing?
Rule of thumb: 12–15% of income if you can. Or take half your age as a % of earnings (e.g. age 30 = 15%). Even £50–100/month grows significantly over decades.

💭 Is the government ‘top-up’ real?
Yes, it’s tax relief. Pay £80 → £100 goes into your pension. If you’re a higher-rate taxpayer, you can claim even more back.

💭 How do I find a provider?
Compare fees, investment choice, and usability. Low-cost platforms work for many. You can switch later if your needs change.

💭 What growth should I expect?
Historically, a balanced pension grows ~4–5% a year after inflation. But remember: markets rise and fall, so think long-term, not short-term.

✨ Being self-employed means you’re in charge. Small, consistent contributions + tax relief + time = a much more comfortable retirement.

15/08/2025

💸 Mortgage rates down. GDP up (just). And weight-loss drugs get a price surge.

This week’s Finance Friday newsletter is live, helping you understand what the latest financial headlines actually mean for you.

📉 Mortgage rates are below 5% for the first time in nearly two years.
📈 UK GDP grew 0.3%, better than expected, but slower than Q1.
🏦 3.67 million people will pay dividend tax this year (are you one of them?).
📬 And in this week’s finance tip: how to teach kids good money habits without just handing them a tenner.

These are the stories shaping your money this week, broken down in plain English, with real-world takeaways.

📮 Read the full newsletter below

And if your team, school or workplace needs help making money make sense, you know where to find me 👇

UK growth surprises, mortgage rates fall, and Tesla wants to power your home.

04/08/2025

Here’s the short version:👇
In around 40% of finance deals, car dealers and brokers could hike up your interest rate to boost their commission without telling you.

It’s called a Discretionary Commission Arrangement (DCA), and most people had no idea it was happening.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) banned DCAs back in 2021, and now they’re investigating how widespread this was with a compensation scheme on the way.

They’re even looking at claims dating back as far as 2007.

The Supreme Court has made its ruling, and although lenders aren’t being forced to pay out in every case, the FCA has signalled that many people could still be due redress, especially where commission deals weren’t made clear.

You DON’T need to pay a claims firm to check. In fact, the FCA advises against it they could take up to 30% of your payout. You can do it yourself for free.

Even if the car’s long gone, or the agreement’s been paid off (or even repossessed), you could still claim.

📝 The checklist:
– Finance was before 2021
– It was P*P or Hire Purchase
– It was for personal use
– You weren’t told about any commission
– You’ve still got some details about the finance (or can request them)

P.s. I didn’t have ‘car’ pictures so here’s a throw back to going to the Aston Martin HQ in silverstone. Very faint link… cars are cars right?

02/08/2025

Why were we there?

On Thursday evening I was invited to speak at , from a reel holding the big red box, through to Rishi’s sambas, Rachel Reeves budget and now the creator initiative, I’ve been a few times but it’s still an honour to be invited.

- The government knows it needs to meet people where they are. Traditional media is amazing, I work in it, I use it, I personally don’t think it will ever dissapear but, there’s an audience that use social vs other mediums and it’s the next generation of voters who deserve to know what’s going on.

- They’re realising that creators have already built the tools and techniques to educate audiences in ways that stick. That’s why I was asked to speak about financial education, how we do it, why it matters, and how it’s changing lives.

- For me, being in these rooms is not always about politics. It’s about access. These are the institutions that shape your money, your opportunities, your future and I want to help you understand what’s happening behind those doors, because they don’t always explain it well themselves.

What do you think about the way these institutions are communicating with the public?

And is there anything you would ask the people behind those doors?

Abi x

P.S. My makeup was by the amazing 💄
And the dress? Kindly gifted by after I mentioned how much I love renting dresses in a previous post. The peace of mind it gave me? Honestly priceless.

22/07/2025

45% of working-age adults in the UK are saving nothing for retirement.

Women are set to retire with half the income of men.

And if we carry on as we are, today’s 30-year-olds could be poorer in retirement than their parents.

This week, the government announced the return of the Pensions Commission, nearly 20 years since it last met, to fix a system that’s leaving millions behind.

This isn’t just about money. It’s about future security, freedom, and choice.

This might be just ‘news’ to you but I promise it has a huge impact so please don’t forget to engage with this finance stuff!

👇 Have a read through and share it with someone who needs to see this.

09/07/2025

It’s the habits you build.

02/07/2025

ISAs Explained and why slashing the Cash ISA limit might backfire.

Right now, adults in the UK can save or invest up to £20,000 each tax year across a mix of ISAs, completely tax-free.
The main types are:

💸 Cash ISAs – tax-free savings accounts
📈 Stocks & Shares ISAs – invest in the stock market
🔁 Innovative Finance ISAs – for peer-to-peer lending
🏠 Lifetime ISAs – for first homes or retirement, with a £4,000 cap and a 25% bonus

So, why are ISAs such a big deal?

Because outside of an ISA, any interest or gains you earn might be taxed.
🧠 Now here’s the issue...

It’s been reported that the Chancellor is considering cutting the Cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £4,000, as part of a wider push to “encourage investment” and boost the UK economy.
On paper, it sounds like a good idea:
💷 Less saving → More investing → More growth → Better for UK businesses.

But here’s what that argument misses:
1. This isn’t how real people behave.
2. Forcing people into risk doesn’t work.
3. Not all investing = UK investing.
4. It punishes savers, not just the wealthy.

🤔 So what’s the solution?

Not more pressure. More education.

Let’s make the UK a nation of informed investors – not just reactive ones.

👇 Tag someone who needs to see this.
💬 And let me know: Do you use a Cash ISA?

20/06/2025

Just a casual night out with literary royalty, national treasures and my debut book. Happy birthday Penguin, 90 looks good on you.

how did I get into this room. I’m the luckiest person in the world.

11/06/2025

Will we see you there?

09/06/2025

It wouldn’t be a finance channel if I wasn’t out here trying to save you money… right? 😅

Last week I started hunting down every birthday freebie I could find for my own weekend, and I thought, hang on, we need to share the love. I didn’t test every single one but let me know what ones I may have also missed!!

These are just a few of the MANY I came across (free doughnuts, cocktails, cake… obviously). But I’ve also pulled together 50+ more in a quick Canva doc I threw together 💌

👉 Drop me a “birthday” in the comments and I’ll DM it to you
🎁 And tag a friend with a birthday coming up so they don’t miss out too!